MEC Model United Nations A/RES/MECMUN/UNHRC

General Assembly

Sponsors: Kingdom of Belgium, State of Palestine, Republic of Cameroon, Republic of Chile

Signatories: Syrian Arab Republic, Kingdom of Netherlands, Republic of Indonesia, Italian
Republic, Kingdom of Denmark, Dominion of Canada, Japan, Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Republic of Bulgaria, Republic of India, Swiss
Confederation, Republic of Iran

The Human Rights Council,

Guided by the Charter of the United Nations,

Recalling universal jurisdiction principles, reasserted in Prosecutor vs Eichmann (1961) and

reasserted in the Arrest Warrant Case (2002) ICJ, reiterating that war crimes and crimes against
humanity should be prosecuted beyond territorial boundaries,

Observing that present legal structures remain piecemeal, and enforcement mechanisms do not
deal with human rights abuses in an integrated manner,

Observing the demand for improved mechanisms of investigation, as mandated under Articles
14-16 of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced
Disappearance (ICPPED) and the Pinheiro Principles, which oblige states to ensure
accountability for enforced disappearances and other human rights abuses,

Recalling the ICJ's 2007 decision in Bosnia vs Serbia, which held states accountable for their
failure to stop genocide and expanded legal culpability to those responsible for escalating such
crises,

Recalling the Lotus Case (1927, PCIJ), which confirmed that states can exercise jurisdiction
over acts with extraterritorial effects, thus reaffirming the legal foundation for universal
jurisdiction,
Noting that according to Article 16 of the Draft Articles on State Responsibility, a state is
responsible if it assists war crimes, but liability is still dependent on intent instead of support
in itself,

Taking into account the ICJ judgment in Bosnia vs Serbia (2007), which found Serbia
responsible for not preventing genocide, but only upon evidence of genocidal intent, pointing
towards the necessity for a more rigorous liability regime,

Acknowledges the role of hybrid tribunals, such as the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts
of Cambodia (ECCC) and the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL), which combine domestic
and international legal frameworks to prosecute crimes against humanity and war crimes,

1) Recommends member nations to advocate for an amendment, as per Article 108 and
109 to Article 27 (3) of the UN Charter that speak of veto powers in order to include an
exception against the use of Vetoes in matters related to war crimes, crimes against
humanity, genocides and crimes of aggression;

2) Urges all member states of the ICC to enact domestic laws allowing for the arrest and
extradition of individuals indicted by the ICC, ensuring compliance with international
rulings;

3) Encourages the use of economic and political sanctions against nations that obstruct
ICC investigations or refuse to cooperate with arrest warrants;
4) Recommends the adoption of the Uniting for Peace resolution to expand the jurisdiction
of the ICC using the following ways:

a) Call for an Emergency Special Session (ESS) of the General Assembly under
UNGA Resolution 377A(V) whenever a UNSC veto obstructs the referral of a case
to the ICC,
b) Declare that mass atrocities constitute a “threat to international peace and security”
under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, justifying UNGA action,
c) Recommend that the ICC exercises its jurisdiction even without UNSC referral in
cases where the UNGA passes a resolution affirming that crimes against humanity
 have occurred, and the majority of ICC member states support such jurisdiction
under universal principles of justice;

5) Recommends reforms to the definition of “state sovereignty” under Article 2 (1),

Article 2 (4) and Article 2(7) to include the concept of “dual responsibility” which
serves as an obligation to comply with universally accepted human rights and
humanitarian laws;

