AUSMUN Committees: A Brief Insight (@AUS_ModelUN)

This article elaborates on the structure of committees in the Model UN in the American University in Sharjah.

His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qassimi had a distinct vision for the American University of Sharjah (AUS). One of the visions of His Highness was for the AUS to have a productive cooperation with the economical, cultural and industrial sectors of the society. The Model United Nations (MUN) that the AUS holds under the International Studies department reflects the vision of Sheikh Dr. Sultan and incorporates different parts of his visions of the AUS. The AUS’s MUN (AUSMUN) consists of eight committees and councils that vary in focus and resolve different issues, thus engaging a wide range of students in different ways.

The most common council is the Security Council. Just like in the United Nations, the Security Council consists of 15 delegates and is the only committee that could enforce laws and decisions on other nation-states.

Another committee being simulated in the 2016 AUSMUN is General Assembly First Committee (GA1). The GA1 Committee addresses questions of disarmament, global challenges, and threats to peace that affect the international community while also resolving challenges in the international security regime.

Along with the GA1, the General Assembly Fourth Committee (GA4) is also a committee modeled after the UN’s. The GA4 Special Political and Decolonization deals with issues such as, but not limited to, decolonization, refugees, peacekeeping and human rights. The General Assemblies are the biggest committees in AUSMUN, resembling their size, to scale, in the UN.

An important council in the United Nations is the Human Rights Council. It is an intergovernmental body with 47 States that work towards promoting and protecting the rights of humans around the world. The AUSMUN board sees the importance of this committee in international issues and conflicts and thus chose it as one of the councils to model.

The World Health Organization (WHO) came into existence in April 7, 1948; a date now recognized as the World Health Day. The organization works in 150 different countries with more than 7000 workers. Due to the recognition of the significance of the World Health Organization, one of our committees is modeled after it and addresses issues that are faced by the WHO.

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW or UN Women) made significant contributions like the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination of Women (CEDAW), Beijing Declaration, and Platform for Action. The CSW is a subcommittee under ECOSOC, the Economic and Social Council, which is also modeled in AUSMUN. The questions before the ECOSOC concern “Combatting the Underground Economy” and “Strengthening Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance and Relief”.

AUSMUN is held at the AUS in the United Arab Emirates, therefore, it is honorable for us to represent the region we live in. The League of Arab States (LAS) is a council that was established in 1945 and consists of 22 members from the Middle East and North African region. With the rise of religious extremism in the region, it is only appropriate to address the issues in the LAS. The board has set forth the question of “Reversing the Tide of Religious Extremism”.

Several schools and universities in the UAE host MUN conferences. Still, AUSMUN remains one of the biggest and most versatile conferences. AUSMUN is an engaging opportunity for students of various high schools and universities from different parts of the world to come together and debate different issues in various settings as independent actors. The different committees and councils represented at AUSMUN is a reflection of the diversity and multitude of the conference.

To register, or know more, please access our website AUSMUN.org

Written by Hanan Arab, International Studies student at American University of Sharjah