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A WORD FROM THE EXECUTIVE BOARD

Dear Delegates,

It is indeed a great honour to welcome you to the United Nations Human Rights
Council of CHIREC Model United Nations 2020.

To the veterans of MUN, we promise you a very enriching debate that you’ve
never experienced before and to the newcomers, we are really excited to be a
part of your maiden voyage.

The following pages intend to guide you with the nuances of the agenda as well
as the council. The guide chronologically touches upon all the different aspects
that are relevant and will lead to fruitful debate in the council. It will provide you
with a bird’s eye view of the gist of the issue.

However, it has to be noted that the background guide only contains certain basic
information which may form the basis for the debate and your research.

As the diplomat of your allotted country, it is our hope that you put in
wholehearted efforts to research and comprehensively grasp all important facets
of the diverse agenda. All the delegates should be prepared well in order to make
the council’s direction and debate productive. After all, only then will you truly
be able to represent your country in the best possible way.

We encourage you to go beyond this background guide and delve into the
extremities of the agenda to further enhance your knowledge of a burning global
issue. This may be a fairly technical committee for the ones with no background
on current crisis. We have tried our best to make the complicated terms very
simple to understand

For any further assistance feel free to contact us, preferably on Facebook.

Research Ahoy!

Regards,

Shreshth Bansal Nabeel Khan

(Chair) (Vice-Chair)

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CONTENTS
Part-1 (About the Committee)

United Nations Human Rights Council

A. About UNHRC
B. Mandate
C. Functions & Powers

Part-2 (About the Agenda)

"Addressing the role of the state in responding to health emergencies and the
realization of all human rights with emphasis on the COVID-19 pandemic."

A. Addressing the role of the state in responding to health emergencies.

B. The realization of all human rights

Part-3 (Resolution and Research)

A. Questions to be addressed in the resolution

B. Research suggestions
C. Credible proofs

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Part1 - About The Committee

A. ABOUT UNHRC
The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations
system responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights
around the globe and for addressing situations of human rights violations and make
recommendations on them. It has the ability to discuss all thematic human rights issues
and situations that require its attention throughout the year. It meets at the UN Office at
Geneva. The Council is made up of 47 United Nations Member States which are elected
by the UN General Assembly. The Human Rights Council replaced the former United
Nations Commission on Human Rights.

B. MANDATE
Recognizing the need to preserve and build on the Commission’s achievements and to
redress its shortcomings, the HRC was created to ensure stronger system-wide
coherence and preserve the value of human life “in larger freedom.” The Council was
charged with, inter alia, assuming the roles and responsibilities of the Commission,
promoting the full implementation of human rights obligations, responding to human
rights emergencies, undertaking a universal periodic review, and making
recommendations to States and the General Assembly (GA).

The Special Rapporteur is mandated by HRC resolution 15/15:

a) To make concrete recommendations on the promotion and protection of human
rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, including, at the
request of States, for the provision of advisory services or technical assistance on
such matters;

b) To gather, request, receive and exchange information and communications from

and with all relevant sources, including Governments, the individuals concerned and
their families, representatives, and organizations, including through country visits,
with the consent of the State concerned, on alleged violations of human rights and
fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism;

c) To integrate a gender perspective throughout the work of his/her mandate;

d) To identify, exchange and promote best practices on measures to counter

terrorism that respect human rights and fundamental freedoms;

e) To work in close coordination with other relevant bodies and mechanisms of the
United Nations, and in particular with other special procedures of the Council, in
order to strengthen the work for the promotion and protection of human rights and
fundamental freedoms while avoiding unnecessary duplication of efforts;

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f) To develop a regular dialogue and discuss possible areas of cooperation with

