Background Guide

GEMS Model United Nations 2023 - 24

Committee: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Agenda: Protecting Displaced and Refugee Children

Executive Board of UNHCR

Aadit Nair Sajeev

Secretary General OF GMUN
Chair of UNHCR
E-mail Address: [email protected]

Arnav Vijay
Secretary of UNHCR
E-mail Address: [email protected]

Table of Contents:

I. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................2
II. HISTORY OF AGENDA AND COMMITTEE............................................................... 2
III. AGENDA OF THE COMMITTEE...................................................................................3
I) STATEMENT OF PROBLEM............................................................................................. 3
II) REFUGEE CRISIS.................................................................................................................3
IV. CASE STUDIES................................................................................................................... 4
ROHINGYA CRISIS.................................................................................................................. 4
SYRIAN REFUGEE CRISIS.................................................................................................... 5
RUSSIA - UKRAINE WAR...................................................................................................... 6
ISRAEL PALESTINIAN CONFLICT.................................................................................... 7
REFUGEE CRISES IN AFRICA............................................................................................. 8
a) DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO..................................................................... 8
b) SUDAN.....................................................................................................................................9
c) SOMALIA.................................................................................................................................9
d) CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC.................................................................................10
V. QUESTIONS A RESOLUTION MUST ANSWER..................................................... 12
VI. RESOLUTION MAKING............................................................................................... 13
A. SAMPLE PREAMBULATORY PHRASES................................................................. 13
B. SAMPLE OPERATIVE PHRASES................................................................................ 14
VII. BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................................................................................ 14
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I. INTRODUCTION
Welcome to UNHCR in GMUN 23-24. The agenda for UNHCR this year is Protecting
Displaced and Refugee Children. GMUN strongly believes in the immense power of
collective action and diplomacy to solve global issues, reaffirming that only an in-depth
preparation would help delegates gain a basic awareness of the topic at hand.

Recognizing the different cultural and socioeconomic perspectives, spanning innumerable

philosophies, people, demographics, and policies of this vast topic, delegates are encouraged
to undergo thorough research in the following aspects:

1) Creation of Child Refugees: The Factors Behind it.

2) Displacement of Children from Families - The Repercussions Observed.
3) Exploitation of Child Refugees, Challenges Faced.
4) Child Refugee Crisis: Syrian War
5) Child Refugee Crisis: Russia - Ukraine War
6) Child Refugee Crisis: Israel - Palestine Conflict
7) Refugee Crisis & Instability: Africa
a) The Republic of Congo
b) the Republic of Sudan
c) The Federal Republic of Somalia
d) The Central African Republic

II. HISTORY OF AGENDA AND COMMITTEE

The UNHCR was established by the United Nations (previously UN Refugee Agency) in the
year 1950, to aid the millions of families affected by the aftermath of the Second World War,
dedicating itself to safeguarding basic human rights among all global citizens while ensuring
the protection of refugees and deliverance of aid to those in need.

Conflict, poverty, and climate change have affected the childhoods of millions of children
around the world, forcing them to be on the move, and travelling to an uncertain future in the
hope of finding a better life. Although children represent only one-third of the global
population, they account for more than half of world refugees, facing challenges in the form
of danger, deprivation, detention, or discrimination on their journey/arrival at their
destination.

Since its inception, the UNHCR has been stalwart in its operation to safeguard the rights of
child refugees, including the Policy on Refugee Children endorsed in 1998, with its sole
function lying in the rehabilitation, assistance, and reunification of children with their
families while producing programs that are responsive to the psychological and material
needs of children. These programs put children in the context of family and community,
enriching a transition to a stable life, and protecting them from the onset of emergencies that
disrupt their physical and psychological well-being.

Initiatives like ‘No Lost Generation’ and ‘The Big Heart Campaign for Syrian Refugee
Children’ reflect the partnership and advocacy undertaken by the UNHCR with governments
to solve the issue, with investment in child protection schemes to combat trafficking,

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detention, early marriage, and exploitation, deliverance of quality education and ensuring
legal identity to each refugee child.

