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   ECOSOC: Human Rights Committee

Chairperson: Katina Petrou

Legal Counsel: 

ECOSOC: Human Rights Committee Discussion Board

A. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (E14h)

There are approximately 370 million indigenous people spanning 70 countries, worldwide. Historically they have been dispossessed of their lands, or in the center of conflict for access to valuable resources because of where they live, or, in yet other cases, struggling to fallow the lifestyles that have served them well for hundreds of years. Indigenous people are often amongst the most disadvantaged people in the world. The UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues is an advisory body to the Economic and Social Council. Though only convened for six sessions to this date, the forum has made a significant number of recommendations to member states. With a mandate to discuss indigenous issues related to economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health and human rights, it is this bodies charge to bring these relevant issues to the Economic and Social Council so that they may resolved with all possible swiftness.

B. Genetic Privacy and Non-Discrimination (E14i)

Genetic information can be collected and used for many productive things, such as to better understand an individual’s medical history, to discover more about the way certain diseases work, and to learn more about the way certain genes interact between generations. However, with our knowledge in genetics growing each day, the concerns grow as well. Some are apprehensive about the forms of discrimination that may occur once genetic information is determined for an individual, such as insurance companies altering their plans and policies or employers treating employees unequally due to genetic information. Others, however, feel that the aside from a few anecdotal incidents, rarely would insurance companies and employers use time and energy to test for the likelihood of an individual having a disease in the future. They also believe that genetic issues may cross over into other types of medical issues, causing difficultly in creating a special guidelines specifically for genetic information. The protection of privacy is at hand, and in a field that is developing as quickly as this, proper actions are debatable. Some believe policies could become outdated too quickly, while others fear time is flying by while individuals are still going unprotected by policy. Some of the countries that contain large programs in relation to the human genome are Australia , Brazil , Canada , China , Denmark , European Union , France , Germany , Israel , Italy , Japan , Korea , Mexico , Netherlands , Russia , Sweden , United Kingdom , and the United States .

C. The role of the UN in promoting full and productive employment (C4)

The role of the United Nations in promoting full and productive employment encompasses a variety of topics from job creation to sustaining the environment.  As the world continues to see the development of technology consume many jobs that were once performed by manual laborers, concerns of the social and economic impact on society and more importantly the sustainability of the middle class have arisen.  On this topic, the United Nations’ Economic and Social Council has developed a theme around which it has focused its attention: “Creating an environment at the national and international levels conducive to generating full and productive employment and decent work for all, and its impact on sustainable development”.  It is important to note that much of the previous discussion on the matter has also encompassed the impact that full employment might have on the environment as well.  This topic is entangled with many other issues being discussed at the national, regional and international levels and will, without a doubt, be difficult to solve without considering implications that any resolution might have on those other intertwined matters.

D. Ad hoc advisory groups on African countries emerging from conflict (E7g)

In Resolution 2002/1, the ECOSOC created a framework by which any African country emerging from conflict could request that a committee be created to (1) examine the humanitarian and economic needs of the country, (2) review existing support programs, (3) prepare recommendations for a long-term support programs, (4) integrate rehabilitation, reconstruction and development programs and (5) provide advice on how to ensure that the assistance provided by the international community is adequate, coherent, well-coordinated and effective. Subsequently, the ECOSOC created two ad hoc advisory groups, one of which—the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Guinea-Bissau —remains active today. While the groups have been largely successful, the UN Secretary General, in a report released last May, identified several areas for improvement. What ways can the groups be improved so that they better serve the needs of war torn African nations?