Governments and all relevant actors, including relevant United Nations bodies,
specialized agencies and programmes, with, inter alia, the Counter-Terrorism
Committee of the Security Council, including its Executive Directorate, the Counter-
Terrorism Implementation Task Force, the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights, the Terrorism Prevention Branch of the United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and treaty bodies, as well as non-governmental
organizations and other regional or sub regional international institutions, while
respecting the scope of his/her mandate and fully respecting the respective
mandates of the above-mentioned bodies and with a view to avoiding duplication of
effort;

g) To report regularly to the Council and to the General Assembly.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights advocates the
promotion and protection of all human rights and the implementation of effective
counter-terrorism measures as complementary and mutually reinforcing objectives.
OHCHR is examining the question of protecting human rights while countering
terrorism by making general recommendations on States’ human rights obligations
and providing them with assistance and advice, upon their request, in particular in
the area of raising awareness of international human rights law among national law-
enforcement agencies. The Office provides assistance and advice to Member States on
the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering
terrorism, including the development of human rights-compliant anti- terrorism
legislation and policy. Additionally, OHCHR contributes to the Counter- Terrorism
Implementation Task Force by leading the Working Group on Protecting Human
Rights While Countering Terrorism.

C. FUNCTIONS & POWERS

In 2007, the HRC adopted resolution 5/1, which established mechanisms and structures
to guide its program of work, rules of procedure, and other operational functions. The
resolution set up the format for the ‘Special Procedures’, the ‘Universal Periodic Review’
and the ‘Complaint Procedure’ which encompassed the main powers of the HRC. Special
procedures are mechanisms that enable independent parties to report, monitor and
advice on country specific or thematic situations for the HRC. Each investigation has a
mandate. They are empowered to undertake country or field visits, with the support of
the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR), and to bring specific
cases and concerns to the attention of Member States. In accordance to the Universal
Periodic Review (UPR) and through HRC, each Member State of the UN submits a
periodic review to assess its fulfilment of its human rights obligations. The cycle of the
UPR process takes around four years and comprises of several steps which includes
collection of information, review of the documents presented, discussion on the
documents by Member States of the HRC and finally demonstration of how effectively
member states have acted upon recommendations received.

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Part 2 - About The Agenda

"Addressing the role of the state in responding to health emergencies and the
realization of all human rights with emphasis on the COVID-19 pandemic."

A. Addressing the role of the state in responding to health

emergencies
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is exacting a huge toll on
individuals, families, communities, and societies across the world. Daily lives have been
profoundly changed, economies have fallen into recession, and many of the traditional
social, economic, and public health safety nets that many people rely on in times of
hardship have been put under unprecedented strain.

In just a short time, a localised outbreak of COVID-19 evolved into a global pandemic
with three defining characteristics:
• Speed and scale: the disease has spread quickly to all corners of the world, and its
capacity for explosive spread has overwhelmed even the most resilient health systems.
. • Severity: overall 20% of cases are severe or critical, with a crude clinical case fatality
rate currently of over 3%, increasing in older age groups and in those with certain
underlying conditions.
• Societal and economic disruption: shocks to health and social care systems and
measures taken to control transmission have had broad and deep socio-economic
consequences.

COVID-19 is a new disease, distinct from other diseases caused by coronaviruses, such
as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
(MERS). The virus spreads rapidly, and outbreaks can grow at an exponential rate. At
present, there are no therapeutics or vaccines proven to treat or prevent COVID-19,
although national governments, WHO and partners are working urgently to coordinate
the rapid development of medical countermeasures. According to data from countries
affected early in the pandemic, about 40% of cases will experience mild disease, 40%
will experience moderate disease including pneumonia, 15% of cases will experience
severe disease, and 5% of cases will have critical disease.

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Every national strategy has a crucial part to play in meeting the global objectives, and
must, at a minimum, set out the basis for
a) coordination of the national and subnational response;
b) engagement and mobilization of affected and at-risk communities;
c) implementation of context-appropriate public health measures to slow
transmission and control sporadic cases;
d) preparation of the health system to reduce COVID-19-associated mortality,
maintain essential health services, and protect health workers;
e) contingency planning to ensure continuity of essential public functions and
services.

