President: Karely Alvarado Ochoa
Moderator: Francisco García Belego
Conference Assistant: Luis Álvarez Vergara

Topic A: Situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Historical background
The Bosnian War, also known as the Bosnian ethnic cleansing, is one of the most acknowledged atrocities of human mankind of the XXth century. It was a conflict among three nations (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Croatia and the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, all of them ex Yugoslavian Republics) whose consequences where more than merely instability and xenophobia.

It all started in March 1992 when the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) supported the Serb forces with military and financial aid. In addition to it, Croatia helped the Croatian forces with military force against the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, led by Bosnian forces. It all finished in February 1995 when representatives of the three nations signed a ceasefire agreement in Zagreb. Furthermore, a peace agreement was also signed in March 1994 between Croatia and the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the USA as mediator.

The result was around 110 000 people killed and 1.8 million people displaced; it also caused a significant fragmentation of the population, especially among Muslims, orthodox Christians and Catholics. This event was particularly condemned as a crime against humanity by the Human Rights Council.

Current importance
Bosnia and Herzegovina, since its independence of Yugoslavia, have faced many problems regarding development and international recognition. Moreover, the Balkans is a zone with a vast ethnic composition, formed not only by Europeans, Asians and Arabians; but also by many religions and ideologies, which until nowadays have not been able to reach a viable solution to the problem.

The consequences of the war are still present in this geography. To start with, there is a significant presence of small arms and light weapons (SALW) which poses a significant threat to human security, due to the large military stock of surplus ammunition. Its harmonization and control is relevant because of the high percentage of crimes related to it. Almost 19% percent of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s population possesses SALW and since the war ended, many people have died as a result of it.
Another fact is the presence of landmines in the territory. It has been a harsh work to the UN and international forces to solve the landmine clearance and technical survey. In 2005 it was registered a total of 10.6 square kilometers of cleaned land. Over 100 000 people received mine risk education in the same year.

In spite of this action, there are still more than 10 000 sites currently affected. Therefore, the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) signed on 3rd December 1997 the Mine Ban Treaty, which serves as a foothold to stop the use of mines and cleaning those already implanted.

The presence of these arms represents a major obstacle to the return of refugees, and stands as a barrier to economic recovery and blocks the development of tourism and agricultural activity, which also stimulates job production.

These are two problems to be tackled in the committee due to its importance in the conflict. If no solution is reached for these two problems, the BiH government will be even more unable of solving its own situation and of generating sufficient resources to finance such programs of cleansing and consciousness.

War crimes
There are three main factors identified by the UN which caused the major problems in BiH.  They are catalogued as war crimes due to its impact after the conflict and its still presence in the zone.

The first factor is ethnic cleansing, perhaps the most important, because of its vast presence and use during the war. It represents a total intimidation, force expulsion or killing of an undesired ethnic group, in this case Muslims, in order to leave the zone free of them. The use of torture, rape and ritualistic killing plays an important role in this case.

In addition to it, we have the presence of a genocide, which according to the International Court of Justice happened because of the failure of Serbia to prevent it. A specific intention of genocide was against Bosnian Muslims, most of them from Albania.

At last but not least are the mass rapes and psychological oppression from part of Serbian arms. There is an estimation of between 20 000 to 50 000 rape cases, which provokes a common complication among surviving women and girls including gynecological, physical and psychological disorders, as well as unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. Muslims women and girls were a specific target because of the intention to assert Serbian superiority.

UN and international actions
The first and most relevant actions done by a foreign group during the conflict was the intervention of NATO in 1995 (See Annex 2). After its involvement in 1994 due to the massacre of Markale in this year and Srobrenica in 1995, which killed more than 8 000 Bosniak people and created an ethnic cleansing. NATO started an Operation Deliberate Force against Serbia. This is followed by the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In September 25, 1991 The UNSC passed Resolution 713 imposing an arms embargo on all of the former Yugoslavia. Its consequence was the Resolution S/RES/1895 (See Annex 1) regarding the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina from year 2009, until now the most recent.