III. AGENDA OF THE COMMITTEE

I) STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

With many organisations in place in today's world by various governing bodies, the issue of a
refugee crisis is still ever present in today's world. The issue of neo-colonialism, re-annexing
of previous territory and imperialistic rulers are still influencing the crisis today.

The UNHCR has been working at its maximum on many affairs relating to refugees in the
past and present, having released many treaties and engaged in various political dialogues
that work towards giving refugees the care and proper treatment they deserve.

The refugee crisis is an ever-prevalent issue in today's geo-political world and international
affairs which hinders the lives of many people and causes the lives of many to be lost.

II) REFUGEE CRISIS

The refugee crisis simply states that when people flee their homeland, they face violence by
many factors, or by fear of oppression, racism, and hatred to say the least. Research has
shown that in the entirety of human history, we have only been at peace for 8% of our
lineage.

The refugee crisis has been there since the beginning of colonialism and imperialism. Still,
the recorded history of the refugee crisis started around 75 years ago with the setting up of
the United Nations and the UNHCR committee. The United Nations High Commissioner of
Refugees (founded in 1950) keeps data on refugee populations as far back as 1951. Every
year over the last seven decades has seen at least 1.6 million refugees. Since 1982, that
number has rarely dropped below 10 million refugees registered with UNHCR yearly.

The main goal of the UNHCR is to bring the number of refugees down and to provide aid to
refugees around the world. This has been done in various forms throughout the years, in the
form of legal aid, medical aid, and political dialogue with many nations throughout the globe.
The UNHCR has played a vital role in reducing the number of refugees throughout the world
and aiding many different nations and groups of people in gaining their lives back.

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IV. CASE STUDIES

ROHINGYA CRISIS

Described by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as "one of, if not the, most

discriminated people in the world", the Rohingya are one of Myanmar's many ethnic
minorities. The Rohingya, who numbered around one million in Myanmar at the start of
2017, are one of the many ethnic minorities in the country. Rohingya Muslims represent the
largest percentage of Muslims in Myanmar, with the majority living in Rakhine state.

The government of Myanmar denies granting them citizenship as they are seen as illegal
immigrants from Bangladesh and also denies recognizing them as people. They have been
migrating from place to place inside Myanmar since the 1970s, in the past few years,
thousands of Rohingya have migrated outside of Myanmar to escape communal violence and
alleged abuse by the security forces.

Since 2021, to decongest the 33 camps in Cox’s Bazar, nearly 30,000 refugees have been
relocated to Bhasan Char island by the Government of Bangladesh. While protection services
and humanitarian assistance have been scaled up on the island, significant gaps remain in
service delivery and the sustainability of critical assistance.
Rohingya refugees have also sought refuge in other neighbouring countries like Thailand
(92,000) and India (21,000), with smaller numbers settling in Indonesia, Nepal, and other
countries across the region... Armed clashes across Myanmar have continued to trigger
displacement, bringing the total number of internally displaced people (IDP) within the
country to more than 1.8 million — including 1.5 million of whom have been internally
displaced since February 2021.

Rohingya refugees lack basic legal aid and livelihood opportunities making them entirely
dependent on humanitarian aid and at a high risk of exploitation and abuse to their daily lives.
UNHCR has provided them with aid such as registering refugees, providing protection and
legal assistance, preventing gender-based violence, ensuring the provision of adequate
shelter, health care, and sanitation, supporting education and skills development, as well as
livelihood opportunities, and distributing life-saving relief items where needed.
The UNHCR also continues to proceed in political talks with Myanmar and other countries
on voluntary repatriation.

Despite these efforts, the Rohingya are still under threat, especially the women and children
in their camps such as Camp Cox, where the women and children are subject to violence,
exploitation, and human trafficking. Ensuring a safe environment for refugees, including
protecting them from natural hazards, fire, and environmental degradation, remains a
challenge. With the change of season, the rampant spread of diseases throughout the camp
increases the risk of diseases such as hepatitis, acute diarrhoea, and dengue.

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SYRIAN REFUGEE CRISIS

A country long considered as the birthplace of civilizations is now on the verge of extinction.
What began as student pro-democracy demonstrations in Bashar Al-Assad's Ba'athist Syria
has now erupted into mass persecution and execution of civilians, especially children.

