SOCHUM STUDY GUIDE
SOCHUM STUDY GUIDE
SOCHUM STUDY GUIDE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. What is MUN?
2. How to prepare for MUN
3. What is a position paper?
4. What is an opening speech?
5. What are research binders?
6. What are moderated caucuses?
7. What are unmoderated caucuses?
8. Draft resolutions
9. Committee overview
10. Introduction to the topic
11. Events and Movements on Human Rights advocacy
and violation
12. The Dual Impact of Social Media: Social Bubbles
and Globalization
13. Positive Impacts of Social Media on Human Rights
14. Negative Impacts of Social Media on Human
Rights
15. Promoting social justice online
16. Social media strategies to combat human rights
violation
17.Possible International Actions
18. QARMA
19. BIBLIOGRAPHY
● What is MUN?
try and find solutions to important problems of the day. Through public
speech, debate, lobbying and negotiations, the participants will come together
Once you have signed up for HIRAMUN you have to wait for your allocations.
The conference will send you your assigned country, committee and topic of
actions and resolutions, the country’s current position, and potential solutions
the delegate plans to advocate. Position papers are used to convey a well-
seconds and is the first speech you give to the committee. It is the best
opportunity for you to explain your country policy and the key sub-issues
you would like the committee to focus on. Opening Speeches are the main
way for countries to determine who they want to work with, so it’s
Delegates raise their placards to speak, and the chair selects them in an
orderly manner. This format is used to address particular aspects of the main
encourage efficient debate and are useful for clarifying issues, building
debate is not regulated, this time is often filled with active discussions, as
delegates collaborate to build consensus, form alliances, and draft working
The motion must include a proposed time limit, generally no longer than
raised, the Chair will prioritize them by duration for voting. The Chair holds the
appealed. An unmoderated caucus can be extended one time only, and the
total duration, including the extension, may not exceed twenty minutes.
● Draft Resolutions
Who: Who writes a resolution? Any delegate in the committee can write a
topic while others only allow delegates to sponsor one per topic.
What: What is a resolution? A resolution is a document that contains all
the issues that the committee wants to solve and the proposed solutions
to that issue. It’s called a resolution because that’s what the United
should be called a draft resolution before it is voted upon and then called
committee when different country policies are clear and different ideas
have been mentioned already. These conferences will not allow any pre-
written resolutions.
Why: The ultimate purpose of a committee session is to pass a resolution.
The resolution(s) that the majority of the committee agrees upon will be
passed during voting bloc and the sponsors will be informally commended
resolutions to pass as long as they do not contradict each other, but a few
AGENDA
“The role of social media in human rights advocacy
and violations”
COMMITTEE OVERVIEW
for all.
INTRODUCTION TO THE TOPIC
place.
According to Statista, over 3.6 billion people used social media in 2020.
makes social media one of the most popular digital activities in the
media every day. These stats mean that social media represents a
On March 28, 2019, a rubber boat carrying 108 people departed from
torn and unsafe country where they would face the threat of violence
and torture. In a collective non-violent protest, the passengers refused
to accept being sent back and convinced the boat's crew to sail
towards Malta. Three young men, aged 15, 16, and 19, who spoke some
who were now "safe in Europe,”1 and referenced Italian Interior Minister
Matteo Salvini, well-known for his populist views and regular portals on
rescue ships, who stated that the event constituted "the first act of
Maltese authorities upon their arrival at the port in Valletta. Even four
years later, they are still facing trials on charges of terrorism and
However, other survivors who were also on the boat refute the
young boys, named Amara, Abdalla, and Kadar, including two minors,
united in their demand for the freedom of the ElHiblu and seeking
In the rapidly evolving landscape of the 21st century, our world has
who gunned down Trayvon Martin. Since then it has become the
change.
The BLM movement has galvanized and maintained momentum
it, as well as the manner in which it has cultivated deeply profound and
positive change.
