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SMUNC European Union Committee

Background Guide

The Syrian Refugee Crisis

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A Letter From the Secretary General

Dear Honoured Delegates,

I am delighted to welcome you to the third Model United Nations conference at SUIS Gubei-Hongqiao. At

this conference we will be tackling various important topics, such as the Syrian Refugee Crisis in the

European Union Committee. In the Human Rights Council we will be assessing the treatment of migrant

workers, while in the General Assembly the issue of Privacy vs. Freedom will be discussed, and lastly in the

Historic Security Council the debate will surround the Korean War.

As a previous MUN delegate my advice to you is to take risks, have confidence in your own ability and

engage with the topics in your committee. Try and find a specific aspect of the topic in your committee that

particularly interests you, as you will find doing research and preparing becomes far more enjoyable.

Therefore, if you’re also able to steer the debate towards this particular aspect then the likelihood of

dominating the debate will be far larger.

Often delegates believe that the more powerful countries, such as the United States of America or the

Russian Federation, should be taking the leading role and motioning most often. This, however, is not the

case, as the delegate’s country does not have an effect on how active the delegate should be. Therefore, my

advice to you is to not be hindered by the size or global importance of your country. With a large country

comes respect and authority, nevertheless the delegate will also have to be cope with the added responsibility

and expectations that come from representing such a member nation. With a smaller country, the delegate

will have more power to follow his or her own beliefs and views on the topic. Therefore do not be less active

should you get a country with a smaller reputation, but rather see it is an opportunity.

With these introductory words I am glad to once again welcome you to our third Model United Nations

Conference at SUIS Gubei-Hongqiao and thank you for contributing to making it a success. Without you it

would not have been possible. Lastly I would like to thank everyone else in the Model United Nations ECA

for all their hard work in making this for happen.

Sincerely,

Alexander Schultz

Secretary General

alexanderwab@outlook.com

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A Letter From the Chair

Dear Honorable Delegates,

My name is Shuhei Matsukura and it is an honor as well as delighted to be your chair in the European Union

for the third session of SUIS Model United Nation Conference. I would like to thank all of the support from

my colleagues and teachers, in addition to my gratitude towards the honorable delegates participating and

contributing towards the success of this conference.

I am currently a Year 10 student in course of my second year of IGCSE, with the optional subjects of History,

Business and CS in my choice. I came to know Model United Nations from some of my classmates and my

History teacher, which I found it very interesting. I started my Model UN activities fairly recently, and

honestly I am not a very experienced member in comparison to my reliable colleagues. Also in terms of chair,

this is my first time, therefore I would like to greatly thank my colleagues for all the help and support.

During my free time I find myself enjoying various sports activities such as tennis, badminton and running. I

am very passionate towards sports as I find myself appreciating the competitiveness of them, as well as I

enjoy sports purely for fun. Like a typical teenaged boy, I love adventures and the extraordinary in my life.

To put it simply, I like experiencing something new and unusual, as I often indulge myself by going out to

places I have never been or seen before

The topic of refugee crisis, is a controversial topic where people have various differing opinions. It is also a

topic that makes the boundaries of ethics and politics crystal clear to us. Before I processed my research on

the topic, I did not like the stance of some nations unwilling to accept refugees, while they had the power to

save millions of people from their suffrage. However, the matter is not at all that simple, by developing deep

understandings towards these nations, I find myself sympathetic to them, or even agreeing to their opinions.

Therefore I believe that this committee will develop a very exciting thus copious discussion. Me and my

colleagues, Alexander Schultz and Xoai David will be guiding you throughout the sessions and debates. We

will be doing our best so that the delegates could reach a satisfying resolution at the end of the committee.

I am willing and open to any further questions, you may contact me at Shuhei-jump@live.jp or you could

also contact my colleague Alexander Schultz and Xoai David.

Sincerely,

Shuhei Matsukura

Shuhei-jump@live.jp

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Statement of the Issue

The refugee crisis has been a source of much debate in the news lately, nevertheless it is a

challenging and serious issue requiring careful consideration and critical analysis from the world

leaders. The actions taken will determine the geo-political and socio-political landscape for decades

to come and it is important to assess how we wish to be remembered by future generations.