By March 2023, over 25,000 children in total were killed, in an ongoing conflict by the
Interim Bashar - Al Assad’s government against Violent Non-State Organisations (VNSO)
such as Islamic State and Al-Qaeda vying for territory amid the turmoil in Syria.

Over 11 million children are registered as refugees with UNHCR, displaced from their
families to lead their lives in neighbouring host countries like Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon.
Gender-based violence against children occurs daily and over 90% of households live below
the poverty line, resorting to negative coping mechanisms including forced child marriage
and child labor, to make ends meet. International trade sanctions exerted due to the
anti-regime protests have increased the price of basic commodities to a significant rate and as
a result, in 2015, over 9.8 million Syrians suffered from food shortages, as per a report by the
World Food Organization.

A report by UNICEF revealed that over one-third of refugee children showed signs of
psychological distress including anxiety, sadness, fatigue, or frequent trouble sleeping. These
children have known nothing but war and conflict their entire lives, and are emotionally
scarred by a litany of abuses and constant fear. Physical abuse is greatly prevalent and land
mines, explosive remnants of war, and unexploded ordnance leave some with lifelong
disabilities. Terrorist groups like ISIL illegally abduct women and girls and subject them to
constant sexual violence & abuse, as in the case of hundreds of Yazidi women and girls
abducted from northern Iraq in 2014 and sold into sexual slavery in Syria.

Healthcare systems to address injuries caused to children have been severely bombed or
shelled, with 15 out of 20 hospitals in eastern Ghouta damaged severely into rubble and
debris. Facilities like ambulances have been repeatedly targeted, with a report by UNICEF
revealing over 175 attacks on healthcare systems in 2017 alone. More than 15,000 out of
30,000 doctors in Syria have fled the country, about persecution and risks. Diseases like polio
which were previously eradicated, now increasingly affect up to 80,000 children across the
country, as vaccines and medicines are not readily available for use. Over 200,000 died from
chronic diseases due to lack of access to treatment, as reflected by Save the Children.

Before the civil war, education, and literacy were at an all-time high, with 100% primary
school enrollment and a 79.6% literacy rate among its population. Educational institutions
like schools are taken as a legitimate target by non-state organisations and since the start of
the conflict, over a quarter of Syrian schools have been severely damaged or used as shelters
by IDPs (Internally Displaced People). These attacks also continue with killings and
abductions of teachers and students, with over one-third of children killed at school or during
transit to school, out of 1500 cases of grave human rights violations of rights as listed by
UNICEF. 60% of these cold-blooded acts against children are cases of murder.

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RUSSIA - UKRAINE WAR

In 2022, Russia launched a full scale invasion into Ukraine, following advances of NATO
membership to former Soviet colonies like Ukraine, bringing about a catastrophic impact into
the regular functioning of civilian life with mass scale bombings and counter offensives along
4 Ukrainian oblasts, brutally killing over 535 children and injuring over 1047 children out of
a total 500,000 casualties inflicted upon this disastrous conflict. As per the United Nations,
over 87% of these casualties were caused due to explosive weapons including artillery,
missile and air strikes, and loitering munitions.

Since the invasion in February 2022, over 3790 Ukrainian institutions have been severely
damaged, interrupting access of education to millions of children as a result of aerial strikes
and artillery shelling. Facilities like schools, hospitals where many people have been
sheltering, children are in grave danger and are vulnerable to injury or death.700,000 children
are currently out of school, as they are met with an uncertain future, having difficulties
enrolling in schooling in neighbouring countries. Over 60% of children lack access to formal
education due to disruption of educational institutions in Ukraine. The 164,000 children with
difficulties registered in Ukraine are particularly vulnerable to physical and mental harm,
facing a variety of risks like abandonment, lack of access to medicines and proper medical
assistance.

