Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee SOCHUM

The Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee (SOCHUM) is the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, and focuses on social and humanitarian issues such as human rights. Through the two topics up for debate in this committee, delegates will have the opportunity to discuss migration on a deeper policy level and will consider the humanitarian needs of under-represented stakeholders. In Topic A, delegates will consider the circumstances under which granting asylum should be obligatory, and urges delegates to further consider the human rights of stateless persons within a given political state. In Topic B, delegates will evaluate the post-migratory quality of life of individuals, proposing best practices for doing so for both migrants and their host societies.

Topic A: Evaluating State Responsibilities to Grant Asylum and Protect Refugees
Within Topic A, delegates will evaluate a standardized system of granting asylum to individuals, including those who have the greatest existing governmental and legal protection (such as diplomatic personnel) and those with the least (such as refugees and stateless persons). Delegates will reckon with the understanding that the foundation of human rights requires the support of a political state and the implications this reality has on stateless persons and oppressed minority groups. The role of the committee, therefore, will be to evaluate the circumstances under which asylum should be granted across all stakeholder groups, and to evaluate the implications of such policies. Furthermore, debate will include discussions regarding whether other countries ought to have a generalized obligation to become a guarantor of those human rights – all without violating state sovereignty.

Topic B: Strategies for the Successful Integration of Migrants Into Host Societies
Within Topic B, delegates will focus on a wide host of individuals — ranging from immigrants, refugees, and temporary workers — and will debate best practices, policies, and strategies regarding their integration within the context of education, employment, healthcare, rights and freedoms, or housing. The topic also lends itself to a discussion of the dual objective of helping migrants lead productive lives that contribute positively to their new communities. Ultimately, this topic allows discourse regarding a holistic range of strategies by which countries can work with each other – and with migrants – to create a humane approach to post-migration that benefits all.

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