More than four million Syrians have taken refuge in neighbouring countries, with Turkey, Lebanon

Jordan hosting the highest influx of refugees in camps set up by the UNHCR. Many unofficial

tented settlements have also been established outside of cities. For the majority of them living

conditions are poor, particularly in sanitation and medical aid. Provisional schools have been set up

but are irregular, and a large number of children work alongside their parents in local farms to have

a stable income, particularly while many are still under the post-traumatic effects of war and grief.

The topic can be tackled in various different ways, yet a question that should be asked is what short-

term and long-term solutions can be made to solve the incoming influx of refugees? Should the EU

also attempt to solve the internal conflicts in Syria? These are the kind of questions that we aim to

answer through our committee session.

The Syrian Civil War

In December 2010, the symbolic death of a Tunisian man led to the Arab Spring, which would

eventually end result in the overthrow of several oppressing dictatorships in the Middle East, such

as Muammar Gaddafi’s infamous Libyan government, or Hosni Mubarak’s Egyptian government.

However, the issues in Syria have continued ever since March 2011 and there seems to be limited

hope for a solution in the foreseeable future.

Syria’s civil war originally erupted as Bashar Al-Assad, the Syrian President, used violence in

response to peaceful protesting from the Syrian people. Nevertheless, the conflict in Syria is far

more than a civil war between the people and the government, as several other factions have

become part of the war. There is also the added dimension of several different religious groups and

rebels fighting against each other (further information could include researching Sunni rebel

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fighters, Iranian Shiite forces, and Lebanese Hezbollah forces). Therefore, there seems to not only

be limited united forces, but also a non-existent fellow enemy, which is partially why the conflicts

have dragged on for such a long time. However, the terrorist organization ISIS seems to be doing a

pretty good job of ensuring hatred from all other parties.

Currently, most people associate the conflicts in Syria with the formation of the Islamic State of

Iraq and the Levant (also known as ISIL or ISIS). This is mainly due to ISIL’s repeating ambition

and ability to perform terrorist attacks against innocent civilians (both frequently in the Middle East

and lately also in Europe). Moreover, ISIL have managed to assume control of large land areas in

both Syria and Iraq and in these areas they have put in place extreme Sharia law. It is even so

extreme that Al Qaeda and the Saudi Arabian government have distanced themselves from ISIL.

Despite of this, it is vital to remember that ISIL’s main goal is to become an independent nation,

nonetheless it seems that due to their provoking acts several foreign powers (e.g. U.S.A, Russia,

France, etc.) will challenge the terrorist organization far more than seen previously.

Lastly, there has been much debate of late about the limited involvement from the United

Nations and independent nations. Several people have argued that the current refugee crisis could

have been prevented a long time ago had there been made more decisions to take immediate action.

On the other hand, the current conflicts have also brought with them worldwide geo-political issues,

as Russia is currently siding with the original ruler of Syria, President Bashar Al-Assad, while

several western countries, and in particular U.S.A, have tried to support several rebel groups,

nevertheless with limited success. This is significant as the United Nations Security Council, which

has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, has five

permanent members (France, the United Kingdom, China, Russian Federation, and the United

States) who all have veto power and contradicting views on how the conflict should be solved.

Therefore, the organization, which was originally created to solve such conflicts, is also proving

ineffective. Having said that, there seems to be a widespread agreement that ISIL should be

immediately removed.

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Possible effects of accepting refugees Most nations don’t just accept refugees due to morals, as they have other factors to consider, such

as social, economic and demographic factors. The moment a nation starts accepting refugees, there

will be increased demand on resources (such as food, water, energy) and services. If a nation cannot

provide employment for refugees efficiently, there will be an increased risk of an economic crisis

due to the insufficient resources against the large population. However, refugees can also be taken

in for demographic reasons. For instance, Germany has an issue with an ageing population and

therefore are accepting refugees to ease the expected decline in population. However, other nations

perhaps are facing issues with overpopulation and are more reluctant to accept refugees. The social

effect that can be caused from accepting refugees is currently the most well documented issue. The

Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, wrote, "Is it not worrying in itself that European

Christianity is now barely able to keep Europe Christian?", in which he was referring to the rising

presence of Muslims in Europe. Also considering the recent attack by Jihadists in Paris, panic is

spreading and nations are possibly more reluctant to take in refugees, foreseeing the potential

consequences that may be caused by it. Canada, although not an EU nation, has also restricted the

acceptance of refugees to women and families only, from the fear towards extremist terrorism.