Bullet point to tackle
There are many things to be taken into consideration by the Committee, including the War Crimes and presence of mines and SALW. However, here is a list of questions and bullet points for the delegates to think about:

 

•   “Brotherhood and Unity” as said by Josip Broz Tito, politician who started the unification of Yugoslavia. Are we supposed to form an ethnic integrity or are these countries condemned to live separately?
•   The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has initiated a vast number of projects and programs in order to reestablish order and security in Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, not all the countries agree with it. (See Annex 3)
•    Harmonization of law on arms. A new threat to society or a pace to modernization?
•    War crimes still present in BiH. Educational programs to eradicate this trouble.
•   “Serbs and Muslims are like cats and dogs; they cannot live together in peace” Anonymous. A reality or a barrier of xenophobia against integrity?

Links

Annex 1: http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/documents/UNSC_SRES1895_SituationInBosniaHerzegovina.pdf
http://www.undemocracy.com/S-1995-999.pdf
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1263411076701629887&q=bosnia&ei=c7lzSL_RE5SW2QLGve2jCw&hl=en
http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/0/333378630589b6d680256674005bc280?Opendocument

Annex 2:
http://www.nato.int/docu/review/2005/issue3/english/history_pr.html

Annex 3:
http://www.undp.ba/
http://lm.icbl.org/index.php/publications/display?url=lm/2006/bih.html
http://europeandcis.undp.org/Home/show/BB889CFF-F203-1EE9-B3437ED5EE2FAE57
http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/bosnia.htm


Topic B: Situation in Somalia

Population: 9,832,017.
Life expectancy: 49.63 years.
People living with HIV/aids: 24, 000.
Literacy: 37.8% GDP per capita: $600.
Population below poverty line: NA.
Lending amounts by the United Nations and World Bank: $256.2 million.
The UNDP’s Human Development Index ranked Somalia 161 out of 163 countries in 2001. Foreign Policy has marked Somalia as the number one failed State in the world.

The Swahili coastal culture is an exotic mix of original inhabitants, named Zanj, and those who arrived later (Arabs, Persians, Indians, Portuguese and other Europeans), that is why diversity is common and disagreements are a must. Somalia is one of the poorest and unsafest countries in the world, status that is exacerbated by the civil war and absence of a central national government. This country has not had an effective government since 1991, when Siad Barre’s regime was overturned by clan militias that later toppled each other. A few months later, the Somali National Movement (SNM) proclaimed the independence of Northeast Somalia while in the South, the United Somali Congress (USC) - which controlled the capital, Mogadiscio - dissolved.

This eventually caused the greatest groups to fight resulting into a Civil War in which the UN intervened. That is why on April 24, 1992 the resolution S/RES/751 was adopted with regards to the Situation in Somalia; there the SC/UN recalled the resolutions S/RES/733 and S/RES/746 and the Secretary General issued a report on April 21, 1992 which eventually lead to a complete arms embargo towards Somalia. After the meetings held in the UN headquarters, the UNSOM I was created in May 1992 and a year later the UNSOM II emerged. However, in 1995 all activities performed by the UNSOM halted, without being able to reestablish national authority or solve the humanitarian crisis that had unfolded. Nineteen years and 14 failed attempts at a government later, killings and violence are still common; suicide bombs, white phosphorus bombs, beheadings, medieval-style stonings, teenage troops on the local drug called khat are just a few examples of Somalis everyday reality.

Some mention that Somalia is a nation without a State that is separated into 3 main regions:

•     The North: It includes the regions of the Northeast that correspond to the auto-proclaimed Somaliland State and the, also, auto-proclaimed Puntland State, which is semi-tribal. Somaliland is building a hybrid occidental-nomad that has brought a newly profound democracy, while in Puntland, there is certain stability since all the war destruction has not yet reached this region.
•     The South: It has a tough situation since there is a fragmented political authority that has paralyzed all businesses.
•     The rest: Especially in the center, there is a phase of transition with a local rudimentary political authority. Such accomplishes all the basic functions and the economy generates enough income for survival and minimal commerce.

