Boston University Academy Model United Nations Conference IV
Saturday, January 30 to Sunday, January 31, 2016
Boston University Academy
Boston, MA
Special Political and
Decolonization Committee
(SPECPOL)
General Assembly
Background Guide
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A welcome from the chair
Hello Delegates!
My name is Candace Huntington, I am a senior at BU Academy and I will be your chair
for SPECPOL this year! Divya Bachina, a sophomore at BU Academy, will be your vice-chair.
I hope all of you are excited to do research, learn parliamentary procedure, and debate
some interesting topics this year. I remember my first conference was both exciting and nervewracking, but it ended up being an incredibly fun and educational experience for me. I hope you
find this conference just as fun! In terms of preparation, it’s always best to do some research.
Learn as much as you can about the topics and your countries’ involvement in them. Use the
“additional resources” section at the end of this background guide to help guide you in your
research. I’m looking forward to hearing all of your ideas on the topics!
Best,
Candace Huntington
BU Academy ‘16
[email protected]
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Position Paper Information
This committee will require a formal position paper for each of its topics. Chairs will
review position papers, and well-written and well-researched papers are eligible for the
committee’s Best Position Paper Award, as well as influencing other award determinations.
Position papers are 1-2 pages in length, double-spaced, and should follow a 3-paragraph scheme:
1) Introduction to the topic, 2) delegate’s stance on the topic, and 3) delegate’s proposed action
on the topic. Position papers should follow the following conventions on headers:
Delegate: Evelyn Huang
School: Boston University Academy (Your school here, not ours.)
Committee: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Country: Belgium
Topic: Refugees due to Syrian Civil War
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About the Committee
The Special Political and Decolonization Committee (SPECPOL) is the fourth committee
of the General Assembly of the United Nations. This committee deals mainly with social and
political issues in today’s world, such as decolonization, refugees and human rights,
peacekeeping, mine action, outer space, public information and atomic radiation1. SPECPOL
discusses and improves current international treaties and agreements that attempt to solve these
issues.
Topic 1: The Future of the 17 Non Self-Governing Territories
The non self-governing territories are 17 territories that are still controlled by other
countries. Many of these are islands that were colonized by European powers in the 18th and
19th centuries. The Special Political and Decolonization Committee was created to supervise the
Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. This
Declaration was establish to make the non self-governing territories self-determining territories.
SPECPOL has helped over 100 territories become independent. The last territory to achieve
self-determination, however, was East Timor in 2002. Since then no territory has gained it’s
independence. One of the problems facing non self-governing territories seeking independence
is that other countries are still attempting to claim those territories. For example, Morocco and
the Sahrawi guerrillas from the Polisario Front, a rebel national liberation movement in
Morocco, having been fighting over the Western Sahara. Great Britain and Argentina are
1
http://www.un.org/en/ga/fourth/
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currently fighting over ownership of the Falkland Islands. Great Britain has also been fighting
Spain over the ownership of Gibraltar2.
The remaining 17 non self-governing territories are Western Sahara, Anguilla (United
Kingdom), Bermuda (United Kingdom), British Virgin Islands (United Kingdom), Cayman
Islands (United Kingdom), Falkland Islands3 (United Kingdom), Monserrat (United Kingdom),
St. Helena (United Kingdom), Turks and Caicos Islands (United Kingdom), United States Virgin
Islands (United States), Gibraltar (United Kingdom), American Samoa (United States), French
Polynesia (France), Guam (United States), New Caledonia (France), Pitcairn (United Kingdom),
and Tolkelau (New Zealand).
Own example of a non-self governing territory whose ownership is still in dispute is the
Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic off the coast of Argentina. Both Argentina and Great
Britain claim ownership of the islands. Great Britain has controlled the islands since 1833 and
now claims that the inhabitants of the islands have the “right to self-determination” and they’ve
chosen to remain under Great Britain. Argentina, on the other hand, argues that the islanders
don’t have the right to self-determination and that Argentina claimed the islands when they
gained independence from Spain in 1816 while Great Britain illegally claimed them in 18334.
In 2013, a resolution to the conflict in the Falkland Islands was passed by SPECPOL that called
for an end to the dispute of the ownership of the islands. In the resolution, SPECPOL stated that
the best way to end the dispute was “peaceful and negotiated settlement of the dispute over
sovereignty between Argentina and the United Kingdom5”. The resolution also stressed the need
2
http://busun.org/guides/specpol.pdf
There is a bit of dispute of the ownership of the group of islands
4
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falkland_Islands#Sovereignty_dispute
5
http://busun.org/guides/specpol.pdf
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for the Falkland Islands to be involved in the solution to the conflict. The conflict has yet to be
resolved as both Argentina and Great Britain refuse to give up ownership of the islands. Another
controversial example of non self-governing territory struggling for independence is Gibraltar.
Gibraltar is a British territory located in the Mediterranean. Gibraltar is recognized as a British
territory yet it remains on the list of 17 non self-governing territories and has appealed to
SPECPOL to be removed from the list. Spain, however, claims ownership of Gibraltar. The
territory held a referendum to decide whether they would remain under British rule or transfer to
Spanish rule.
There are many issues that factor into the future of the non self-governing territories.