Therefore, EU countries have a lot to consider when making the decision of whether to accept or

reject refugees.

Bloc Positions

This section will include information about the current stances of EU Nations. EU member nations

are currently divided into three positions with different motives and perspectives: nations rejecting

refugees, nations that are apathetic towards resolve, and nations more open to refugees.

It is important to remember that countries do not necessarily share the same motives and

perspectives because of their policy towards refugees. For example: Some nations have economic

reasons for their policies, while others might have demographic or social reasons.

Seeing the worsening situation of the Syrian refugee crisis, the EU President Jean-Claude Juncker

has set up an emergency quota system, requiring all EU states to accept total of 160,000 refugees to

spread out the deluge of refugees across EU. This plan has not been favoured by some EU nations.

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Nations that fully rejects refugees are listed below:

λ Hungary – Building barbed wire fence around its entire border along with Serbia, and creating

a new law enabling the persecution of anyone who breaks in.

λ Serbia – Building barbed wire fence along its entire border along with Hungary.

λ Slovakia –Claims that the Roman Catholic religion basis differs from Islam, and is not willing

to accept refugees. Pushed for the Schengen’s area* to be strengthened.

Nations that limits the acceptance of refugees considerably are listed below:

λ Czech Republic – Although stating that she is willing to provide aid, some refugees have been

detained in Czech Republic, and recent poll indicates 94% of Czech’s wanting to deport

refugees from EU.

λ Romania – Planning to take in 1785 refugees in total.

λ France – Planning to take in 24,000 refugees in total, with 55% of the population opposed to

increase the number.

λ Britain – Planning to take in 20,000 in a five year period, which is criticized as “not enough”,

from the labour party.

λ Denmark – Excessive advertisements advertised in a Lebanese newspaper discouraging

refugees to come.

Nations that are open to the prospect of taking the required number of refugees:

λ Germany – Expecting to take in 800,000 refugees by the end of this year, also agreed to

suspend the Dublin Regulation*.

Currently, Greece and Italy weighs the burden of accepting huge waves of refugees, as

geographically they are the easiest EU nations for the refugees to reach. This situation is enforced

by the Dublin Regulation, which is exploited by nations unwilling to accept refugees.

*Schengen’s area – Area comprising 26 European countries that have abolished passport controls

and other types of border controls

*Dublin Regulation - Regulation claiming that the refugee will have to stay in the first European

country they arrived until asylum is found.

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Possible Solutions

Most pertinently, there is increasing internal and external pressure for countries in the EU to abate

anti-refugee immigration policies, granting asylum to Syrian applicants. While there have been

some changes in accepting more refugees the amount of Syrians being taken in is a small fraction of

the population in need of asylum, and many politicians and journalists estimate the current inflow

of Syrian immigrants is “only the tip of the iceberg”. The equal distribution of refugees throughout

Europe is additionally important to relieving countries who are already overwhelmed from the

influx of Syrian immigrants. Legislative changes to facilitate travel are especially applicable to Italy,

Greece, Turkey, and Hungary, as these are critical passageways for refugees into Europe and

Western Europe, especially Germany, where a majority of Syrian refugees wish to go because of its

higher acceptance rate and better living conditions. This the key point where refugees are processed

and can be monitored for countries concerned with security threats, namely after the Paris attacks.

In parts of Europe refugees are in need of proper food and medical aid, for example recently in

Hungary where 300 refugees and migrants ‘escaped’ from their camps and began a nearly 200

kilometer walk to reach the borders of Austria, only to be caught by authorities and then sparking a

siege at a railway station, canceling international trains. Conflicts have also been caused between

European authorities and Syrian refugees due to lack of guaranteed employment, when it has been

pointed out that there could potentially be great income to host countries from refugees.

Economic support is the next factor to confront; despite the European Commission being one of the

lead donors in humanitarian and material support for Syrian refugees, the UNHCR aid appeal has

increased fivefold since the beginning of the Syrian Civil War. The EU providing more

international aid to improve conditions for refugees in countries such as Turkey, Lebanon and

Jordan would prevent Syrians from seeking refuge in Europe. This support would include material

resources and developmental aid for housing to accommodate the growing refugee population.