Within one month of war, over 1.8 children have crossed into neighbouring countries as
refugees and over 2.5 million children have been internally displaced inside Ukraine, amidst
the intense bombing and disastrous violence occurring in communities in siege. In a report by
Refugees International, roughly half of these displaced children are under the age of 18, often
unaccompanied by a guardian. Some of these children, who flee Ukraine can be considered
stateless, with only 2300 IAMs registered in EU countries nearby, a significant
understatement to the actual number of displaced, neglected children as stated by UNICEF.

The UNHCR has reported serious violations of wartime laws by Russian authorities,with a
verified estimate by Yale University of 6000 Ukrainian children ranging from teens to
toddlers illegally given Russian identities and deported for adoption in mainland Russia,
taking them away from their families, violating basic laws of child protection during war.
These children are housed within more than 443 camps, with 11 of these camps located more
than 500 miles from Ukraine.

Several children have been orphaned, as they leave Ukraine, visiting their homes often for the
last time in their lives. A study reflected on the grave psychological impacts of the war,
including trauma, PTSD, depression and anxiety on Ukrainian refugees affected by the war
with over 30% of children exhibiting signs of severe psychosocial distress, and a further
400,000 children seek urgent mental health support, which has been compromised due to the
circumstances of the war. Since the start of the war, reports of child trafficking and gender
based violence have increased significantly, with NGO Magnolia, a Ukrainian subdivision of
Missing Children Europe reporting more than 1000 cases of refugee children who have been
kidnapped, abducted, have forcibly disappeared or are missing, including separated children.

The UNHCR rapidly recognized the adversity of the situation at hand, and brought upon
quick responses in terms of humanitarian assistance to incoming refugees, remaining staunch
in its response to providing aid to over 1.4 million Ukrainian refugees in 2023 alone, using its
Blue Dots Network with support and referrals for health care, education and psychosocial

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assistance. Critical protection services for refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine have been
delivered with a particular focus on children and those at greatest risk, including
unaccompanied and separated children, people with disabilities, cases of suspected
trafficking, survivors of sexual or gender-based violence (SGBV) and refugees from the
LGBTIQ+ community.

ISRAEL PALESTINIAN CONFLICT

History of Conflict

The Israel and Palestinian conflict dates back to the nineteenth century, since the signing of
the Balfour Declaration in 1917 and with a UN Vote in 1947 for Palestine to be split into
separate Jewish and Arab territories after the persecution and mass genocide of Jews during
the Second World War, This lead the creation of the State of Israel after British forces
withdrew sparking conflict between Jewish and Arab militias, with attacks against Palestinian
villages, forcing thousands to flee. This was followed by the Arab Israeli Wars, where Israel
emerged victorious with a major offensive, occupying lands over East Jerusalem, West Bank
and Syrian Golan Heights, claiming the entirety of Jerusalem as its capital and causing the
permanent displacement of more than half of the Palestinian population. This was called
‘Al-Nakhba’ or ‘The Catastrophe’. The Nakba had a profound impact on the Palestinian
people, who lost their homes, their land, and their way of life, and left apart traumatic
experiences that scattered over 5 million people across the Middle East, continuing to be
dispossessed and displaced by Israeli settlements, evictions, land confiscation and home
demolitions.

In 2006, the organisation Hamas, a political and militant movement inspired by the
Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood won the Palestinian parliamentary elections, considered a
terrorist organisation by the USA and the European Union. During the years of 2014, 2018
and 2021, there were continuous confrontations and airstrikes between the Israeli military and
Hamas, with waves of violence along the Gaza Strip. Military and non military structures
were targeted, causing casualties on both sides, more significantly so to Palestintians.

Current Situation

In early October 2023, Hamas launched an unprecedented offensive on Israel, with a

large-scale ground invasion along southern Israeli cities and the border in Gaza, with an
estimated 2200 rockets fired towards southern and central Israel, including Tel Aviv.
Retaliatory strikes soon continued, with a directive from Israel’s Defense Minister to Israel
Defense Forces (IDF) to carry out a “complete siege” of Gaza.The conflict inflicted
disastrous damage on civilian infrastructure causing the loss of lives of thousands of people
and orphaning of several children, displaced away from their parents and subjected to brutal
cold-blooded instances of murder, physical abuse and SGBV (sexual and gender based
violence). According to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, nearly 1.9 million
people – more than 85 percent of the population in Gaza - have been displaced across the
Strip since 7 October.

