Topic 1: Protection and state independence of minorities

Topic 2: Geopolitical and diplomatic affairs


Under-Secretary General: Ninos Josef

Difficulty Level: Advanced

Countries: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic, Qatar, Yemen, Iran (Islamic Republic of), United Arab Emirates, Palestine, Oman, Israel, Russian Federation, United States of America, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, France

Topic 1: Protection and state independence of minorities

Conflict and instability in the Middle Eastern region have caused great loss of life and the displacement of millions of people in the Arab region. The sheer sovereignty of many nations and the safety of minorities is at stake as the Middle East and North Africa now has 6 million refugees and over 12 million internally displaced people (IDP) and counting. Protracted conflicts in several countries have led to civil wars and an immense increase of terrorism, targeting minorities such as Kurds, Yazidis and Assyrians along the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestine which has taken place since 1948.


These conflicts have all had a detrimental effect on development in member states whom are not directly caught up in fighting and must await many years of political resolutions, while often contending with the deep trauma of ethnic, sectarian, and political cleansing. Additionally, ethnic and religious conflicts between nations in the League of Arab States have had a profound impact on the socioeconomic development.


Countries torn apart by war can take up to 15 years to recover their pre-conflict growth trajectory and inherent differences will certainly make it difficult to find a solution, but the urgency of the matter demands that members of the committee work toward some form of compromise for the sake of independence, financial situation, and safety for each minority.

Now the challenge for the member of The League of Arab States is to guarantee safety for regional minorities in the Middle East. What are the possibilities of ensuring state independence for minorities and fair allocation of resources within the area?


Topic 2: Geopolitical and diplomatic affairs

The third wave of geopolitics has been making its way into Middle Eastern political geography since the end of the Cold War. The first wave began with the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I. The second wave followed World War II when the European colonial order crumbled. In 2011, the world witnessed the Arab Spring, a time of uprisings attempted by the Arab people to overthrow their governments and to bring freedom to their societies in order to live in dignity and democracy.


Following the Arab Spring, we saw a majority of regional countries fall such as Tunisia, Egypt and Libya and today many more countries in the region suffer from political instability as a result of ever-continuing terrorism, economic shocks, plummeting oil prices, and the identity crisis in the fast-paced changing world. The current situation has led to outside forces being involved in creating an unstable imbalance in the region.


How can the League of Arab States solve what today has turned into a geopolitical war? How do we set the foundation for rebuilding the Middle Eastern and North African region without outside political involvement and how do we create future diplomatic affairs to stabilize relations within the area?