Example of a good position paper:

Committee: Human Rights Committee Topic: Protection of Rights of Refugees Country: People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria Today, the fundamental human rights of 17.5 million people under occupation and more than 25 million internally displaced persons, or IDPs, are being violated. The violation occurs particularly in Africa and Asia, where 80 percent of the victims are women and children. According the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the people under occupation have the rights to life, protection, a nationality, and movement, specifically the right to leave and return to one’s own country; however, in reality, these rights are often violated. From July 1947 to January 1952, the International Refugee Organization (IRO), established by the General Assembly in 1946, mainly helped Eastern European refugees to resettle. In 1951, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was established by the General Assembly because of the need for further international effort. Represented by over 100 countries, the UNHCR now takes care of about 17 million refugees. With the increasing number of refugees in Africa, Algeria feels the need for the creation of more protocols, such as the 1967 Protocol, which relates to the Status of Refugees. Algeria recognizes the need for further and improved provision of protection and basic needs to the people under occupation. As of 2004, 165,000 Western Saharan Sahrawi refugees and 100,000 to 200,000 IDPs were displaced by the political conflicts and fled to Algeria. Algeria believes that it is crucial to monitor and protect the key human rights at risk in the occupied areas, since the violation of certain rights tends to lead to the violation of other rights. The key human rights are the right to freedom of movement; the right to a name and nationality; the economic, social, and cultural rights; and the right to education. According to the Article 13 of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194, “[Palestinian] refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbors should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date.” The Palestinian National Authority supports a right of return. However, its extent is often questioned. The United States and The People’s Republic of China also agree that it is vital that the rights of refugees are protected. According to the official federal governmental policy of the United States, “the U.S. works with other governmental, international, and private organizations to provide food, healthcare, and shelter to millions of refugees throughout the world.” They are very sympathetic to the plight of international refugees, and there are also many independent organizations in the United States working to help refugees in any way possible. Ghana is yet another country that houses refugees. The Buduburam refugee camp, west of Accra, houses more than 50,000 refugees. The Liberian refugees came there fleeing the first and second Liberian civil wars, while the Sudanese and Togolese refugees were escaping genocide and military takeover, respectively. The refugees came by fishing boats, canoes, and by land to Ghana. Ghana is a relatively peaceful nation, and the government is sympathetic to the needs of the refugees. The camp itself is not as dangerous as many other African refugee camps. Within the camp are 600 or so “unaccompanied minors” - children who are on their own, without parents. Some children were orphaned by the war or AIDS, but many were separated from their families as they were running, fleeing the conflict. Often a child will end up in a camp in one country, and the mother or father will end up in another – with neither knowing what became of the other. 150 of these children are so young they fall into a category officially known as "very vulnerable." Buduburam receives support from the Ghanaian government, NGO’s, and assorted volunteer organizations. In 2003, the local government and the UNHCR had a falling out over the handling of the refugee camp, and the UNHCR left Ghana and the Buduburam camp in April of 2007, in April 2007, ending all UNHCR-administered services. In order to prevent the alarmingly increasing violation of the human rights of the people under occupation, Algeria urges member states to cooperate and that more international instruments to be created. In addition, Algeria proposes that the early warning system be established to help the international body to respond to the emergencies immediately. By doing so, the human rights violations in occupied areas can be minimized. Algeria looks forward to offering its support, in whatever form possible, to nations strongly committed to preventing the violation of the rights of people under occupied status.