Since the October 7 acts, over 10,000 Palestinians including 5500 children have been killed
along the Gaza strip as per reports from Gaza’s government media office, amid the deadly
counter offensive airstrikes employed by the IDF as a retaliatory response. The Hamas attack
on Israel led to the deaths of 33 children, with an estimated 40 children taken as hostages.

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Furthermore, The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported 2000
missing since the start of the conflict, including 1250 children. WHO reports that a child is
killed every 10 minutes in Gaza, with half of a total of 36 hospitals in Gaza severely damaged
and two-thirds of its primary healthcare systems not functioning. Proper treatment not
delivered to those in need have resulted in numerous deaths, as basic necessities like
medicines and vaccines are not present, as continuous bombing and shelling continue over
healthcare institutions along the Gaza Strip, with the largest hospital in Gaza housing over
55,000 IDPs is subjected to bombardment, killing at least 22 people.

Most children brought in were in shock, with burns, shrapnel wounds or severe injuries from
being crushed by rubble, many unidentified, as the heinous, brutal and shocking attacks
continue on a daily basis, with a ceasefire seeming far distant.Water, food and supplies have
grown to a scarcity following total blockage and limitation of necessary aid by Israel. 90% of
the electricity in the area has been cut with a near total blackout of mobile services and
Wi-Fi. Reports from the World Food Program suggest that 9 out of 10 people in Gaza cannot
afford to have a daily meal as a basic necessity.

Antonio Guterres, The Secretary General of the United Nations quoted “Gaza is becoming a
graveyard for children.”. The psychological effects and trauma reported is indeed shocking,
displaying a whole range of mental and behavioural health symptoms, like fear of darkness,
general tension, flashback, nightmares, avoidance, difficulty sleeping and a recollection of
their trauma. With reference to the previous conflict in 2021, a review study in 2011 found
high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder among Palestinian children, with estimates in
various studies ranging from 23% to 70%.

UNICEF revealed that before 2021, one in three children in Gaza required trauma support
and a study by the organisation Save the Children reflected horrifying statistics, with 80% of
children showing emotional distress and over half of the participants having contemplated
self harm at some point. Considering the current crisis, the situation is predicted to be much
worse now, with a severe shortage in health professionals to address such problems. As a
result of the attacks, at least 300 schools have been damaged and 183 teachers are reported to
be killed. Education is greatly compromised as a result of this conflict, as the children of
Palestine lead into an uncertain future after significant airstrikes on schools, hospitals and key
medical facilities like ambulances to deliver aid.

REFUGEE CRISES IN AFRICA

a) DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
The Democratic Republic of Congo faces one of the world's worst humanitarian crises,
hosting more than half a million refugees and 6.2 million internally displaced refugees. The
conflict is circled by the constant competition by rival militia, fueled by foreign influences
from Rwanda and Uganda, and the DRC government to viciously gain control over the
extensive cobalt and copper mines.

In the line of conflict, refugee children are kidnapped and forcibly taken away to join militia
groups like RCD Goma, RCD - ML, and the Mayi - Mayi who rely enormously upon the
brigades of child soldiers to exert control over large swathes of major regions. These children
are forced into constant physical and mental abuse and severely brutalised, enduring
traumatic events that change their lives completely. Substance abuse is increasingly prevalent

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among such children, used by militia groups to cloud the emotions of children while they
conduct cold-blooded acts of murder.

In addition to the violence, 1.2 million children under five in the east face the risk of severe
acute malnutrition with an ongoing cholera outbreak reporting a surplus of over 780,000
cases. Girls are most vulnerable to this crisis, subjected to sexual and gender-based violence
that leads to serious physical abuse and denied essential sanitary products and basic
healthcare. Many girls return home with high levels of stigmatization, related to the sexual
abuse inflicted on them, making it hard for them to return to everyday life.

b) SUDAN
South Sudan was established as a new country in 2011 after a deadly civil war. Unfortunately,
only two years later, in 2013, conflict broke out in the new country, leading to a complex and
dangerous situation of armed conflict, economic decline, disease, and hunger. This conflict
has forced millions to flee and left millions more displaced inside the country.