Each country must identify a whole-of society approach and a realistic appraisal of what
is feasible to achieve first in terms of slowing down transmission and reducing
mortality, and subsequently in terms of sustaining low level transmission while society
and economic activity resumes while keeping in mind the National Action Plans. Plans
must be flexible enough to react to rapidly changing epidemiological situations in
different parts of the country, and take into account the local contexts and capacities to
respond. The core pillars of an effective national response were set out in detail in the
‘support country preparedness and response guidelines’ set by WHO. The SPRP outlines
the public health measures that need to be taken to support countries to prepare for
and respond to COVID-19. It can be used to rapidly adapt National Action Plans for
Health Security (NAPHS) and Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Plans (PIPP) to COVID-
19, taking what we have learned so far about the virus and translating that knowledge
into strategic action that can guide the efforts of all national and international partners
to support national governments.

Apart from the direct health emergencies that a country might face due to the COVID-19
pandemic, one must also keep in mind the non-covid19 related public and individual
health emergencies that a country might find difficult to address due to the current
COVID-19 pandemic. Some of these difficulties may include natural disasters, blasts and
individual health emergency that are not due to COVID-19.

B.The realization of all human rights

Travel, Points of Entry and Border Health

Since the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR 2005) entered into force in
2007 there has been increasing recognition that, unlike airports and ports, ground
crossings often constitute informal passages between two countries without a physical
structure, barriers, or borders. Moreover, ground crossings play an important role in
the international spread of disease. Travellers and people living and working on and
around borders are particularly vulnerable to this threat. The IHR 2005 stress the
importance of taking measures at points of entry, such as ground crossings, to
strengthen national capacities to prevent, prepare for, detect and respond to health
emergencies.

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Seafarers on cargo ships (vessels that transport goods and carry no passengers) and
fishing vessels face particular challenges to carrying out their functions and maintaining
their health in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Seafarers work in close contact
environments likely to facilitate transmission of COVID-19. In some cases, they embark
on extended voyages without calling at any port for long periods. An outbreak on board
a ship is a concern for the safety and well-being of the crew and may affect the crew’s
ability to safely navigate and operate the ship.

Surveillance, rapid response teams, and case investigations

Member States are obliged under the International Health Regulations to develop public
health surveillance systems that capture critical data for their COVID-19 response, while
ensuring that such systems are transparent, responsive to the concerns of communities,
and do not impose unnecessary burdens, for example infringements on privacy. Failure
to implement effective surveillance systems can hamper an effective public health and
clinical response. Digital technologies are used in public health surveillance to support
rapid reporting, data management and analysis. Especially when combined with
machine learning and artificial intelligence, they could constitute powerful tools that
provide public health agencies with valuable information to make appropriate
decisions.

Contact tracing: Contact tracing is the process of identifying, assessing, and managing
people who have been exposed to a disease to prevent onward transmission. When
systematically applied, contact tracing will break the chains of transmission of an
infectious disease and is thus an essential public health tool for controlling infectious
disease outbreaks. Contact tracing for COVID-19 requires identifying persons who may
have been exposed to COVID-19 and following them up daily for 14 days from the last
point of exposure.

Guidance for Schools, workplace and institutions

In response to COVID-19, countries across the globe have implemented a range of public
health and social measures, including movement restrictions, partial closure or closure
of schools and businesses, quarantine in specific geographic areas and international
travel restrictions. As the local epidemiology of the disease changes, countries will
adjust (i.e. loosen or reinstate) these measures accordingly. As transmission intensity
declines, some countries will begin to gradually re-open workplaces to maintain
economic activity. This requires establishing protective measures, including directives
and capacity to promote and enable standard COVID19 prevention in terms of physical
distancing, hand washing, respiratory etiquette and, potentially, thermal monitoring, as
well as monitoring compliance with these measures.

The principles underlying the considerations for school-related public health measures
to prevent and minimize SARS-CoV-2 transmission in school settings are as follows:
• Ensuring continuity of safe, adequate and appropriate educational and social learning
and development of children

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• Minimizing the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission within school and school-associated

settings among children, teachers and other school staff
• Guarding against the potential for schools to act as amplifiers for transmission of
SARS-COV-2 within communities
• Ensuring school-related PHSM are integrated into and support the wider measures
implemented at the community level

