Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
and Cultural
Committee
Topic 1: Promoting Freedom of Speech and Press
Topic 2: Elimination of Racism, Racial Discrimination,
Xenophobia and Related Tolerance
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Best,
Victoria, Hazirah and Viktoriya
Social, Humanitarian and Culture Committee | NTUMUN 2016
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Statement of Problem
The voice of the press is a tool that can be be used for and against society's best
interests, yet many communities around the world are denied or given controlled
access to the free press. Governments, corporations, and even the press
themselves have in history abused the power of the medias spoken and written
word, manipulating information to suit their best advantage. Leaders must thus
discover how best to satisfy their people's desire for greater representation and
greater freedom, promoting the voice of the press while protecting the people's and
journalists rights and interests.
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Current Situation
The press of the world have both benefited from and been disadvantaged by
globalisation and the improved accessibility to information and news. Technology
has allowed for greater freedom of the spoken and written word by encouraging the
sharing of news, but a number of countries have maintained or tightened regulations
on the media to restrict this transfer of information. A total of six countries - Turkey,
Iran, Pakistan, China, Vietnam and North Korea - actively block social media
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Source: https://rsf.org/index2014/data/carte2014_en.png
Recent Developments
The rising tensions and violence in our communities as well as the involvement of
the press in major international affairs have spurred certain countries to tighten
regulations on the media. Government-imposed blocking, filtering and surveillance
are also becoming increasingly common. Dozens of journalists in Turkey have been
jailed for being threats to national security following their coverage of the Kurdish
conflict, and Iranian correspondents continue to be intimidated or imprisoned for their
publications. Reporters Without Borders reports that, in 2013 alone, 71 journalists
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Case studies
Arab Springs
The Arab Springs revolution demonstrates the extensive influence of the media in
empowering and shaping the opinions of society. The wave of protests and
demonstrations within the Arab World was triggered by the peoples discontent with
the states attempts at repression and Internet censorship. Social media was used
extensively to effectively communicate, organize and raise awareness about the
issue, and encourage citizens to fight for the right of free press and free speech,
resulting in the overturning of multiple governments.
Wikileaks
The Wikileaks case is a particularly contentious issue. The website is known for
leaking confidential government-level documents or classified media alleging
government and corporate misconduct. People have hailed the websites founder,
Julian Assange, as the peoples hero for uncovering state secrets and providing
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Past UN actions
The UN has made clear their support for greater press freedom and freedom of
speech for its role in ensuring transparency, accountability and the rule of law, and
promoting civic participation in global affairs. In particular, the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has done extensive
work in this field. The Declaration of Windhoek is a statement of free press principles
that calls for free and independent media worldwide as an essential component of
democracy and a fundamental human right, focusing on African nations and their
press. UNESCO has also created a number of international agreements to promote
freedom of speech and the safety of journalists across the globe. These include
Resolution 4.3 Promotion of Press Freedom in the World, the Medium-Term
Strategy for 1996-2001 on Promoting the Free Flow of Information and the
Development of Communication, and Resolution 29 Condemnation of violence
against journalists. In addition, UNESCO has established an advisory group, which
includes media professionals from around the world, on press freedom.
UNESCO also provides support for journalists across the world, advocating for
greater press freedom and dispensing materials for them to upgrade their skills.
Each year on World Press Freedom Day, UNESCO focuses on specific themes
within the context of press freedom, and looks at how to improve the landscape for
journalists and reporters around the world. It also nominates a Goodwill Ambassador
for Freedom of Expression and Journalist Safety and awards the
UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize to celebrate the brave and
remarkable achievements in the field of journalism.
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Russia
Russias prominent television channels continue to flood viewers with state
prescribed propaganda as recent events such as the Ukrainian crisis have
precipitated increased pressures on independent media organisations. With an
onslaught of draconian laws, website blocking and other machinations, leading
independent news outlets have either been brought under control or throttled out of
existence.8 For one, Siberian independent television station, TV-2, stopped its cable
broadcasts in February 2015 after it was stripped off its license.9 Russian state
controlled media agencies have intensified pro-Kremlin and nationalistic broadcasts
following the Ukraine crisis as Putin seeks to maintain domestic support for regional
pivots.10 Russia is a routine target of criticism and condemnation from media
freedom watchdogs. Non-profit Organisation, Reporters Without Borders, ranked the
Russian Federation 152 out of 180 countries in its 2015 Press Freedom Index in light
of the contemporary developments.11 Journalists in Russia risk attacks or in severe
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http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/12/03/few-clues-in-chinese-editors-detention/?_r=0
Keira Lu Huang, Jailed and Refused Bail, Chinese Investigative Journalist Detained after Exposing
High Profile Corruption Scandal, South China Morning Post, October 18, 2015, assessed October
26, 2015, http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1869018/fears-chinese-crackdownafter-journalist-held-suspicion.
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Ibid.
