The Social, Humanitarian Cultural Affairs Committee (SOCHUM)
The Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Affairs Committee (SOCHUM) is one of the six specialized subcommittees of the United Nations General Assembly. The committee’s main task is to strive for better compliance to human rights in every region of this world and thus promote international peace and security. Due to SOCHUM’s general mandate, the committee has the ability to discuss many topics presented to the UN. Most issues have a social or cultural aspect, allowing this committee to be involved in developing numerous solutions. Issues discussed by SCOHUM include: treatment of refugees and displaced persons, rights of children, international drug prevention, crime prevention, and elimination of racism and racial discrimination, to name only a few. SOCHUM examines reports of the special procedures of the Human Rights Council.
United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)
Created in 2006, the United Nations Human Rights Council is tasked with strengthening and promoting the protection of human rights worldwide. Its 36 rotating member states have tackled issues as far-reaching as the conflict in Israel, religious hatred, and the right to environmental protection. The UNHRC takes on a more reactionary role under the umbrella of SOCHUM, who looks mostly to prevent human rights infractions. One of the unique responsibilities of the council is their quadrennial review of the human rights records of all UN member states.
United Nations Commission on Drugs and Crime
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime is a global leader in the fight against illicit drugs and international crime. Established in 1997 through a merger between the United Nations Drug Control Programme and the Centre for International Crime Prevention, UNODC operates in all regions of the world through an extensive network of field offices. UNODC is mandated to assist Member States in their struggle against illicit drugs, crime and terrorism. In the Millennium Declaration, Member States also resolved to intensify efforts to fight transnational crime in all its dimensions, to redouble the efforts to implement the commitment to counter the world drug problem and to take concerted action against international terrorism. The UN Commission on Drugs and Crime has been created as a forum for Member States to discuss their stance and ideas.
United Nations Security Council (UNSC)
The UN Security Council, a mainstay of any model United Nations, is charged with efficiently responding to security threats and maintaining international peace through the deployment of UN peacekeepers and economic sanctions. This committee is the most powerful in the entire UN and has a slightly different make-up from the other committees. It has 15 members, with five permanent members and 10 rotating ones. The permanent members have a veto power, which means that a single vote from them will automatically take down any motion.This committee does require some past MUN experience but although it’s main responsibility is to keep peace, this year we plan to make it more fun than ever by allowing delegates to make decisions about real-time situations that are based on current issues within our own world.
Council of the European Union (EU)
The Council of the European Union is the primary law-making body of all the Member States of the EU. It’s job is to act as a discussion forum for the European Union. The Council is a key decision-maker; Its decisions are directly relevant to the lives of the EU’s citizens and have impact on the international stage. The EU Council is attended by ministers from all member states. At VYMUN, the Council of the European Union will be simplified to follow Model UN procedure, as well as shrunk to enable faster response to crisis situations.
