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Contact: sc@bermun.de

Dear Delegates of the BERMUN Security Council 2005,

We hope that all of you had a great summer and a good start into the school year. First of all, we would like to welcome you to the Security Council 2005! Although November and BERMUN might seem far away, in reality they are just around the corner. This is why we would like to use the opportunity to introduce ourselves and to offer some useful advice concerning conference preparation. We would also like to remind everyone to research all of the topics and write resolutions on at least two of them. That way, everyone has something to contribute to the debates. Remember that your country is represented by two delegates in this Council, therefore splitting up the work shouldn’t be too hard and will make life easier for you. Also, we highly recommend doing some pre- lobbying in the Security Council forum of this website. That way you can communicate with all the members of the SC about anything concerning this Council, which will give you an easy start ahead. Enjoy!

I'm Samira Lindner and I'm a junior (aka 11th grader) at the John F. Kennedy School. I've lived all over the place, from South America to Asia to the United States and so on, but for the past four years I've been residing in Berlin. I'm very excited about this year's BERMUN conference and I know each and every single one of you will sustain the Security Council's good name and will contribute to making it the best BERMUN conference of all!

My name is Geraldine C. Ciocchi, and I am currently a 13th grader at the John F. Kennedy School here in Berlin. I have been involved in the Model United Nations Program for a few years now, this year will be my second year as a chair in the BERMUN Security Council. I am very much looking forward to meeting you and serving as your president for the upcoming conference. In my opinion, we will have a great time discussing the issues on the agenda, as well as fulfilling the task of being a hard-working and highly productive Council.

If you have any further questions concerning the issues, BERMUN, JFKS, Berlin, or anything else, feel free to contact us at sc@bermun.de and we’ll be happy to help you out.

Let’s make the BERMUN Security Council 2005 a special one!

Yours truly,
Samira Lindner and Geraldine Ciocchi

Security Council Topics 2005:

The role of diamonds in fuelling conflicts
Diamonds have often been associated with violence and misery. Deadly conflicts over the mining and trade of diamonds arise in Africa, an area of rich diamond deposits. Not only rebel groups, but also large diamond companies and traders along with large transport companies and financial firms try to get control over diamond rich areas. In Angola, diamonds fuelled the civil war during the 1990s. The conflict ended in 1999, after the Security Council successfully imposed sanctions on diamond sales by the UNITA rebel group. However, other conflicts that are diamond-related have arisen in Sierra Leone, DR Congo, and Liberia since then.
What does your country think the Security Council can do to regulate the situation in the affected areas? Are there ways to control diamond smuggling? How can the illegal actions that cause so much armed-fighting be stopped? Are there ways to punish the criminals of these conflicts? Might sanctions help the Security Council to set an end to the diamond fuelled conflicts?

Useful Links: http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/diamond/generalindex.htm
Debates and general articles
http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/diamond/ngoindex.htm
NGO Opinions and Initiatives
http://www.worlddiamondcouncil.com/
General Information
http://www.actsa.org/Angola/apm/
Angola Peace Monitor
http://www.diamonds.net/selectednews.asp?list=1
Diamond Trade Network
http://www.un.org/peace/africa/Diamond.html
Sanctions and War
http://www.kimberleyprocess.com:8080/site/
The Kimberley Process

The situation in Sudan
Since independence from the UK in 1956, military regimes favoring Islamic-oriented governments have dominated national politics in Sudan. Ever since, the country has basically been continually embroiled in a civil war. The war is rooted in northern economic, political, and social domination of non-Muslim, non-Arab southern Sudanese. Disputes over resources, power, the role of religion in the state, and self-determination are the war’s main roots. Two million deaths and over four million displaced people have been the result of this war since 1983. The ruling regime is a mixture of a military elite and an Islamist party that came to power in a 1989 coup. The war in Sudan is still dominated by the government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A). However, peace talks have gained more significance after the signing of several accords in the year 2002. The UN has closely followed and supported the regional peace initiative under the auspices of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD). The UN has been represented at summit meetings of the IGAD countries and undertaken consultations with regional governments and organizations in support of the peace process. Still, the crisis in Darfur erupted in February 2003, when two rebel groups (Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM)) demanded an end to economic marginalization and sought power-sharing within the Sudanese state. The two-year civil war has killed nearly 180,000 people and driven more than 2 million from their homes. After a Comprehensive Peace Agreement reached at Naivasha for North-South reconciliation in July of this year, further peace talks between the Sudanese Government and rebel factions are set to reopen on 15 September in Abuja, Nigeria.
Now it is up to you and your country’s policy to think about what solutions might end the war in Sudan and stabilize the situation in Darfur on a long term basis. Think about the future of Darfur with a stable and united Sudan as the main goal of our discussions. How can the Security Council act to prevent further disputes between the Sudanese government and the rebel groups? Has the Security Council effectively used all its power to end the war yet? ...

Useful Links: http://www.peacemakers.ca/research/Africa/SudanPeaceLinks.html
Peace Building and Human Rights Protection in Sudan
http://www.un.org/Depts/dpa/prev_dip/africa/sudan/fst_sudan.html
Background, Relevant Treaties, General Information
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/su.html
General Information
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/dbc.nsf/doc104?OpenForm&rc=1&cc=sdn
Latest Updates on Sudan
http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/africa/05/26/sudan.peace.accord/
Article about the signed Peace Deal in 2004

Poverty as a threat to international peace and security
Poverty is one of the world's biggest problems. There are numerous statistics and facts about just how terrible the circumstances are for inhabitants of developing countries. For instance, did you know that half of the world's population lives with under 2 dollars a day? Not only is poverty a disconsolate and cruel matter, it is also a threat to international peace and security. A country filled with poverty is the origin of social inequality, lack of democracy, and social and health instabilities, and even terrorism. The United Nations, whose mandate is the collective security of the community of nations, must address the scourge of poverty.

Useful Links: http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/PovertyAroundTheWorld.asp
Elaborate description of the issue of poverty and everything that has to do with it
http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Facts.asp
Long list of poverty statistics and facts
http://www.undp.org/povertyreport/
UNDP poverty report of 2004
http://www.stanleyfoundation.org/reports/UNHLP04d.pdf
Report on Development, Poverty, and Security
http://www.undp.org/poverty/
United Nations Development Programme website on poverty and its eradication
http://www.unep.org/dpdl/poverty_environment/Projects/index.asp
United Nations Environment Programme website with details on poverty
http://www.unmilleniumproject.org/ documents/Al%20Jazeera%2001-17-05.pdf
UN poverty report
http://www.makepovertyhistory.org/
New campaign to strongly encourage G8 leaders to dramatically reduce poverty

Reviewing the use of sanctions to promote international peace and security
Sanctions are the United Nations' most powerful and vital tool. They are the enforcements that can be taken by the Security Council to maintain or restore international peace and security. Sanctions come in all shapes and sizes, in other words, they can range from economic to international military action. The idea behind sanctions is to apply pressure on a state or entity to abide by the aims set by the Security Council without resorting to the use of force. The Security Council has resorted to sanctions as an implement for enforcement when peace has been threatened and diplomatic efforts have failed. However, a great number of states and humanitarian organizations have expressed concerns at the possible harmful impact of sanctions on the most vulnerable segments of the population, such as women and children as well as a negative impact on the economy of developing countries. In response to these concerns, the Security Council decisions have reflected a more refined approach to sanctions.

Useful Links: http://www.un.org/News/ossg/sanction.htm
Summary of current and historical sanctions
http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/committees/INTRO.htm
An overview of sanctions as well as a list of committees and working groups
http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/committees/sanctions/index.html
Working Group on General Issues on Sanctions

Security Council Member List 2005:

• Algeria
• Argentina
• Benin
• Brazil
• China
• Denmark
• France
• Greece
• Japan
• Phillipines
• Romania
• Russian Federation
• United Kingdom
• United Republic of Tanzania
• United States

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