General Assembly Third Committee

For the past 15 years, HIAMUN has acted as a pathway that has expedited the personal and professional excellence of all those who walk on it. It has bridged the gap between ideas and solutions, comparable to how synapses in the brain bridge the gap between neurons, facilitating the transmission of signals and enabling communication within the brain. This is why HIAMUN ‘25’s theme, Synapses, is the precise representation of what the conference aims to serve; it is parallel to the synapses between neurons that enable the transfer of ideas, interpretations, and viewpoints, in this context being the conference administering this exchange between you as delegates.

The Third Committee of the General Assembly, also known as the Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee (SOCHUM), was first convened in 1948, and serves as an integral committee in the United Nations to this day as it addresses crucial issues dealing with human rights, social welfare, and cultural liberties.

I, Rana Wessam, alongside my most esteemed chair Al Husayn El Bedeawi, am honoured to be chairing a committee with such significant value and importance to the global community. Husayn and I have hand-picked 3 topics that we believe pose significant challenges to the equal and safe existence and development of individuals around the world. For our first topic, Husayn and I have chosen to work on “Establishing Frameworks to Ensure the Freedom and Fairness of State Elections”. As democratic integrity and electoral transparency rise as prominent issues in recent state elections, it becomes necessary to discuss government accountability in providing fair citizen participation, as well as to evaluate the role of foreign parties in intervening in state elections as a method of ensuring their legitimacy.

As for our second topic, “Setting Policies to Promote Social Cohesion in Multicultural and Religiously Diverse States”, Husayn and I found it essential to examine methods that allow diverse groups to co-exist freely and equitably, in a world where societies with one pure religion or culture nearly cease to exist. This topic deals with disputes around intangible heritage and distribution of culturally significant land such as the dispute around the entitlement to the Old City of Jerusalem, which is at the heart of 3 major religions, making this topic not only necessary to discuss but exceptional to debate. Our final topic is “Addressing the Subject of Extrajudicial Killings Carried Out by State Agents or Non-state Actors”, a grave matter that appears to become worse even as the modern world advances. Killings that happen outside of legal frameworks, ranging from targeted government killings to summary executions, constitute a range of human rights violations and must be tackled immediately.

Husayn and I are more than delighted to chair this prestigious committee and are thrilled to welcome you all to HIAMUN ‘25, where each and every one of you will undoubtedly have a one of a kind experience as you will collaborate to form solutions, engage in constructive debate, and work towards achieving the common goals of peace, diplomacy and cooperation. It is our true honour to oversee your development and persistence towards making this year’s conference one to remember.

Rana Wessam, President of the General Assembly Third Committee

Topics

1. Establishing Frameworks to Ensure the Freedom and Fairness of State Elections.

2. Setting Policies to Promote Social Cohesion in Multicultural and Religiously Diverse States.

3. Addressing the Subject of Extrajudicial Killings Carried Out by State Agents or Non-state Actors.