Vulnerable populations and fragile settings

Most refugees and migrants live in individual and communal accommodations in cities,
towns, industrial and urban areas. They face similar health threats from coronavirus
disease 2019 (COVID-19) as their host populations. However, due to the conditions of
their migratory journeys, limited employment opportunities, overcrowded and poor
living and working conditions with inadequate access to food, water, sanitation, and
other basic services, refugees and migrants may have specific vulnerabilities. Many
migrants are often excluded from national programmes for health promotion, disease
prevention, treatment and care, as well as from financial protection schemes for health
and social services. This exclusion makes early detection, testing, diagnosis, contact
tracing and seeking care for COVID-19 difficult for refugees and migrants thus
increasing the risk of outbreaks in these populations, and that such outbreaks may go
unchecked or even actively concealed. These conditions present an additional threat to
public health.

Maintaining essential health services of common people and health

workers

Health systems around the world are being challenged by increasing demand for care of
people with COVID-19, compounded by fear, stigma, misinformation and limitations on
movement that disrupt the delivery of health care for all conditions. When health
systems are overwhelmed and people fail to access needed care, both direct mortality
from an outbreak and indirect mortality from preventable and treatable conditions
increase dramatically. Maintaining population trust in the capacity of the health system
to safely meet essential needs and to control infection risk in health facilities is key to
ensuring appropriate care-seeking behaviour and adherence to public health advice.
Any system’s ability to maintain the delivery of essential health services will depend on
its baseline burden of disease, the local COVID-19 transmission scenario (classified as
no cases, sporadic, clusters or community transmission) and the health system capacity
as the pandemic evolves. Recent investments in primary health care for universal health
coverage provide a critical foundation for adapting to the pandemic context. A well
organized and prepared health system has the capacity to maintain equitable access to
high-quality essential health services throughout an emergency, limiting direct
mortality and avoiding indirect mortality. In the early phases of the COVID-19 outbreak,
many health systems have been able to maintain routine service delivery in addition to
managing a relatively limited COVID-19 case-load. As demands on systems have surged
and health workers themselves have increasingly been affected by COVID-19 infection
and the indirect consequences of the pandemic, strategic adaptations have become
urgent to ensure that limited public and private sector resources provide the maximum

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benefit for populations. Countries are making difficult decisions to balance the demands
of responding directly to the COVID-19 pandemic with the need to maintain the delivery
of other essential health services. Establishing safe and effective patient flow (including
screening for COVID-19, triage and targeted referral) remains critical at all levels. Many
routine and elective services have been suspended, and existing delivery approaches
are being adapted to the evolving pandemic context as the risk–benefit analysis for any
given activity changes. When the delivery of essential health services comes under
threat, effective governance and coordination mechanisms, and protocols for service
prioritisation and adaptation, can mitigate the risk of outright system failure.

Other Human Rights

Stigmatization, xenophobia, racism and discrimination, including racial discrimination,

surfacing in the COVID-19 pandemic in many parts of the world

In addition to the direct mortality caused by COVID-19, response at the national and
subnational level must also address the risks of indirect mortality posed by the possible
interruption of essential health and social services. The acute burden that COVID-19
places on health systems, combined with the disruptive effects of shielding strategies,
physical distancing and movement restrictions, must be mitigated in order to minimize
the negative health impacts of COVID-19 on individuals who depend on essential, non-
COVID-19-related services.

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Part 3- Resolution and Research

A. Questions to be addressed in the Resolution
Delegates, the Executive Board would like to make you all aware of the fact that UNHRC
is a subsidiary treaty monitoring body under the UNGA or a committee under an
office like UNODC for example, the debate is NOT highly restricted by Foreign Policy
and Block Allegiance. The committee is also more research oriented and solution
centric simulation as you would have known by now after going through its mandate.

1. Would the measures taken by countries be different in rural and urban areas? If
yes, then how?
2. How can countries control the transmission of covid19 between countries?
3. How can countries effectively manage their medical, financial and infrastructural
resources to combat the pandemic?
4. Can countries effectively open educational institutions? If yes, then how?

B. Research Suggestions
1. Read the agenda guide, least 15 days prior to the conference and make a note of
everything that needs to be understood. Do read the background guide. In case of a
crisis situation always read and look for the analysis and plausible rationale on the
updates that may be issued a week before the mun.