Each situation of the territories is different. Some countries wish to remain under the country
that originally colonized them while others want to gain independence. Often times the
administering powers such as Great Britain aren’t willing to give up control of their territories
even if the inhabitants want independence. Administering powers often feel as though
SPECPOL unfairly favors the non self-governing territories. The main struggle in determining
the future of these territories is figuring out who should have the most control over deciding who
administers them.
Questions to Consider:
1. How should the Special Political and Decolonization Committee be involved in the issue of
non self-governing territories?
2. How is your country affected by this issue?
3. How can the UN create a resolution that will put an end to the conflict and stop future wars
over ownership of these territories?
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4. How should the desires of the inhabitants of these territories factor into deciding who
controls them?
Bloc Positions
United Kingdom, France, New Zealand
Your countries control territories and don’t want to lose them.
Argentina, Morocco
Your countries are fighting for power over territories you don’t currently control.
China, Egypt, Ghana, Germany, Japan, Malawi, Norway, Korea, Canada, USA, India,
Russia, New Zealand, North Korea, Israel, Iran, Nigeria, Kenya, Mali, Syria, Tanzania,
Somalia, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Venezuela, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia,
Indonesia, South Africa, Guatemala, Algeria, Rwanda, Bangladesh
Your countries don’t control or desire to control any non self-governing territories but you
probably don’t want countries near you starting wars over this so you would also like to resolve
this conflict as peacefully as possible.
Topic 2: Nuclear Proliferation
The 20th century brought many scientific and technological advances, one of which was
the atomic bomb. After WWII had begun in Europe in 1939, Albert Einstein wrote to the
president at the time, Franklin D. Roosevelt, about his suspicion that the Nazis might be
developing atomic weapons through nuclear fission. Einstein worried that, if the Nazis were able
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to create such powerful weapons, Hitler would use it in any way he could to expand his territory
and power. Einstein urged the president to develop a similarly powerful weapon to compete with
Germany’s6. Over the next couple years, “The Manhattan Project”, an attempt to create an
atomic bomb, took place. The atomic bomb was first tested in 1945. Although WWII had ended,
President Harry S. Truman dropped the atomic bomb on August 6 of that year on Hiroshima in
an effort to get the Japanese to surrender. The attack killed 70,000 civilians. Another bomb was
dropped on Nagasaki just three days later. Despite the ending of the war, nuclear weapons
spread after 1945. At first the United States and the Soviet Union were in favor of regulating the
creation of atomic bombs on an international level, but soon the two nations began an arms race.
Both the United States and the Soviet Union became important nuclear powers. The United
Kingdom and France soon followed by launching their own nuclear programs. In 1964, China
also developed nuclear weaponry, becoming the fifth nuclear power.
Many countries feared that nuclear proliferation would continue and that more and more
countries would attempt to create nuclear weapons. Both the Soviet Union and the United States
lead the discussion of an international treaty to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. This
treaty did not, however, prevent countries to use nuclear weapons to maintain peace. In 1968,
the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, also known as the Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT), was created. The treaty organized the participating countries into two categories:
countries who were known to have nuclear weapons (United States, Soviet Union, United
Kingdom, France and China) and countries who weren’t. The countries known to possess
nuclear weapons agreed to not distribute those weapons or help other countries attain them. The
remaining countries agreed to not attempt to create or attain nuclear weapons. As a result of this
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http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/peace/nuclear_weapons/readmore.html
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agreement, the nuclear states promised to eventually disarm themselves of their nuclear weapons.
In 2003, all the countries in the United Nations had signed the NPT except Israel, India, and
Pakistan.
Other non-proliferation agreements include the Limited Test-Ban Treaty (LTBT) and the
Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). The LTBT, created in 1963, banned the use of nuclear
weapons in outer space, under water, and in the atmosphere. This treaty was created in response
to nuclear bombs being dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima to prevent the increase of
radioactivity in the atmosphere that would last for thousands of years. The testing of nuclear
weapons could cause many health related problems across the globe. Many countries supported
this treaty because effective nuclear weapons were much less likely to be developed if testing
were banned. Other countries known as “threshold states”, those that were thought to be testing
nuclear weapons, didn’t sign this treaty. Finally, in 1996, the CTBT was signed. This treaty
prohibited all forms of nuclear explosions everywhere for whatever purpose. 167 countries had
signed this treaty by 20037.
Questions to Consider:
1. How is your country affected by nuclear proliferation?
2. What does your country believe in terms of regulating the spread of nuclear weapons?
Bloc Positions
United States, Russia, United Kingdom, France, China
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http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/peace/nuclear_weapons/readmore.html
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Your countries are known to have nuclear weapons but have signed the Unclear NonProliferation Treaty.
Egypt, Ghana, Germany, Japan, Malawi, Argentina, Norway, Canada, New Zealand, Iran,
Nigeria, Kenya, Mali, Syria, Tanzania, Somalia, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Switzerland,
Venezuela, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Morocco, Indonesia, South Africa, Guatemala,
Algeria, Rwanda, Bangladesh
Your countries have signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and don’t necessarily want
nuclear weapons to spread.
Israel, India, Pakistan, North Korea
Your countries haven’t signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and are either rumored to
have nuclear weapons.
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