Certain countries can address discrimination issues against Syrian refugees as well as accountability

of consequent refugee mistreatment by police officers. This includes the use of weaponry to

suppress refugee uprisings. Journalists point out that these issues are the responsibility of EU

countries that are permanent members of the UN Security Council – that is, the UK and France.

In terms of military intervention, theoretical strategies have been presented wherein military

defense would be used to protect enclaves that would have been set up within Syria, to prevent

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locals from having to seek asylum outside the country in the first place. Additionally, flying

refugees out by plane would save thousands of lives as Syrians would not need to resort to escaping

by boat.

An Egyptian billionaire has proposed buying an island off the coast of Greece for refugees. Many

are uninhabited and would be able to house hundreds of thousands of refugees.

One factor that is often overlooked is the mental welfare of children fleeing the war. Psychologists

stress upon the need to provide therapy and proper educational environments for child refugees to

break the cycle of resentment and violence caused by the effects of war.

Questions to consider

1. Should the European Union, as a whole, accept responsibility for taking in the incoming

refugees?

2. Is the argument that the cultural barriers are too substantial and that it is a necessity to

preserve European cultural beliefs and values a justifiable claim to deny the refugees?

3. Should policies be introduced to ensure an easier transition for the refugees?

4. What are the political consequences for the European leaders to refuse to accept the refugees?

5. Should the European Union member states pursue military involvement in Syria?

Conclusion

Some countries argue that the EU should find a joint solution, while others say that it is not the

EU’s responsibility, nevertheless it is your job as delegates to find out your country’s view on the

matter. It is important to remember that this background guide should provide you with basic

knowledge about the issue, nonetheless it is expected that you do more independent research

(especially on your own country’s position and view on the topic).

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It is important is to work for a long-term solution which respects the views and opinions of all

nations. Moreover, it is crucial that the long-term goals do not stand alone, but are supplemented by

specific and concrete short-term goals that pave the way for the realization of the long-term goals.

Sample Draft Resolution

Sponsors: France, Egypt, USA, China, Iran, Belarus, Cuba, Liberia, United Kingdom, Algeria, United

Arab Emirates, South Africa, Canada, Hungary, Germany, Australia, Argentina, Italy

Signatories: Iraq, Philippines, DPRK, Argentina, Israel, Ireland, Russia, Mexico, India, Burkina Faso,

Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Ireland, Czech Republic, Austria,

Greece, Peru, Tunisia

The General Assembly,

Recalling that the WHO has already established regional offices and committees in continents such as Africa,

Europe and the Americas.

Emphasizing that IVF is a relatively new issue that has not been dealt with in the past.

Reminding Member States that the WHO already works with nongovernmental organizations (NGO),

including the International Federation of Fertility Societies (FFS), the American Society for Reproductive

Medicine (ASRM), the International Committee for Monitoring Assisted Reproductive Technologies

(ICMART), and the International Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (FIGO).

I. Calls for the WHO to fully utilize its regional committees to assist individual countries,

A. Member States are encouraged to report their domestic situation to their respective

committee and request for assistance from other countries,

B. Additional subcommittees can be created under these regional committees if necessary,

C. Cross-border care systems can also be established through these committees in order to

ensure the safety of the IVF patients;

II. Strongly encourages the WHO and its regional committees to work closely with

nongovernmental organizations,

A. NGOs have established databases that monitor IVF and other reproductive technologies,

B. The IFFS has produced multiple surveillance reports documenting the development of IVF

and depicting the situation in various countries,

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C. Closer collaboration will assist the development of IVF as well as the situations in individual

countries;

III. Encourages regional committees to send specialists and advisors from the WHO to individual

countries,

A. These advisors can give suggestions to local governments to adjust their regulations

regarding embryo implantation and storage,

i. This will be in accordance with a global orientation,

ii. National sovereignty will not be violated in this way,

B. While these advisors cannot free Member States to change their legislations, they will be

working for the ultimate benefit of both individual countries and the world as a whole;

