SOCHUM - An overview
The third committee of the UN General Assembly, also known as the Social, Cultural, and Humanitarian Committee, is one of great importance on the international scene, and is present at most, if not all MUN conferences, serving as a basis for a high standard of debate in a more beginner-friendly format; thus, any delegate, no matter their experience or skill level, can and should have at least one SOCHUM experience, and everything that it entails. This article will provide a brief overview of this crucial committee and all of its layers, in the hopes that by the end of it, you will at least feel more informed, if not even more convinced to give it a go yourself.
Formation and purpose
The United Nations General Assembly was formed in 1945, and subsequently, the six main subsidiary bodies, including SOCHUM, were also created, convening in 1946 for their first meeting. The main topics that govern SOCHUM discussions are social, cultural, and humanitarian issues and matters, which can, of course, be deduced quite intuitively from the name of the committee, but in addition to this, it also concerns itself with human rights questions, and works closely with the Human Rights Council to evaluate their reports and their activity.
Other topics that often find themselves being discussed within this committee include self-determination rights, discrimination, indigenous people’s rights, refugee treatment, people with disabilities, crime and its prevention and justice, drug control, and other such social issues (a more comprehensive list can be found on the United Nations’ website, at https://www.un.org/en/ga/third/index.shtml).
Past international involvement and action
Possibly one of the most significant actions in SOCHUM history, if not even the most important, was its influence and impact on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Eleanor Roosevelt, one of the main driving forces that encouraged and supervised the creation of the UDHR after WW2, said that it was “recommended by the Third Committee”, and indeed, from September to December 1948, SOCHUM held 81 meetings to discuss various draft proposals and versions, even creating a sub-committee to ensure that the quality of language was on par with what their vision was.
The 75th meeting
SOCHUM convenes on a yearly basis, in October-November, and so the most recent meeting occurred just a few months ago, in October 2020. This also happened to be its 75th session, coinciding with the UN’s general celebration of 75 years of functioning and of making the world a better place. This session was chaired by H.E. Katalin Bogyay from Hungary, and had proposed to discuss a range of topics, such as but not limited to the following: the promotion of sustained economic growth and human rights, crime prevention and drug control, follow-ups to the Durban Declaration and the Vienna Declaration, literacy programs, and the rights of indigenous peoples. Not only this, but it also planned to discuss and talk to experts, chairs, and rapporteurs of several working groups, in concordance with authorisation given by the Human Rights Council.
SOCHUM MUN topics
MUNs in Romania have seen many wonderful and mystical SOCHUM topics that have challenged delegates to oftentimes think outside the box. However, in an effort to maybe convince you to try it out as well, instead of presenting you with topics that have already been debated, we have gathered a list of a few upcoming conferences and their SOCHUM topics:
TeenMUN (online, 13-14 March) - Combatting racism, xenophobia, and related intolerance
BacauMUN (19-21 March) - Global literacy: providing access to education for all
CosbucMUN (14-17 May) - Rights of civil disobedience; Protecting individuals from radicalism
InteractMUN (21-24 May) - Addressing the issue of police brutality
LazarMUN (June) - The limitations religious minorities face in their expression of faith
Concluding remarks
SOCHUM as a committee often gets overlooked by delegates wishing to challenge themselves, in exchange for more notoriously difficult and argumentative committees such as the Security Council or crisis. However, its “bland” reputation should not discourage anyone from giving it a go, because surprises may occur, and in fact, many of the most heated debates that go on at MUN conferences have been seen to occur in this very committee, regardless of the public opinion that it is “only for beginners”.
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