Committees 

Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC)

Social Cultural and Humanitarian Committee (SOCHUM)

Special Political and Decolonization Committee (SPECPOL)








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Social Cultural and Humanitarian Committee (SOCHUM)

​Chairs: Lucy Choi, Jen Kong, Chrissie Mones
Email: seoycho@bergen.org

Topic Guide

Topic A: Migrants' Rights and Xenophobia
A broad definition of migrant is a person who made “the decision to migrate is taken freely...for reasons of ‘personal convenience’ and without intervention of an external compelling factor. Migrants are not refugees as migrants are not directly fleeing war or persecution. 3 | Academy Model United Nations Whereas refugees find it unsafe to return home, migrants find no obstacle to return. The broad definition of migrants result in the difficulty to differentiate migrants who leave their countries because of political persecution, economic problems, and other conflicts. Nevertheless, even though migrants are not fleeing war or persecution like refugees, they still face challenges in ensuring their human rights. Migrants are highly vulnerable to discrimination, exploitation, and marginalization especially due to socioeconomic status, language and culture barriers, and especially xenophobia.

Topic B: Extrajudicial Killings
​An extrajudicial killing is an execution that is performed by the government or government agencies, however it is not authorized by any court. These extirpations are considered unjust due to how it impedes upon the legal process. Extrajudicial killings, also known as targeted killings, are often justified by governments as a means of counterterrorism. The killing of Osama bin Laden by the American Special Forces in 2011 is an example of an extrajudicial killing as bin Laden was not put on trial before his death in Pakistan, and it was later justified by President Obama as bringing “justice to a man who had killed three thousand citizens.” Although extrajudicial killings often emerge in times of distress and often have a short window of operation, they still cause a large moral dilemma, which is why they have been gaining increasing media recognition.