The Cairo Agreement signed in 1997 by all parts, except Somaliland, called for the creation of a government of “national union” which was not established until August 2000 when the Djibouti peace conference was held -Djibouti served as the exiled Somali headquarters - where Abdiqasim Salad Hassan was elected president. That transitional government counted with the support of the United Nations, the European Union and the Arab League.

On May 3rd and July 22nd 2002, several requests were made to the Secretary General to establish a Panel of Experts to generate independent information on violations of the arms embargo established in paragraph 5 of the S/RES/733. Such resolutions are the S/RES/1401 and the S/RES/1425. Since the transition government was rejected by several war lords and the conflict had, and still has not, reached an end. One of the most important peace conversations started on October 27 2002 in Eldoret, Kenya and was transferred to Narobi, Kenya in February 2003. Later in September 2003, the negotiations were restarted but interrupted by the end of the month due to the abandonment of several leaders that did not accept the proposals made during the conferences.

On January 29, 2004 the Transitional Federal Government, lead by Abdiqasim Salad Hassan, signed an agreement with all the Somali factions. Such agreement signed in Narobi, Kenya discussed the methods for the elections of the parliament, who elected Yusuf Ahmed as president of the Nation. After five years, and one election, a constitution was drafted. With hesitation but hope that the implementation of this agreement could be satisfactory, the United Nations, the United States and the European Union celebrated it.

Still, on March 15th 2005 the discussions began again within the United Nations and several resolutions were established where the international leaders called for the reestablishment of the Monitoring Group (S/RES/1558), this objective was not achieved until February 20th 2007 when the measures imposed by the resolution S/RES/733 were elaborated. It was not until August 20, 2007 when S/RES/1772 was reached and another mission in Somalia was created (AMISOM), such mission was lead by the IGAD and Member States of the African Union and was to last a period of 6 months. Since then, other significant actions have taken place but the conflict has still not managed to reach a resolution. The Security Council and other Subsidiary bodies continue to discuss the matter and invite all fractions of Somalia to work for a peaceful and secure nation.

However, no resolution or working group created in the United Nations with regards to Somalia has managed to control the threat of piracy within the territory. Since the beginning of the Somali Civil War, this issue has been a constant hazard to international shipping and since 2005; organizations such as the International Maritime Organization or the World Food Programme have expressed the need to control piracy in this region. Some of the most important effects are the increase in shipping costs and the inability to make aid shipments reach Somalia, a country in great need . The clashes have been reported between the pirates and the Islamist Fighters (which oppose the Transitional Federal Government). This acts do not only threaten Somalia and its people but also those nations whose trade routes pass through the Gulf of Aden such as India (who launched a warship in the region on October 2003, 2008), Russia and China who have joined the fight to combat piracy.

In August 2008, the Combined Task Force 150  established a Maritime Security Patrol Area (MSPA) in the Gulf of Aden to fight Somali Piracy. And on October 5th 2008 the SC/UN adopted the resolution S/RES/1838 which called upon nations with vessels in the area of the Gulf of Aden to apply military force to repress the condemned acts of piracy. For six months, the Transitional Federal Government allowed the entrance to the Somali territorial water to deal with pirates. And even with the complete arms embargo imposed on Somalia since 1992, nations like India have asked the United Nations peacekeeping force to tackle piracy; especially since in November 2008 this situation aggravated with the hijacking of ships outside of the Gulf of Aden, particularly large cargo ships, and oil and chemical tankers on international voyages. Then, a new draft resolution was created that welcomed the EU, NATO and other nations to call upon the Secretary General to find solutions to escort the safe passage of the World Food Programme ships.