In 2011 November 15, Occupy Wall Street was pepper-sprayed into the
opportunity.
leader, but the mindset that all individuals are leaders. These protests
globe through the use of social media. Each locale of the movement
veterans, the Fight for $15 fair wage movement started less than a
The early 2010s saw a series of protests, uprisings, and armed rebellions
in Tunisia, which spread quickly across North Africa and the Middle
before his gesture went viral, sparking protests against the cost of
living and the country’s authoritarian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Ben Ali’s 23-year-rule ended 10 days later when he fled to Saudi Arabia,
The “Arab Spring” is noted for the young protesters who took to the
Studies on the Arab Spring protests discuss the use of social media in
and organization for protests in real time. Studies found that though
translating into mass and international media brought the issues and
protesters.
violence survivors from all walks of life. By telling and sharing stories,
those who engage with the movement hope to show how common
sense of globalization. Over the past two decades, our society has
globalization.
geographic allocation
Positive Impacts of Social Media on Human Rights
the killing of George Floyd in 2020, videos shared widely on social media
Xinjiang, China, where they face mass detentions, forced labor, and
internationally.
In the Rohingya crisis, social media was also a vehicle for hate speech,
of people.
Many social justice causes work to build equity for minorities and
social media can provide a platform to amplify and share them with
social media has the opportunity to create online spaces where people
come together and find support. Instances such as the Arab Spring
and Occupy Wall Street showcase the global effect that can take place
Social media can also be used as a tool not only to organize large-
which protesters have used social media to share pictures and videos
of events as they occur, battling for a public and global opinion on the
pro-democracy movement.
Young people use social media more often than their older
platform usage shows that Facebook is the most widely used platform
across demographic groups, with roughly 70% of adults saying they use
strong following among young adults. The research further shows that
roughly three-quarters of Facebook users visit the site daily, while 80%
of young adults are using Snapchat and Instagram not only daily, but
justice causes and movements. There are many ways to utilize social
conversation or movement.
SOCIAL MEDIA STRATGIES TO COMBAT HUMAN RIGHTS
VIOLATION
Fundraising:
diversity of the audience and focus attention on one focused goal. This
that implements not only a goal, but also a strategy on how to get
and finally to conversions is a media strategy that will ensure that views
blending technology and design into an aesthetic that will increase the
For nonprofits and social justice campaigns, utilizing social media can
around an issue. Social media and networking can be done with focus
Sharing Stories:
Sharing stories does more than provide information; it also has the
audience know that there is still work to be done — but also that it is
or campaign.
POSIBLE INTERNATIONAL ACTIONS
like the United Nations can work alongside these governments and
disinformation.
exploitation.
QARMA
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/oct/06/occupy-
wall-street-achieved-a-lot-even-if-it-may-not-feel-like-it
https://www.wired.com/2015/10/how-black-lives-matter-uses-social-
media-to-fight-the-power/
https://time.com/6117696/occupy-wall-street-10-years-later/
https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/2019/09/human-rights-in-
age-of-social-media-big-data-and-ai
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/12/17/what-is-the-arab-spring-
and-how-did-it-start
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/china-xinjiang-uyghurs-muslims-
repression-genocide-human-rights
https://www.unrefugees.org/news/rohingya-refugee-crisis-
explained/
https://www.humanrightspulse.com/mastercontentblog/how-social-
media-is-changing-the-face-of-human-rights-activism
https://www.humanrightscareers.com/issues/how-can-social-media-
help-defend-human-rights/
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-
with-freedom-of-speech
https://renecassin.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Social-Media-
Friend-or-Foe-of-Human-Rights-Rene-Cassin-essay-competition-
winner.pdf
https://repository.gchumanrights.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/3b7
5631c-c529-4980-9801-34b8eaf827b2/content
https://www.unesco.org/en/media-information-literacy
https://www.ceps.eu/ceps-projects/the-impact-of-the-german-
netzdg-law/
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/data-protection/data-
protection-regulation/#:~:text=data%20protection%20rules-
,What%20is%20the%20GDPR%3F,application%20on%2025%20May%202018
.