Delegates, Welcome to SOCHUM. The commission for social, humanitarian and cultural debating. My name is Emily Vallée and I will be your president this year. I started in MUN when I was only 12 years old. Since then I’ve gone 6 MUN’s in and outside of CGB. Your Vice-president is Natalia Marulanda and she has a great interest for political debates. We both know that as delegates this year in SOCHUM you have great potential and as your president I am quite excited to see what sort of solutions you come up with for the problems we will be debating over the course of 3 days. We expect everyone to try their hardest, and it’s up to us to make a better future.
Our first topic is the recruitment and use of children in the military. “I think with sorrow of those living and growing up against a background of war, of those who have known nothing but conflict and violence…What a terrible legacy for their future! Children need peace; they have a right to it.”-Pope John Paul II. Children are the future and they deserve a childhood full of learning, not a war zone. Child recruitment could be characterized in any of these 3 forms: children can take direct part in hostilities (child soldiers), or they can be used in support roles such as porters, spies, messengers, look outs, and sexual slaves; or they can be used for political advantage either as human shields or in propaganda. More than 500,000 children under-18 have been recruited into state and non-state armed groups in over 85 countries worldwide, according to the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child contained specific provisions for the protection of children under 15 years from recruitment into armies. Many campaigns have been made to prevent the use of children in armed conflicts, but there are still thousands of under-aged people that have to live under these circumstances. These provisions are not enough.
Remember, we are the future leaders of the world. Recruitment and discrimination of children are unacceptable and these problems will not be taken lightly. We will find solutions. This is a great experience for all of us. Your vice-president Natalia Marulanda and I will be here for any guidance or help needed. Your ideas are vital. We’ll all try our hardest to make CGB MUN IV unforgettable. J
Best of Luck!
Your President, Emily Vallée
Helpful links:
Topic 1, Recruitment and use of children in the military
Topic 2, Elimination of all forms of discrimination among children
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