Over 83% of people fleeing the country are women and children and children taking over
65% of the refugees currently who have fled the country. These people are survivors of acts
of violence and sexual assault, and in many cases, children who have been separated from
their parents are traveling alone South Sudanese refugees live in neighboring countries such
as Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kenya’s
Kakuma refugee camp and its expansion site, Kalobeyei settlement, host more than 148,000
South Sudanese refugees, one of the largest South Sudanese refugee populations in the world.
To mitigate the risks of SGBV, UNHCR works closely with partner agencies and refugee and
host communities to build safe shelters, conduct awareness campaigns, strengthen referral
mechanisms, and sensitise communities on the importance of combating the problem.
UNHCR has established a haven system in which volunteer “Guardian Angels” open up their
homes to protect and support South Sudanese refugees who have survived SGBV. UNHCR
and partner organizations have also been conducting awareness sessions about female genital
mutilation.

The UNHCR is not yet promoting the return of the refugees to South Sudan as the conditions
are not yet safe, although the UNHCR does recognize the right of the refugees to return to
their homeland. As of right now, the South Sudan refugees make up the largest group of
refugees in the world with 151,300 returning primarily from Uganda(75,500), Sudan
(48,900), and Ethiopia (23,300)

c) SOMALIA
The Somalian refugee crisis is one of the most devastating and challenging refugee crises in
the world. Due to political instability and the civil war that broke out in the 1990's over
100,000 people have fled the nation.

One of the most notable clashes took place in February of 2023 around the city of
Laascaanood causing over 150,000 to be displaced in Somalia and over 100,000 refugees to
flee to Ethiopia arriving in remote areas which are extremely isolated and affected heavily by
drought.
More than 3.8 million people are displaced in Somalia and some 6.7 million people are
struggling to meet their food needs. More than half a million Somali children are severely
malnourished.

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Today, there are 714,390 Somali refugees and asylum seekers living in neighbouring
countries like Kenya (308,367), Ethiopia (276,412), Uganda (69,533), and Yemen (46,750).
More than 35,600 refugees and asylum seekers live inside the country and nearly 3 million
people are internally displaced across Somalia. Despite having internal displacement and
refugee crises of their own, countries like Yemen and Ethiopia have a long-standing history
of welcoming refugees from Somalia.

The Horn of Africa is currently experiencing the worst drought in forty years due to irregular
rainfall patterns and shifting weather patterns. The drought is devastating. Millions of IDPs,
refugees, and their host communities—mostly in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya—are being
negatively impacted by the drought. This year, a devastating drought forced another 312,000
people from their homes, while another 408,000 people were forced from their communities
by flooding. In the first five months of 2023, a toxic combination of conflict, extreme
drought, and deadly floods pushed over a million people to leave Somalia, setting a record for
the nation's rate of displacement. Due to a combination of conflict and climatic shocks, water
sources are drying up, livelihoods are being destroyed, and food and basic goods are
becoming more expensive. This has resulted in both internal and cross-border displacement
as well as drought-specific effects on host communities and existing refugee camps in all
three countries. Food assistance for these groups has already been drastically reduced as a
result of financial shortages and the global economic crisis, which has raised the price of food
and other commodities. In Somalia, the price of a food basket has increased by 36%, making
even necessities unaffordable for many refugees and internally displaced families.

For almost thirty years, Somalian refugees have been housed in camps. Numerous people
have spent the majority of their life in these camps. We refer to this as a protracted refugee
crisis. A prolonged refugee situation is defined by UNHCR as one in which 25,000 or more
refugees of the same nationality have been living in exile in a particular host nation for at
least five years at a time. This type of extended refugee status is thought to be the home of
78% of all refugees.

d) CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

In 2013, an outbreak of violence between armed groups forced more than 640,000 people to
flee the country in search of safety, and an additional 630,000 were internally displaced. The
majority of those who fled the country sought refuge in neighbouring countries such as
Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and the Republic of the
Congo, with smaller numbers in Sudan and South Sudan. The Central African Republic is a
landlocked country in the heart of Africa that consistently ranks among the poorest and most
fragile countries in the world.

