Human Rights Council Day 1

by Simdi Atuchukwu

The Webster Leiden Campus first Model United Nations conference began today with more than 75 delegates participating worldwide. The conference will span over three days to debate world pressing issues and reach a concession on which resolution should be passed. The Human Rights Council consists of about 17 delegates - United States(U.S), United Kingdom (U.K), Nigeria, Egypt, Libya, Russia, France, China, the Commonwealth of Australia, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Sudan, and two chairs. However, Greece, Turkey, and the Republic of Sudan did not attend today’s session.

The council will discuss two major humanitarian crises: the Uyghur conflict in the Xinjiang region in China and Human Trafficking in Libya. Both require urgent attention from the international community, especially from the human rights council. The Uyghur- Chinese conflict has been ongoing since 1997. The Uyghurs are perceived as native to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in Northwest China. They are considered to be one of China's fifty-five officially recognized ethnic minorities.

Since April 2017, there are reports from several non-governmental organizations stating that the Chinese government has detained more than 1 million Muslims in education camps. Many experts and government officials assert that about 800 hundred thousand to 2 million Uyghurs and other Muslims, including ethnic Kazakhs and Uzbeks, have been detained, including the 11 million Uyghurs living outside of the camps in Xinjiang. The latter has continued to suffer from a decades-long crackdown by Chinese authorities. While the situation is complex, many say that ethnic tensions caused by economic and cultural factors are the root cause of recent violence. The international observers have labeled the current conflict as “an instance of cultural genocide.”

Due to the conflict, lack of government oversight, and instability in Libya, it has continued to allow human trafficking crimes to persist. Trafficking victims, including men, women, and children, are highly vulnerable to extreme violence and other human rights violations in Libya by governmental and non-state armed groups, including physical, sexual, and verbal assaults; abduction for ransom; extortion; arbitrary killings; inhumane detention; and child soldiering. The American TV channel CNN investigation, broadcast on 14 November 2017, brought to light the trafficking situation that many migrants are subjected to as they pass through Libya to reach Italy, the gateway to Europe. The video revealed the existence of a slave market near Tripoli. Migrants in Libya are highly vulnerable to sex and labor trafficking, including those seeking employment in Libya or transiting Libya en route to Europe.

The report issued by the U.S Department of State shows that by the end of 2019, international organizations estimated 654,081 migrants and 46,395 refugees and asylum-seekers in Libya. Labor migrants in Libya typically come from sub- Saharan and Sahel states. The country continued to serve as a departure point for migrants, including unaccompanied minors, crossing the Mediterranean to Europe from North Africa; however, the numbers of sea departures from Libya to Europe continued to decrease throughout 2019 and previous years.

After the quick summary of the humanitarian crises in the various region by the chairs, the session began with the Commonwealth of Australia delegate, Ms. Tiara Sow, asserting the need to discuss these “outrageous crises.” The delegate stated that they are willing to look over the current adversities they have with China and find a solution for the current humanitarian crisis in various regions. The Libya delegate, Ms. Fatuma Yusuf, agreed the country is notorious know for human trafficking; however, the delegate asserted that they are trying to find an implementable plan to solve the human trafficking crisis, including the refugee crisis in the region due to the vacuum created by Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi demise.

The France delegate stated in their speech their willingness to render support to Libya as the two countries have enjoyed long-lasting historical trade accords over the years but emphasizing that what Libya needs is “political stability” to fight the ongoing human trafficking in the region. The United States (U.S) delegate, Ms. Carolyn Cain, thanked the chair for welcoming them back after their four-year hiatus. Ms. Cain condemned the Uyghur conflict in china and went further to term the crisis in Libya as “an infringement to human rights and democracy” and should be addressed as “genocide.” All the delegates condemned the ongoing crisis in the various regions except the United Arab Emirate (UAE), who praised China for setting up educational camps.

On the other hand, the Russian delegate emphasized the need for evidence to support the claims that there are human rights abuses in the Uyghur conflict in china and respect the country’s sovereignty. The delegate based their claims of non-infringement of human rights in the region on the reports of Russian citizens living in the Xinjiang region. France delegate further asserted that China’s ongoing crisis might be an internal issue, as highlighted by the Russian delegate. But due to the gross human rights abuse, it has become an international issue. The delegate affirms its position of willingness to impose sanctions against China and lobbying for non-governmental organizations into the Xinjiang region. The Delegate of Italy expressed their desire to work with Libya, as Italy is the gateway for the trafficked victims to Europe. Libya and France delegates that to solve human trafficking in the region, it must first address the issue of political instability.

Ms. Tiara Sow emphasized that the Commonwealth of Australia will not be providing financial support to Libay as the country as the 10 million USD given has not offered any fruitful outcome nor improved the situation the region; however, they are willing to assist with the issue of corruption in Italy as raised by its delegate but has no intention of infringing its sovereignty, and for Libya, they are willing to provide humanitarian aid in the form of border checks. The delegates, after 30 mins break, were assigned break-out rooms to draft a resolution. Nigeria delegate Ms. Olamide pointed out the need to include the victims’ protection clause to help the victims of human trafficking as many journeys from their various origins without any money, and if returned, they may be endangered and trafficked again.

Ms. Olamide stated in her speech that Nigeria is willing to provide all the necessary support needed by Libya as Edo state in Nigeria has become the transit point for human trafficking and slave trade in Sub-Saharan Africa. Ms. Sow informed the chair of the need to broaden the resolution to cover all forms of human trafficking, pointing out that the delegates have focused on sex trafficking and exploitation in Libya and its prisons during the main sessions. The Chair, Isabella, agreed and stated that human trafficking in Libya covers labor trafficking, slavery, organ harvesting, sex trafficking in the region. The two most common forms of trafficking in the region are Labor and sex trafficking hence why the chairs accepted the debate.

China, Russia, and UAE disagreed with unifying the drafted resolutions because all the delegates must agree on using a neutral non-political agency to render humanitarian aid in Libya. They emphasized neutrality in the matter, with Russia stating that it does not favor its political interest. The debate got heated up when the Libyan delegate accused Russia of having and approving mercenaries in the region who work for the opposition warlord. Ms. Yusuf points out that the mercenaries “Wegner Group are influencing the political instability which in turn influences the human trafficking crisis.” The Russian delegate never gave a coherent defense to the accusation rather stated the session was not for such matters that it is to address the humanitarian crisis.

The session ended without any resolution submitted to the chairs. The delegates requested to review their various drafts. We are looking forward to Russia addressing these alleged claims made by Libya in tomorrow’s session and if the delegate will agree to submit a merge resolution or not.