SYMBIOSIS LAW SCHOOL, PUNE

PUBLIC INTERNATIONAL LAW

Third Internal Assessment

Model United Nations

Position Paper and Report

NAME Chhavi Jain

PRN 1401012629

Third Year

Semester - VI

DIV E

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 REPUBLIC OF ICELAND

Committee: United Nations Third Committee-Social, Cultural and Humanitarian (SOCHUM)

Country: Republic Of Iceland

Agenda: Countering a growing feeling of Xenophobia

This position paper is being submitted by the delegation from Republic of Iceland to the
3rd General Assembly of the United Nations.

In many parts of the world, racism and xenophobia have been the causes of unrest and war, and
throughout the ages people have been persecuted on account of their nationality, religion or skin
color. Unfortunately, while mankind has forged ahead in many fields, there has been little
progress in this area

Iceland is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean. It has a population of 332,529
and an area of 103,000 km2, making it the most sparsely populated country in Europe. The
capital and largest city is Reykjavk.

Until recently, Iceland was an unusually uniform homogenous society in this respect, but the
situation is now changing and the number of people of foreign origin in Iceland is rising rapidly.

The Country does not support or experience the feeling of Xenophobia. For a number of years
now, in collaboration with the United Nations Refugee Agency and the Red Cross, Iceland has
invited a group of refugees to Iceland every year. These groups have been located in small

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communities in the rural areas. In all cases, they have been made welcome and the process of
adaptation to Icelandic society has gone smoothly.

Various services have been established to meet the increase in the number of people of foreign
origin in Iceland. It is worth mentioning that the state police has appointed a special
representative where immigrants can voice their concern.

The country has a small population and the national language, Icelandic, is virtually unknown
anywhere outside the country. The country is taking efforts in teaching the Icelandic Language
and culture, since a grasp of the language is a key factor in enabling immigrants to take part in
Icelandic society.

An example of the measures the country has taken to broaden Icelanders' understanding of other
cultures is the publication of a guideline booklet for employees in the health services, with the
title "A Meeting of Cultures ": The influence of religion, culture and heritage on human relations
and treatment within the health services. These guidelines stress the importance of respecting
other people's religious faiths and cultural backgrounds.

As part of a campaign to try to eradicate racism, it has been decided to publish a booklet in many
languages covering rights and obligations on the labor market and health and safety at work.

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INTRODUCTION

According to the UNESCO, xenophobia comes from the Greek language and is the attitudes,
prejudices and behaviour that reject, exclude and often vilify persons, based on the perception
1
that they are outsiders or foreigners to the community, society or national identity.

The most pointed, long-term, and widely documented case of xenophobia is that of anti-
Semitism, which culminated in the mass murder of six million European Jews and countless

others during World War II (19391945). A new form of xenophobia that grew in
Western Europe and North America during the late twentieth century and early twenty-first

century is Islamophobia, which targets migrant Muslim communities with or without citizenship.

Racism could be defined as the assumption that ethnic group accounts for differences in human
personality or competence, and that a particular race is above others; and it includes xenophobia.
Although racism and xenophobia are distinct phenomena, they are closely interrelated. Racism is
an ideological construct; it assigns a certain race or ethno-religious group a position of power
and privilege on the basis of the groups physical and cultural attributes. It involves the
establishment and sustenance of hierarchical relations in which the self-appointed superior race
exercises domination and control over others. Xenophobia too refers to attitudes, prejudices, and
behavior that reject, exclude, and vilify its targets based on the belief that they are perpetual
outsiders who cannot be included or trusted. Consequently it is sometimes difficult to make a
clear distinction between racism and xenophobia because they exhibit similar motivations for
exclusive behavior designed to demean others and the exercise of political violence.

1 Declaration on Racism, Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance

against Migrants and Trafficked Persons. Asia-Pacific NGO Meeting for the World
Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related
Intolerance. Tehran, Iran. 18 February 2001. Accessed at
<http://www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-sciences/themes/international-
migration/glossary/xenophobia/>

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MODEL UNITED NATIONS PROCEEDINGS

The proceeding of the Third Committee Social, Humanitarian and Cultural began with the
General Speakers List, with more than 100 nations participating in the event. The Delegate of
Colombia asked to set the motion as countering a Growing Feeling of xenophobia and the
Delegate of UK asked to amend the agenda to with respect to Refugee Crisis. And the General
speakers list was opened.

Delegate of Egypt-spoke about Islamophobia and said that Egypt is 90 % dominated by islams,
the community believes that the country is a terrorist based country, making it even more
difficult for refugees from our country to settle anywhere in any part of the country.

Whereas, the Delegate of Bolivia told about how strong their stance against Xenophobia is. The
delegate mentioned that there are active laws and universal citizenship but the economic
capabilities of all countries are not same, so European nations hold the ability of Refugee shelter.
And so the delegate contended that before opening the boundaries of a country to Refugees, their
economic status needs to be taken into consideration

Ethiopia being largest refugee hosting nation in the world, thus their Delegate had a clear stance
of the country that at times the citizens have to suffer because of this in terms of Jobs. The
Delegate mentioned that although UK is supporting the plan, but it cant be forgotten UK is
exiting EU on the grounds of refugees. And hence, the delegate raised a question that Ethiopia
can be so open to Refugees, why couldnt economically more developed countries like The UK.

A moderated caucus was set by the Delegate of Columbia to find the solutions of Xenophobia
and was of a view, shared with that of Sierra Leone, that since they receive highest number of
refugees, European leaders should come together and find one opinion which could run around
all the European Nations.

The delegate of Tanzania said that xenophobia is not a stance which a country takes, but is a
feeling present in its countrymen, and suggested cultural integration to stop xenophobia. And the
delegate of South Sudan highlighted an effective solution by working towards creating jobs and
trying to absorb the refugees as much and efficiently as possible. Delegate of European country

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argued that because of the refugee crisis, sovereign rights of a country can't be questioned, and
its their perquisite to just accept any number of refugees as they require.

The Delegate of Austria suggested that in order to fight against Xenophobia , a collective
responsibility needs to be taken and also urged for creation global body to work on the refugees
and for them to blend in culture, integration programs should be organized

After this, the committee moved on to another moderator Caucus, raised by the delegate of
Columbia, in order to discuss the State obligation to protect refugees. The Delegate brought to
the committee the problem of dysfunction of conventions signed but not implemented in the
same essence. The Delegate of Sierra Leone mentioned the state responsibility as the rule of
Law, which when breaks down to hate crimes, and then it becomes the duty of countries to pass
strict laws on hate speeches and libel laws. Swiss Federations warned the committee about the
dangers to ostracising a community and subject them to xenophobia. Delegates of Chad and
Uganda insisted on the states responsibility to take up programs which lead to integration.

The last speaker of the moderated caucus, the delegate of U.S.A mentioned the US policies to
integrate education with equality, to defeat and destroy the groups of Islamic origin and cut
funding for terrorism. And with the end of this moderated caucus, the committee was adjourned.

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