Councils and their agendas

COUNCILS AND THEIR AGENDAS
The Security Council
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is the branch of the United Nations charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of international sanctions, and the authorization for military action. The UN's role in international collective security is defined by the UN Charter, which gives the Security Council the power to:
• Investigate any situation threatening international peace; • Recommend procedures for peaceful resolution of a dispute; • Call upon other member nations to completely or partially interrupt economic relations as well as sea, air, postal, and radio communications, or to sever diplomatic relations; • Enforce its decisions militarily, or by any means necessary; Avoid conflict and maintain focus on cooperation. Its powers are exercised through United Nations Security Council Resolutions.
The issues this Council will be dealing with are:
• Non state actors and responsibilities of member nations to effectively deal with such elements on their soil. • Protection of nuclear facilities and other technology that can be used for harm in volatile nations.

The Economic and Social Council
The Economic and Social Council (usually dubbed the ‘ECOSOC’) was established under the UN Charter as the principal organ to coordinate economic, social, and related work of the 14 UN specialized agencies, functional commissions and five regional commissions. The Council also receives reports from 11 UN funds and programs. It serves as the central forum for discussing international economic and social issues, and for formulating policy recommendations addressed to Member States and the United Nations system.
It is responsible for:
• promoting higher standards of living, full employment, and economic and social progress; • identifying solutions to international economic, social and health problems; • facilitating international cultural and educational cooperation; and • Encouraging universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It has the power to make or initiate studies and reports on these issues. It also has the power to assist the preparations and organization of major international conferences in the economic and social and related fields and to facilitate a coordinated follow-up to these conferences.
The issues this Council will be dealing with are:
• Petro diplomacy and securing the future of world economy.
• Free trade agreement versus protection by governments of member nations.

The Human Rights Council
The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the UN system made up of 47 States responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe. The Council was created by the UN General Assembly on 15 March 2006 with the main purpose of addressing situations of human rights violations and make recommendations on them. One year after holding its first meeting, on 18 June 2007, the Council adopted its “Institution-building package” providing elements to guide it in its future work. Among the elements is the new Universal Periodic Review mechanism which will assess the human rights situations in all 192 UN Member States. Other features include a new Advisory Committee which serves as the Council’s “think tank” providing it with expertise and advice on thematic human rights issues and the revised Complaints Procedure mechanism which allows individuals and organizations to bring complaints about human rights violations to the attention of the Council. The Human Rights Council also continues to work closely with the UN Special Procedures established by the former Commission on Human Rights and assumed by the Council.
The issues this Council will be dealing with are:
• Prisoner exchange as an effective dialogue process to improve relations with reference to Israel and Chechnya.
• State responsibility to protect human rights in conflict zones like Kashmir, Sri lanka and Palastine


The Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
The Commission is a subsidiary body of the Economic and Social Council. Its mandated priority areas are:
• international action to combat national and transnational crime, including organized crime, economic crime and money laundering;
• promoting the role of criminal law in protecting the environment;
• crime prevention in urban areas, including juvenile crime and violence; and • Improving the efficiency and fairness of criminal justice administration systems. Aspects of these principal themes are selected for discussion at each annual session. The Commission develops, monitors and reviews the implementation of the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice programme and facilitates the coordination of its activities. It provides substantive and organizational direction for the United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. The Commission also acts as the governing body of the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Fund.
The issues the Commission will be dealing with are:
1. Custodial Torture (OR the Question of Validity of Custodial Torture and Permissible Degrees) 2. Prevention of Illegal Traffic of Arms, Narcotics and Organized Crime