2. Google/search everything and find relating documents (UN news articles, scholarly
articles) for whatever was not really understood.

3. After wholly understanding (subject to how in depth you wish to go for the research),
try understanding your allotted country’s perspective on the agenda.

4. Make the stance in accordance with the country’s perspective on the agenda which
shall also define your foreign policy (history, past actions etc.)

5. Understand the cues and hints that are given minutely in the background guide that
may come handy while presentation of contentions in committee.

6. Take a good look at the mandate of council as to what you can discuss and what you
can do in this council. This point is placed here, just because your knowledge base
shouldn’t be limited to the mandate of the council. Know everything; speak whatever
the mandate allows.

7. Follow the links given alongside and understand why they were given. Read the
endnotes and references.

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8. Predict the kind of discussions and on what sub topics can they take place, thereby
analysing the sub topic research, you have done and prepare yourself accordingly. Make
a word/pages document and put your arguments there for better presentation in
council and bring a hard copy of it to the committee.

9. Ask the Executive Board your doubts, if you have any, least 7 days before the
conference by means of the given email id and make sure to not disclose your allotted
country, until you want to understand the policy of your country.

10. Download the united nations charter, the Geneva conventions of 1949 and
additional protocols there to and other relative treaties and documents given.

11. Ask questions regarding procedure to speak something etc., if you have any, on the
day of the conference.

C. Nature of Sources/Evidence
This Background Guide is meant solely for research purposes and must not be cited as
evidence to substantiate statements made during the conference. Evidence or proof for
substantiating statements made during formal debate is acceptable from the following
sources-

1. United Nations and related U.N Bodies Reports:

Documents/Reports/Journals from United Nations and its various bodies will be

accepted as credible proof during the formal business of the house.

Example:

United Nations: www.un.org/en/

United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organization: www.unesco.org/en

United Nations Children’s Rights & Emergency Relief Organization: www.unicef.org/

2. News Sources:

i. Reuters: Any Reuter’s article that clearly makes mention of the fact or is in
contradiction of the fact being stated by a delegate in council.

ii. State operated News Agencies: These reports can be used in the support of or against
the State that owns the News Agency. These reports, if credible or substantial enough,
can be used in support of or against any country as such but in that situation, may be
denied by any other country in the council. Some examples are – RIA Novosti8 (Russian
Federation), Islamic Republic New Agency9 (Iran), British Broadcasting Corporation10

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(United Kingdom), Xinhua News Agency11 (People’s Republic of China), etc.

Reuters Website- http://www.reuters.com/

RIA Novosti Website- http://en.ria.ru/

Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) Website- http://www.irna.ir/en/

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC News) Website- http://www.bbc.com/

Xinhua News Agency Website- http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/

3. Government Reports:

These reports can be used in a similar way as the State Operated News Agencies reports
and can, in all circumstances, be denied by another country. However, a nuance is that a
report that is being denied by a certain country can still be accepted by the Executive Board
as a credible piece of information. Examples are Government Websites like-

i. State Departments: Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, Ministry of External

Affairs of the Republic of India, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the French Republic, etc.

Examples:

Ministry of Defence (Russian Federation)- http://eng.mil.ru/

Ministry of External Affairs (Republic of India)- http://www.mea.gov.in/

Ministry of Foreign Affairs (French Republic)- http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/

ii. Permanent Representatives: Reports of the Permanent Representatives of nations to

multilateral organizations. For instance- Delegates may access the following link and
click on a country’s name to get the website of the Office of its Permanent
Representative to the United Nations- http://www.un.org/en/members/

4. Multilateral Organizations

Documents from international organizations like the United Nations (UNO), North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN),
etc. Documentation from Treaty based bodies like the Antarctic Treaty System, or the
International Criminal Court may also be presented.

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[Note- Under no circumstances will sources like Wikipedia, or newspapers like the
Guardian, Times of India etc. be accepted. However, notwithstanding the aforementioned
criteria for acceptance of sources and evidence, delegates are still free to quote/cite from
any source as they deem fit as a part of their statements.]

Happy Researching!

________

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