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has recently also gotten involved in the operation against pirates and has stated that much more work needs to be done in order to gain presence within Somalia. Also, the Arab League held a summit - after the seizure of a huge Saudi Arabian oil tanker of approximately $100 million worth of oil and an Egyptian Ship - in Cairo, Egypt. There, several countries agreed to overlook the Red Sea and suggested different routes and more secure passageway for ships. On December 17 2008 the UN/SC adopted a new resolution S/RES/1851 where the United Nations calls for international cooperation and reestablishes that the arms embargo established in 1992 should be properly enforced to halt the access of arms and ammunition used by the pirates.

^[1]Ninety percent of the World Food Programme’s aid arrive by sea and have a required military escort. Somalis have received approximately $150 million dollars prior to November 2008.² Conducted by Russia, China and India. These countries share information during the monthly Shared Awareness and Deconfliction meetings (SHADE) which were established in December 2008.

In January 2009, a considerably important agreement was adopted in Djibouti by a meeting convened by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). There, the Code of Conduct concerning the Repression of Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden recognized the magnitude of the piracy problem and signatories declared their intention to cooperate consistent to the international law and to repress those acts.  According to the IMO the Djibouti Code of Conduct will allow: a) improve communication among States b) enhance capabilities of States in region to deter, arrest and prosecute pirates c) improve maritime situational awareness and d) enhance capabilities of local costal guards.

But, what new methods should be implemented within the Gulf of Aden and surrounding areas to gain control over those waters? How can the international community help with the development of Somalia and the establishment of a central stable government that will eventually be able to control both, its population and its waters? What previous resolutions should be considered and how can the United Nations Security Council assure the enforcements of what is established in such? What other measures can be taken by the World Food Programme to reach the Somalis until the waters are safe?

Sources and further consultations

Somalia: Faint hope for a failed State is a text that allows one to understand the magnitude and the basic aspects of Somalia. It is interesting to consult since it does not only offer an explanation of the conflict today but also a brief history that allows a better understanding. Go to: http://www.africafiles.org/article.asp?ID=7586

Somalia: a failed State governed by a failing government discusses the government of Somalia and the crisis that society is facing. It makes constant references to UN actions and also gives a detailed explanation of what the country has gone through. This text can be found at: http://www.hollerafrica.com/showArticle.php?catId=1&artId=188

Foreign policy has always been considered a trustable source when discussing international relations and current issues. This magazine offers a list of those states who are considered failed and the reasons to give such evaluation, the index can be found at: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/06/22/2009_failed_states_index_interactive_map_and_rankings

The New York times offers a background information on most countries of the world, the one of Somalia - which is very complete and mentions most of the issues this nation faces - can be located at: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/somalia/index.html

The United Nations development programme has a webpage dedicated to Somalia in which it explains what is being done and how all the objectives set by the UN are being achieved. The link is: http://www.so.undp.org/

This webpage offers updates on the Somali conflict ordered by sector and also key documents to this issue can be found here:http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/dbc.nsf/doc108?OpenForm&emid=ACOS-635PL7&rc=1

Since the United Nations adopted resolutions are vital to the discussion of Somalia and its situation today, the following site offers links to familiarize with the contents of the resolutions from 1992 to 2008: http://www.un.org/sc/committees/751/resolutions.shtml

S/RES/1851 adopted in 2008 is found on the following link: http://www.mfa.gr/softlib/Απόφαση%201851%20των%20Η.Ε.pdf

The International Maritime Organization offers a section dedicated to Piracy in waters off the coast of Somalia in which the situation is explained and some of the current actions described. To access it go to: http://www.imo.org/home.asp?topic_id=1178





Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey Campus Puebla

Elisenda Ballesté Buxó
Directora de la Licenciatura en Relaciones Internacionales
Esmeralda Galicia Salazar
Secretaria General, III International Affairs Model
Luis Jesús Ruiz Peña
Subsecretario, III International Affairs Model
Marcos Hernández Nucamendi
Jefe de Protocolo, III International Affairs Model