Organización de los estados Americanos (OEA) Presidentes: - Hernán Camilo Rubio (hernancar@hotmail.com) -Luisa Orduz Santacruz (luisaorduz25@gmail.com) Greetings delegates, it is an honor to welcome you to the United Nations Fourth Committee of the General Assembly, the Special, Political and Decolonization Committee, SPECPOL of GMMUN VI 2013. This Committee was first given jurisdiction over trusteeship and non-self-governing territories. However, after the dismantling of the trusteeship system resulting from independence being granted to all the trust territories, and the now-limited number of non-self-governing territories, that jurisdiction is insufficient to keep the committee occupied. Consequently, it was merged with the Special Political Committee, which had been created as the Seventh Committee of the whole to deal with certain political issues after the General Assembly found that the First Committee (Disarmament and Political) was too busy. Us, Hernán Camilo Rubio and Luisa Orduz Santacruz, expect you, delegates, to have a deep preparation on the topics to discuss to create an active and dynamic debate. Last but not least, welcome to the Model of United Nations GMMUN IV. TOPIC B : Western Sahara Western Sahara is a disputed territory on the northwest coast of Arica, bordered by Morocco, Algeria, and Mauritania. This Spanish colony is a part of the list of non-selfgoverning territories of the United Nations since a Moroccan demand in 1973. Since then, the UN General Assembly took action in the dispute by asking the Spanish government to Gimnasio Moderno ModelUnitedNations - Modelo de Naciones Unidas del Gimnasio Moderno / April 19th to 22th, 2013 / Mun@GimnasioModerno.edu.co / (57 1) 540 1888 Ext. 138 / Carrera 9 # 74 – 99 Bogotá Colombia decolonize the area in 1965. After Spain gave up the territory and retired in 1976, Morocco took control of most of the territory, including all the major cities and natural resources in 1979. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front fighting over this land, and contesting Morocco’s sovereignty ended with an UN-sponsored ceasefire agreement and the establishment of a UN peacekeeping mission called the MINURSO (United Nations Mission for a Referendum in Western Sahara) in 1991. Since then, Morocco and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, supported by Algeria, have controlled most of the territory. To make the situation democratic, the UN offered the people to choose between their independence (an idea supported by the Polisario Front), and integration to Morocco. Ethnic tensions in Western Sahara generated several violent uprisings requiring a Moroccan security force response. A wall built by Moroccans between 1980 and 1987 separates the opposing forces with Morocco, which controls about 80% of the land now. The UN has come up with several agreements and plans that will solve the situation and suit both parties, but both will to resist the victory of the other, leading to these agreements’ rejections. The latest massacre took place in November 2010 when a lot of Sahrawi were killed in violent clashes between Moroccans and protesters near Laayoune, causing new UN meetings to solve this problem. Both sides have violated the rules set by the UN, especially Morocco, but there has not been a hostile action from neither the parties since 1991. For the last three decades, tented camps have been home for Western Sahara refugees, most of them being Sahrawi or members of the Polisario Front, which has it’s headquarters in Algeria. It is the Fourth Committee’s labor to help those in danger and end the dispute over territory. Gimnasio Moderno ModelUnitedNations - Modelo de Naciones Unidas del Gimnasio Moderno / April 19th to 22th, 2013 / Mun@GimnasioModerno.edu.co / (57 1) 540 1888 Ext. 138 / Carrera 9 # 74 – 99 Bogotá Colombia Questions: ü ü ü ü What is your country’s position regarding the situation in Western Sahara? Has your country acted or stated something during the conflict? Is your country in favor or against Western Saharan independence? Why? How would your country solve and avoid violent uprisings and violations to the UN’s statements? ü What needs to be done with this territory? For further preparation please consult these and other sources of information: ü ü ü ü http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14115273 http://maic.jmu.edu/journal/11.2/profiles/mccoull/mccoull.htm https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/wi.html http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/westernsah ara/index.html The debates will be held only in English so please be prepared. Thank you, and Welcome again. Gimnasio Moderno ModelUnitedNations - Modelo de Naciones Unidas del Gimnasio Moderno / April 19th to 22th, 2013 / Mun@GimnasioModerno.edu.co / (57 1) 540 1888 Ext. 138 / Carrera 9 # 74 – 99 Bogotá Colombia