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Mark Landler, Fruitful Visit by Obama Ends With a Lecture From Xi, The New York Times,
November 12, 2014, assessed October 26, 2015,
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/13/world/asia/china-us-xi-jinping-obama-apec.html.
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Constitution of the Peoples Republic of China, http://en.people.cn/constitution/constitution.html
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Media Censorship in China, http://www.cfr.org/china/media-censorship-china/p11515
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http://index.rsf.org/#!/index-details/RUS
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Denis Abramov, Russia Takes a Dive in Press Freedom Ranking, The Moscow Times, February
12, 2015, assessed October 26, 2015, http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/russia-takes-adive-in-press-freedom-ranking/515833.html.
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Benjamin Bidder and Matthias Schepp, Muzzling the Media: Defying the Kremlin Crackdown on
Press Freedom, Der Spiegel, July 2, 2015, assessed October 26, 2015,
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/russian-media-resist-kremlin-crackdown-on-press-freedoma-1037859.html.
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http://index.rsf.org/#!/index-details/RUS
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Sweden
Sweden has a history of strong freedom of information and press, with the Freedom
of the Press Law dating back to 1766 and the 1991 Fundamental Law of Freedom of
Expression, which protects journalists publishing matters from prosecution.15
Limitations to the respective acts do apply in instances where expressions are of
contempt or defamatory in nature and which jeopardise state security. However,
considerable debate on the limits of free speech ensues even with the rhetoric
regarding Swedish media. Political study scholars have argued that because of a
long tradition of government openness in the country, there is reason to believe
Swedish politicians and civil servants have a practice of self-censorship, deliberately
avoiding committing on papers, in order to prevent potentially controversial decisions
from being released to the public.16
United States
As the land of the free, America is undoubtedly one of the worlds greatest
supporters of free speech and, in part, a free press. While American journalists have
long been hailed as flag bearers of the profession able to report, write and
broadcast in mostly ideal circumstances in the past two decades or more, there
have been a number of cases of fabrication by journalists who have shamed the
profession at large and undermined public trust. The more journalism loses popular
support, the greater the leverage the public and government officials have to restrict
press freedom. Frequent attacks on journalists by the public and law enforcement
during demonstrations and other high-profile events, threats against journalists who
refuse to reveal their sources and the governments failure to pass a federal shield
law protecting journalists are but a few instances of declining press liberties.
Proposed Solutions
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http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17840134
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/vladimir-putin-russia-newsmedia_56215944e4b0bce34700b1df
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http://www.departments.bucknell.edu/russian/const/ch2.html
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http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/sw03000_.html
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http://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/research/foi/countries/sweden
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4.
What is the impetus and incentive for greater press freedom and freedom of
speech? What would the repercussions for a country that fails to protect its people
be?
5.
How do the political, economic, and sociocultural landscape of each
community shape their government, the press, and their relationship?
and
impunity
the
PRC
Intimidation
Still
Norm
For
Iran
Correspondents
http://globaljournalist.org/2015/10/intimidation-still-norm-for-iran-correspondents/
Declaration
of
http://www.un.org/en/events/pressfreedomday/windhoek.shtml
Windhoek
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Statement of Problem
Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance is rampant in our
societies today. It occurs on the grounds of race, colour, descent or national or
ethnic origin and may extend to language, religion, social origin. Racism is widely
recognised as a universal problem. The UN's Declaration on Race and Racial
Prejudice states that racism includes "racist ideologies, prejudiced attitudes,
discriminatory behavior, structural arrangements and institutionalized practices [that
results] in racial inequality." In addition to racism, we also need to look at the issue of
xenophobia, which is a distinct problem, but is inherently related to the issue of
racism. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines xenophobia as the "fear or hatred of
strangers or foreigners." The two issues are often discussed in tandem, particularly
when looking at migration policies and issues concerning asylum seekers and
refugees. This implies that the scope of this topic is broad. When looking at racism
alone, there are already many starting points of analysis and many different things
that one can choose to focus on.
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Current Situation
Today we see a number of situations that are both causes and manifestations of
racial discrimination and xenophobia. These cases illustrate the chicken-and-egg
nature of the problem, thus further highlighting the importance of dealing with the
issue in parts, but while simultaneously examining the issue as a whole.
One case which functions as both causes and manifestations are terrorist and
extremist acts. While many of them might not exclusively be racist, they are most
certainly xenophobic. The Islamic State and its desire to establish an Islamic
Caliphate could be seen as a response to the perceived Westernisation of the world.
While their motives are questionable, at its very core it stresses a strong desire to
aggressively occupy a physical space and indiscriminately destroy anything and
everything in its path, including people who infringe on these aims and space. More
importantly, while IS has nothing to do with Islam and is falsely using the religion's
name in order to carry out these terrorist acts, the attacks carried out by the IS have
set off another wave of Islamophobia in the world. These misunderstandings have
resulted in the increased persecution of Muslims around the world. Recently, during
his Presidential campaign, Donald Trump famously called for the ban on Muslim
immigrants into the United States. While this ban was met with widespread horror,
the reality is that Trump's popularity increased as a result of the proposed ban.