IV. Strongly supports the implementation of a semi-annual schedule of all regional WHO

committees,

A. All regional committees will be tackling the unique problems faced by each of the countries

in session,

i. Countries that have increasing popularity of IVF and concerns with population

growth should prioritize public education and awareness of alternative methods to

improve fertility rates,

ii. Developed countries that have negative population growth rates should focus on

reducing the overuse of contraceptives which may increase infertility and focus on

raising government funding for research targeted towards infertility treatments to

make them more accessible to the public,

B. Annual meetings should take place with selected members of each regional committee by

vote within the semi-annual sessions,

i. The motivations would be to provide insight towards suggested changes to be made,

established by previous sessions,

ii. Such members would have biannual terms,

C. Member states of regional committees should regularly attend conferences and report their

situations to their regional committees

i. Local inspections should be regularly conducted, especially in developing countries,

where IVF treatments are overused as the first option to solve infertility,

ii. Assistance can be provided by WHO specialists from France, the United States and

other countries;

V. Urges different countries with varying domestic situations to follow different plans of action in

terms of public awareness,

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A. Developed countries should raise public awareness with a goal of decreasing the over-use of

contraceptives, stressing the benefits of naturally conceived birth, and encouraging infertile

couples to out other infertility treatments, such as fertility drugs, before seeking IVF,

B. Developing countries should raise public awareness with a goal of increasing the knowledge

of IVF as an infertility treatment,

C. Countries should not support individuals travelling abroad for IVF tourism,

i. This will ultimately promote awareness of the consequences of performing IVF

abroad;

VI. Advises Member States, especially developed countries that have negative population growth, to

give subsidies to encourage the usage of IVF procedure,

A. This would increase the population growth of an underdeveloped country,

B. In other countries that are not as economically stable and / or overpopulated, should not

consider any sort of subsidies to encourage the usage of IVF procedure,

i. This would not increase the already overpopulated population and would also not

harm the unstable economy even further;

VII. Suggests the development of stockpiles of existing embryos to be donated to research,

A. This will reduce the massive and growing stockpile of embryos, as well as contribute to the

research and development of IVF,

B. Countries that may be unwilling to accept this solution due to ethical concerns can,

i. Donate embryos to other patients in need of embryos,

ii. Pass legislation to allow long-term embryo storage,

C. Gender selection is only allowed when there are health factors influencing the babies, such

as potential heredity diseases (AIDS, haemophilia, breast cancer, etc.);

VIII. Encourages infertile couples to choose an alternative method to be pregnant through education

and awareness in developed and developing countries,

A. The majority of developed countries have the capital and advanced technology to support the

operation of the IVF; therefore,

i. Advertise the usage and the advantages of IVF as an additional treatment for

infertility,

ii. Enrich the human resource on the developing of ART’s,

B. IVF is uncommonly used in developing countries because of economic burden and over-

population,

i. The government can raise public awareness to help the citizens comprehend the

procedure of IVF,

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ii. Educate infertile couples to use fertility drugs instead of using IVF as the first

choice;

IX. Suggests the continuation of development of technology according to different domestic

situations,

A. Research should be continued on treatments like,

i. IVM, which lessens the production of embryos and also prevent the PCOS caused

by the intake of ovulation induction hormone,

ii. Auxiliary treatments to increase the success rate,

iii. Special recipients of technology like AIDS patients,

iv. ESC technology with regulations and non-aggression of bioethics in certain

countries,

B. Funding can be provided by:

i. The United Nations,

ii. The Global Sustainable Development Fund,

iii. Third-party charity foundations devoted to aiding infertile couples;

X. Requests the setup of new databases and the strengthening of existing ones through:

A. Establishing networks worldwide to reach the objective of:

i. Recording the information of embryos along with their providers in order to co-

operate alongside with the International Embryo Bank,

ii. Promoting transparency of the international database and opening its information to:

a. The public,

b. Health-and-fertility-related NGOs,

c. International health organizations such as WHO,

B. Setting up additional databases within countries if possible by procedures of:

i. Sending out specialists to countries that are less developed in the field of IVF,

ii. Providing aid and funds from the UN to support countries who are building embryo

banks and databases;

XI. Calls upon actions to control the population while developing IVF technology,

A. Co-operation with organizations like UN Population Division, IPPF, UNESCO Population

Division, Population Council and IUSSP will help through:

i. Analysing the current situation and the potential tendency of development on

population in order to make policies such as:

a. Whether to have number of limits on the IVF treatment,

b. Whether to have reductions on fee or subsidies to stimulate the increase of

population;

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XII. Draws attention on general corruption in the IVF industry,

A. Stricter regulations will be needed to ensure doctors’ devotion and legitimacy in

guaranteeing the safety and well-being of patients,

B. Promote public awareness of potential illegitimacy of private IVF clinics.

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