This has culminated in what Concern Worldwide CEO Dominic MacSorley described in 2017
as “a country of contrasts and complexity; one of staggering natural beauty, but also one of
desperation, ominous insecurity, and extreme violence.” The context of this complex
emergency is key to understanding not only why the latest bout of violence happened, but
also how it is affecting the country's civilians. “These were people that had suffered the
ravages of colonialism, despotism, and destitution,”

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While the CAR has regrettably seen conflict over the past 60 years, the sectarian nature of the
current conflict is relatively new. The country is home to both Muslim and Christian
communities, and since independence, relations between these two groups have generally
been amicable. Many towns and villages have mixed populations, and intermarriage is
common. While people of both faiths live throughout the country, the majority population in
the north is Muslim and the majority population in the south is Christian. Since
independence, the majority Christian population has generally held political and economic
power.

One in four Central Africans are either refugees or internally displaced due to conflict,
insecurity, or flooding, while more than half of the population lacks access to a reliable and
sufficient source of nutritious food. Insecurity and conflict are having an alarming impact on
the health system, with repeated attacks on patients, staff, medical assets, and infrastructure,
disrupting care. Concern had to temporarily suspend programming at the end of 2020 due to
the increased violence. Central Africans are facing harsh challenges every day as there are
high rates of hunger and a decimated health system.

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V. QUESTIONS A RESOLUTION MUST ANSWER

1. Who is at most risk for war and conflict during a refugee crisis?
2. How can support be tailored to children of different ages?
3. Are there any specific challenges faced by particular groups of children, based on
gender, race, or socio-economic status during a refugee crisis?
4. What solutions are already available in the public domain and how effective are they?
5. How can victims of SGBV (sexual & gender-based violence) be reintegrated back
into society?
6. What can be done to protect refugee children from the physical and mental abuse that
they face on their journey?
7. On what basis should the jurisdiction and legislation deliver justice on war crimes
committed by child soldiers?
8. How can healthcare systems and facilities be protected from shelling and bombing?
9. How can humanitarian aid and food be delivered to children and refugee families in
conflict-inflicted areas?
10. What are some pre-existing solutions to address human rights violations, and how
effective are they?
11. How can displaced refugee children be tracked and brought back to their families?
12. How can child soldiers be encouraged to join demilitarisation programs to transition
into a normal life?
13. What can be done to address child deaths due to unexploded ordnance and landmines
in conflict-inflicted areas?
14. How can disease outbreaks be addressed among refugees and treatment such as
vaccines be delivered?
15. What can be done to assist a transition to a normal childhood for child refugees from
war and conflict-ridden areas?
16. What measures can be taken to prevent meteorological adversities on refugees in
camps?
17. What aid can be given to countries ridden by civil war?
18. How can Political dialogue be used to better the condition of refugees?
19. What can be done to reduce the use of extremist militant force?

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VI. RESOLUTION MAKING

Preambulatory Clauses

Preambulatory Clauses are the reasons / historical justification of action. Use them to cite
past resolutions, precedents, and statements about the purpose of action. They can include
references to the UN charter and past resolutions, actions by NGOs, or statements made
by the Director General or Secretary General.

Operative Clauses

Operative clauses define the solution that the resolution is aiming to create. They end in
a semi-colon (;).They should be organised in a logical progression, with each containing
a single idea or proposal, with the operative phrase alone underlined and always
numbered.

If a clause requires further explanation, bulleted lists set off by letters or Roman numerals
can also be used. After the last operative clause, the resolution ends in a period.
A. SAMPLE PREAMBULATORY PHRASES

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B. SAMPLE OPERATIVE PHRASES

VII. BIBLIOGRAPHY
1) "2017 Was the Deadliest Year of Syrian War for Children, Says Unicef." The
Guardian, 12 Mar. 2018,
www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/12/2017-deadliest-year-of-syrian-war-for-chi
ldren-says-unicef-psychological-ruin.
2) ABC News. "Palestinian Civilians Suffer in Israel-Gaza Crossfire As Death Toll
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