In addition, the call for cultural preservation, coupled with the rising nationalist
sentiments have resulted in resurgences in acts relating to racial discrimination and
xenophobia. Many natives and locals do not view migrants as 'permanent.' This
means that in most cases, they regard migrants as individuals who plan to stay in the
host country temporarily and work there before returning to their respective native
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Recent Developments
Among the causes of racial discrimination and xenophobia include the migration of
individuals. The migration of ethnically-Chinese individuals away from Mainland
China has been occurring for a long time. The largest Chinese population outside of
China is actually found in Indonesia, where the Chinese population numbers 7.67
million. Broadly, Southeast Asia has seen a huge influx of Chinese immigrants, who
have also traditionally occupied multiple fields of trade and industry. In fact, among
the richest men in the Southeast Asian region are of Chinese descent. While one
would argue that these individuals are naturalised, the reality is that immigrants
continue to pour into different countries. Meanwhile, the Indian government
continues to attempt to track the movements of Indians who no longer stay in the
Motherland. The Indian government has set up the High Level Committee on Indian
Diaspora in order to do this. Some 22 million ethnically Indians have migrated from
India to other parts of the world in search for a better livelihood. As a result, natives
begin to feel threatened by the influx of migrants, who are either able to work for
much cheaper than the locals would, or migrants who bring with them an exclusive
set of skills, particularly if they are well-educated and have impressive qualifications.
There are many natives who feel that these migrants are taking up their jobs, thus
leading to the feelings of racial discrimination and xenophobia.
Furthermore, some citizenship policies appear to support this mass influx of
migrants, despite growing xenophobia and discrimination from the locals.
Singapore's infamous Population White Paper of 2013 declared that the
government's target for Singapore's population is to reach 6.9 million by 2030. This
caused much uproar from the citizens, who insisted that Singapore was already far
too crowded and that the population density would be far too high. Many others also
voiced their concerns that the country would not have the infrastructure to deal with
the population influx. However, this policy also emphasised the possibility that
immigrants would have to be brought in for the targeted 6.9 million to be reached
due to the slowing population growth. This has caused Singaporeans to become
more hostile towards the immigrants. While they do not ban them entirely,
Singaporeans have become increasingly more vocal about the lack of government
efforts at effectively integrating these migrants, who seem to be 'favoured' by the
government. Similarly, highly skilled and well-educated individuals have little problem
obtaining work visas in order to gain employment in different countries. For example,
South Africa takes into account 'Exceptional Skills,' which could vary from having a
PhD to being an exceptional athlete when approving visa applicants. Similarly, the
United Kingdom makes it easier for individuals who are applying for visas when they
are highly-educated. In fact, it is much easier to apply for a visa if one is an
academic as opposed to any other occupation.
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Past UN actions
Declaration on Race and Racial Prejudice
Passed in 1978, this is the core document that defines the UN's fight against racial
discrimination and xenophobia. This is where the definitions of many terms are found
and more importantly, the basis for many of the eventual claims and the bedrock of
any race-related UN discussion.
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of
racial
discrimination
Definitions:
Xenophobia
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/xenophobia
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/xenophobia
&
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What are the main elements of the issues to be discussed, and their root causes?
2.
Stakeholder position
What are your nations interests and involvement in the issues at hand?
3.
Past initiatives
What are some national, regional and international solutions to the issue?
4.
Proposed solutions
What does your delegation propose be the solution to the issues at hand?
Position papers are expected to be written in prose. Papers for both issues should
be combined into a single document, and each topic is limited to 2 pages.
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TOPIC 1:
https://www.cpj.org/killed/
https://rsf.org/index2014/en-index2014.php
Attacks on the Press, https://cpj.org/2015/04/10-most-censored-countries.php
http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/12/03/few-clues-in-chinese-editorsdetention/?_r=0
Keira Lu Huang, Jailed and Refused Bail, Chinese Investigative Journalist Detained
after Exposing High Profile Corruption Scandal, South China Morning Post, October
18, 2015, assessed October 26, 2015, http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policiespolitics/article/1869018/fears-chinese-crackdown-after-journalist-held-suspicion.
Mark Landler, Fruitful Visit by Obama Ends With a Lecture From Xi, The New York
Times,
November
12,
2014,
assessed
October
26,
2015,
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/13/world/asia/china-us-xi-jinping-obama-apec.html.
Constitution
of
the
Peoples
http://en.people.cn/constitution/constitution.html
Media
Censorship
china/p11515
in
China,
Republic
of
China,
http://www.cfr.org/china/media-censorship-
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/freedom-ofexpression/investigative-journalism/
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001567/156773e.pdf
TOPIC 2:
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-35077448
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/04/18/africa/south-africa-xenophobia-explainer/
http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/11/diasporas
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/jun/11/china.comment
http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/academy/index.php?chinese-diaspora
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704682604575369390660095122
http://indiandiaspora.nic.in/
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Racism: