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Security Council of the United Nations Organization

The Security Council has primary responsibility, under the Charter, for the maintenance of international peace and security. It is so organized as to be able to function continuously, and a representative of each of its members must be present at all times at United Nations Headquarters.

When a threat against international peace is brought to the attention of the Security Council, the council first attempts to negotiate a settlement between the disputing parties. The council may use its own member delegations, refer the issue to discussion in the General Assembly, or appoint the Secretary-General, the head of the United Nations, to act as mediator. It may set forth principles for a peaceful settlement as well.

If no peaceful agreement can be reached, and the disputing factions use violence, intimidation, or force, the Security Council can then enact policy resolutions to solve the conflict or restore peace. Sometimes this policy includes economic sanctions such as trade embargoes or prohibitions on governments borrowing from international funds. Under the Security Council regulations, however, humanitarian aid can never be withheld from any nation or group of people. The Security Council also reserves the right to recommend expulsion of any UN member state in gross violation of the UN charter and international law, though the dismissal must be voted on and passed in the General Assembly.

The Security Council is the only United Nations organization that can authorize military action and maintain a military-trained peacekeeping force. In violent international dispute, the Security Council can send intervening peacekeeping troops to secure areas in turmoil.

The Security Council is further responsible for overseeing compliance with international agreements involving weapons, the rules of engagement (conduct during war), the illegal spread of nuclear technology, and other threats to international peace. To enforce these treaties, such as international agreements on nuclear non-proliferation, the Security Council can authorize UN-led inspections of a nation's military arsenal. In addition, the Security Council can order sanctions or authorize military action.

More at: www.un.org/Docs/sc

Security Council

3 VACANT PLACES

States: (BOLD style = taken)

Austria

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Brazil

China - *RE

France - *RE

Gabon

Japan

Lebanon

Mexico

Nigeria

Russian Federation - *RE

Turkey

Uganda

The United Kingdom - *RE

The United States of America - *RE

Afghanistan - OBS

Yemen - OBS

Human Rights Council of the United Nations Organization

The United Nations Human Rights Council is created in March, 2006 and is the successor to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, which was often criticized for the high-profile positions it gave to member states that did not guarantee the human rights of their own citizens. The Council is considered an international body within the United Nations System and its purpose is to address human rights violations.

The Council assumes all the mechanisms, mandates, functions and responsibilities of the Commission for Human Rights. At the same time, it is tasked with the review, rationalization and improvement of these. This makes up the bulk of the Council’s work in its first year.

Special procedures" is the name given to the mechanisms established by the former United Nations Commission on Human Rights and continued by the Human Rights Council to monitor human rights violations in specific countries or examine global human rights issues. Special procedures can be either individuals who are leading experts in a particular area of human rights, or working groups usually composed of five members. In order to preserve their independence they do not receive pay for their work.

More at: www.un.org/rights

Human Rights Council

2 VACANT PLACES

States: (BOLD style = taken)

Angola

Belgium

Brazil

Bulgaria

Cameroon

Chile

China - *RE

Cuba - *RE

Egypt

France - *RE

Ghana

India

Indonesia

Japan

Korea, Republic of

Mexico

Netherlands

Nicaragua

Pakistan

Russian Federation - *RE

Senegal

Slovenia

South Africa

Uganda (observer) - *RE

Ukraine

United Kingdom - *RE

United States of America - *RE

Zambia

Amnesty International (observer) - *RE

Human Rights Watch (observer) - *RE

International Court of Justice of the United Nations Organization

 The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations (UN). It was established in June 1945 by the Charter of the United Nations and began work in April 1946.

The seat of the Court is at the Peace Palace in The Hague (Netherlands). Of the six principal organs of the United Nations, it is the only one not located in New York (United States of America).

The Court’s role is to settle, in accordance with international law, legal disputes submitted to it by States and to give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by authorized United Nations organs and specialized agencies.

The Court is composed of 15 judges, who are elected for terms of office of nine years by the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council. It is assisted by a Registry, its administrative organ. Its official languages are English and French.

More at: http://www.icj-cij.org/court/index.php?p1=1

International Court of Justice of the United Nations Organization
 

5 VACANT PLACE

States: (BOLD style = taken)

Judge 1

Judge 2

Judge 3

Judge 4

Judge 5

Judge 6

Judge 7

Judge 8

Judge 9

Judge 10

Judge 11

Judge 12

Judge – Representative of Sbarkia - *RE

Judge – Agent of United Whallands - *RE

Judge – Representative of Addamistan - *RE

Judge – representative of Occupied Territories of Evaland - *RE

Commission on Sustainable Development of the United Nations Organization

The United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was established by the UN General Assembly in December 1992 to ensure effective follow-up of United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the Earth Summit.

The Commission is responsible for reviewing progress in the implementation of Agenda 21 and the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development; as well as providing policy guidance to follow up the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI) at the local, national, regional and international levels. The JPOI reaffirmed that the CSD is the high-level forum for sustainable development within the United Nations system.

The CSD meets annually in New York, in two-year cycles, with each cycle focusing on clusters of specific thematic and cross-sectoral issues, outlined in its new multi-year programme of work (2003-2017) (E/CN.17/2003/6)

The CSD has opened its sessions to broad participation from both governmental and non-governmental actors, and it supports a number of innovative activities, such as the Partnerships Fair, the Learning Centre and a series of panels, roundtables and side events. The High-level segment features dialogue among Ministers, and Ministers also hold a special dialogue session with Major Groups.

As a functional commission of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), CSD has 53 member States (about one third of the members are elected on a yearly basis). Each session of the CSD elects a Bureau, comprised of a Chair and four vice-Chairs.

More at: http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/csd/csd_aboucsd.shtml

Commission on Sustainable Development of the United Nations Organization

5 VACANT PLACES

States: (BOLD style = taken)

Antigua and Barbuda

Australia

Brazil - *RE

Bulgaria

Canada

Cape Verde

China - *RE

Cuba

DR of Congo

Ethiopia

Germany - *RE

Haiti - *RE

India - *RE

Iran

Israel

Japan

Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

Mauritius

Netherlands

Nigeria

Pakistan

Philippines

Poland

Romania

Russian Federation - *RE

Saudi Arabia

South Africa

Sweden - *RE

USA - *RE

Venezuela

Council of Ministers of the EU - Foreign Affairs Committee

At its sessions on Foreign Affairs, the Council deals with the whole of the Union's external action, including common foreign and security policy, foreign trade and development cooperation. A priority in recent years for the Council, in cooperation with the Commission, has been to ensure coherence in the EU's external action across the range of instruments at the Union's disposal.

* Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP)

The principles and objectives of the CFSP are to safeguard the common values, fundamental interests, independence and integrity of the Union, in conformity with the principles of the UN Charter; to strengthen the security of the Union in all ways; to preserve peace and strengthen the international community, in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter; to promote international cooperation; and to develop and consolidate democracy and the rule of law, and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The Council is also responsible for the European Security and Defence Policy. Defence Ministers traditionally participate in Foreign Affairs Council meetings twice a year, in addition to their informal meetings (also twice a year).

The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who is the President of the Foreign Affairs Council, plays a key role in the formulation, preparation and implementation of the CFSP.

In the field of CFSP, the Political and Security Committee (PSC) helps define policies by drawing up opinions for the Council, without prejudice to the role of the Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper) in preparing Council sessions. The PSC also exercises, under the responsibility of the Council, political control and strategic direction of crisis management operations.

* Foreign Trade Policy

The European Union is the leading player in international trade -accounting for one fifth of total world trade - and has built up a world-wide network of trade relations. Successive enlargements of the EU and the consolidation of the single market have strengthened its position, both in bilateral negotiations with third countries and multilateral negotiations within the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

The WTO is a focal point of EU trade policy. The promotion of trade in a fair and rules-based multilateral environment for the benefit of the international community is an essential element of EU policy.

In trade policy, the Commission, mandated by the Council and in consultation with a Council committee of high-level trade officials called the "Working Party on trade questions", has responsibility for negotiating and managing trade agreements involving tariff amendments, customs and trade provisions and protective measures. In this field, the Council decides by qualified majority In other areas, such as investments, intellectual property and the provision of services, or where non-trade matters are also involved, competence is shared, and both the Community and the Member States have responsibility for concluding agreements.

Within the WTO, the Commission negotiates on behalf of the Community and represents the Member States in the settlement of disputes.

* Development cooperation

Community policy on development co-operation is aimed at complementing the development policies pursued by the Member States. Its main objectives are the sustainable economic and social development of developing countries, in particular that of the most disadvantaged amongst them, as well as the smooth and gradual integration of developing countries into the world economy and the eradication of poverty in those countries. At the same time, EU policy on development co-operation is aimed at reinforcing democracy and the rule of law, and promoting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The Council enacts legislation in this field by qualified majority and in co-decision with the European Parliament.
The main emphasis in EU development co-operation policy is on co-operation with African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States. The ACP-EU Partnership Agreement, signed at Cotonou in 2000, sets out the framework for the Community's trade relations and development co-operation with these countries.

The European Union and its Member States are the world's largest provider of development aid. EU aid is administered by the Commission, and is funded either through the EU budget or through the European Development Fund, a special fund dedicated to development in the ACP States. The EU is also the leading partner of many developing countries in terms of trade and direct investments.

More at: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/showPage.aspx?id=1848&lang=en

Council of Ministers of the EU - Foreign Affairs Committee

3 VACANT PLACES

States: (BOLD style = taken)

Austria

Belgium

Bulgaria - *RE

Cyprus

Czech Republic

Denmark

Estonia

Finland

France - *RE

Germany - *RE

Greece

Hungary

Ireland

Italy

Latvia

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Malta

Netherlands

Poland

Portugal

Romania

Slovakia

Slovenia

Spain - *RE

Sweden

United Kingdom - *RE

Turkey - OBS - *RE

African Union - OBS - *RE

HIGH REPRESENTATIVE - *RE

European Parliament - Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

The European Parliament is the only EU body elected directly by the European citizens; its members exercise the independent mandate, this means that each and every one of the 735 MEPs represent all of the people of Europe regardless of political color or nationality. This is the most significant difference between Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and a diplomat, in other wards a diplomat is obliged to represent his/hers national government and cannot go beyond the mandate that has been given. A MEP is free to say or do whatever one deems as fit for any topic, according to one’s political views.

The other difference between the EP and an intergovernmental body (e. g. the Council of the European Union) is that its members are seated according to their political affinities as part of political groups that cannot be comprised by MEPs form one Member State, the minimum is one fifth of all Member States.

The European political groups act as political parties on Union level. The difference between the political parties on national level and the ones on the EU level is that the later ones are not comprised of members, but are more like political federations comprised of national political parties. Given that in every political group there are slight differences between the positions of the national political parties, but not every national political party forms its own position concerning a certain issue, sometimes they use the one of the European political group as it was their own or e. g. in the case of the Bulgarian MEPs members of the EPP group, they adopt the position of the CDU/CSU as their own.

As in any other parliament the technical debate on the proposed legislation is not done at a plenary session but in the Parliament’s committees where the proposals are being discussed before they are presented at a plenary session. In a discussion on a proposal one committee is assigned as “responsible” and one or more are to deliver “opinions”. When the work in a committee is done it presents the plenary with opinions, amendments to a proposal or it may be the so-called “Own-initiative report”. The EP has twenty committees each of them having specific competencies.

One of those twenty committees is the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON), its specific competencies cover: the economic and monetary policies of the Union, the functioning of Economic and Monetary Union and the European monetary and financial system (including relations with the relevant institutions or organisations); the free movement of capital and payments (cross-border payments, single payment area, balance of payments, capital movements and borrowing and lending policy, control of movements of capital originating in third countries, measures to encourage the export of the Union's capital); the international monetary and financial system (including relations with financial and monetary institutions and organisations); rules on competition and State or public aid; tax provisions and the regulation and supervision of financial services, institutions and markets including financial reporting, auditing, accounting rules, corporate governance and other company law matters specifically concerning financial services.

More at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/committees/homeCom.do?language=EN&body=ECON

European Parliament - Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs
 

2 VACANT PLACE

States: (BOLD style = taken)

Austria EPP

Belgium S&D

Bulgaria EPP - *RE

Cyprus EPP

Czech Rep EPP

Denmark EPP

Estonia EPP

Finland Gr

France S&D - *RE

Germany Gr - *RE

Greece EPP

Hungary S&D

Ireland S&D

Italy EPP

Latvia EPP

Lithuania S&D

Luxembourg EPP

Malta EPP

Netherlands ALDE - *RE

Poland EPP - *RE

Portugal S&D - *RE

Romania ALDE

Slovakia S&D

Slovenia S&D

Spain ALDE

Sweden ALDE

United Kingdom ECR - *RE

SNN - SOFIMUN News Network (Official media body of SOFIMUN)

The SNN is the official media body of the Sofia International Model United Nations conference. The media will be set up to keep all participants in the conference informed about the latest events and developments in the various forums and lobbying areas.

The SNN media is part of the conference organs. Achieving its aim to keep all SOFIMUN participants up-to-date, the media will have everyday issues. It will be realized into three main directions – a PDF version, formed as a newspaper, a website with constant refresh of the newest happenings and video broadcasts – interviews, news, etc.

The purpose of SNN is to serve as central information point on all important things that happen on SOFIMUN. Its journalist team will be selected through international application (same as for the rest of the SOFIMUN organs) and will have an editor in chief, governing the whole media sources on the conference.

The journalist team will broadcast the work of each committee;  pay specific attention to any delegate and his work; write articles and take interviews from participants during the SOFIMUN. Each SOFIMUN organ will have at least 2 journalists, carefully following its work and broadcasting the latest news on world issues that are of concern of the UN bodies being represented at SOFIMUN. Therefore, the SNN is the place where all of you wishing to be active as journalist and are interested in the media field can show what you've got! You will represent the strong voice and influence of the medias in the modern world. What you write constitutes the principal source of information on the developments within the workshops at the delegate’s disposal. It fundamentally influences their decision-taking during the negotiations and the sessions.

WHY IN SNN?

Participation in SNN as a journalist offers you a unique opportunity to act and work as a real journalist - realistic insight into the work of a journalist reporting on an international conference, the possibility of deepening your knowledge in journalism and a specific area of the international relations, the opportunity of meeting over 150 people from around the world sharing your passion for journalism and world affairs.

WHAT IS EXPECTED?

Being a journalist also brings responsibilities, from which among the most essential are: proficient English, talented writing, fluently use of technical devices (computer, camera), adoption of critical approach without loosing accuracy, team-working and flexibility.

You can select which media you want to represent by the following list. SNN offers you to choose between popular medias, separated into two general groups: the pan-European medias of the European Union, EURONEWS and EUOBSERVER and 8 other international medias in English, French, Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, Russian, German.

If you wan to take part in the SNN media, register through our registration form. and mark "SNN (SOFIMUN News Network)" in "Desired organ" field.

More at: www.snn.sofimun.org

SOFIMUN News Network

7 VACANT PLACES

Media representatives: (RED color = taken)

	EURONEWS - PANEUROPEAN 2 journalists - (1+1) The leading media of the European Union
	EU OBSERVER - PANEURPOEAN 2 journalists - (1+1) The leading online media of the European Union
	FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG 1 journalist Germany
	AL ARABIYA 1 journalist Dubai, UAE
	BULGARIAN TELEGRAPH AGENCY 1 journalist Bulgaria
	LE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUE 2 journalists - (1+1) France
	THE ECONOMIST 1 journalist United Kingdom
	FOX 1 journalist USA
	RIA NOVOSTI 1 journalist Russian Federation
	PEOPLE'S DAILY 2 journalists - (1+1) People's Republic of China
	O GLOBO 1 journalist Brazil
	CAPE TIMES 2 journalists - (1+1) South Africa
	HURRIYET 1 journalist Turkey
	PHOTOGRAPHER 1 photographer