6) Urges Member States to fulfil their legal duty to prosecute perpetrators of grave
breaches of international humanitarian law and other serious human rights violations,
in accordance with the principle of universal jurisdiction;
7) Calls upon all relevant parties to ensure the protection of all individuals, organizations,
and groups that promote and protect human rights in conflict zones and areas under
occupation;
8) Recommends the establishment of a UNHRC-protected digital portal wherein
journalists, activists, and citizens can submit evidence anonymously and AI-based
verification systems detect false or politically motivated claims;
9) Recommends the adoption of an Algorithmic Matching System for Reviewers to be
introduced in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) system wherein instead of
randomly assigning states to review each other in the peer-review process, an AI-based
impartial system would be established that ensures democratic and non-democratic
states are mixed in the review process;
10) Demands a ban on countries that have received severe UPR warnings from serving as
reviewers in other UPR sessions;
11) Recommends the introduction of Mandatory Mid-Term UPR Progress Reports wherein
states must be mandated to submit biannual implementation reports instead of the
traditional four-year mechanism;
12) Recommends the UNGA to define an explicit criterion for "incompatibility" under
Article 19 (c) of the Vienna Convention which states that reservations are permissible
if it is “incompatible with the object and purpose of the treaty” to include the following
conditions:
a) Contradicts the treaty’s core obligations,
b) Contradicts the peremptory norms of international law,
c) Prevents the implementation of essential monitoring mechanisms,
 d) Is based on broad, undefined terms like “cultural” or “religious” exceptions;
13) Recommends the UN General Assembly (UNGA) to pass a resolution to legally
classify UPR recommendations into two categories - Category A: Legally binding
under customary international law or treaty obligations, Category B: Strong
recommendations but non-binding, and later Grant the UNHRC the Power to Issue
Compliance Directives in such a manner that states that fail to implement binding
recommendations face referral to the UN Security Council (UNSC) for possible
sanctions or legal action under Chapter VII of the UN Charter;
a) Calls upon all relevant parties to ensure the protection of all individuals,
organizations, and groups that promote and protect human rights in conflict zones
and areas under occupation,
b) Recommends the imposition of targeted sanctions and other measures against
individuals and entities responsible for serious violations of international law,
including activities that breach human rights,
c) Calls for an end to the arms trade and military cooperation that could be used to
commit violations of international law in conflict zones and areas under occupation,
d) Urges the abolition of discriminatory laws and policies that perpetuate inequality
and human rights abuses, and encourages states to introduce comprehensive anti-
discrimination legislation;

14) Recommends the creation of a UN Treaty Reservation Review Committee (TRRC)

within the International Court of Justice (ICJ) with the mandate to automatically review
all new reservations and declare unlawful reservations void within a fixed timeline;

15) Recommends the establishment of a UN accountability task force consisting of legal

experts, forensic analysts and human right investigators, working in collaboration with
national and regional judicial bodies to investigate, document and report human rights
violations in conflict zones;

16) Requests the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
(OHCHR) to provide comprehensive, real-time, public reports on all human rights
violations in conflict zones and areas under occupation, ensuring unfettered access to
uphold the truth;
17) Recommends the establishment of a UN-backed, decentralized database to store
tamper-proof evidence of human rights violations that will ensure that all collected
evidence remains secure, authenticated, and admissible in court proceedings;

18) Recommends nations to make provisions for capacity-building programs for local
human rights defenders to safely document and report violations;

19) Urges the international community to apply human rights standards consistently,
regardless of geopolitical alliances, ensuring that all violations are addressed under the
principle of universality;

20) Recognizes the growing role of private military contractors (PMCs) in conflict zones
as a challenge to international security and human rights, proposing legally binding
international treaties for their regulation and mechanisms to ensure accountability;

21) Calls upon all relevant parties to ensure the protection of all individuals, organizations,
and groups that promote and protect human rights in conflict zones and areas under
occupation;

22) Recognizes the severity of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) and mandates the
expansion of specialized missions to support survivors, conduct gender-sensitive
investigations, and increase funding for survivor-centered rehabilitation programs;
23) Recommends the establishment of a Working Group on Obstruction of Humanitarian
Aid to investigate cases where states or actors, including P5 members, intentionally
block humanitarian assistance in conflict zones and recommend accountability
measures;
24) Recommends the appointment of a Special Rapporteur on the Impact of Aid Blockades
on Human Rights to assess the humanitarian consequences of restricted aid access,
monitor violations of international humanitarian law, and report findings to the UN
Human Rights Council and General Assembly;

25) Urges the expansion of the mandate of UN fact-finding missions and investigative
mechanisms in conflict zones to ensure comprehensive, independent investigations into
human rights violations, with the ability to systematically collect and preserve evidence
for international courts;
26) Demands that international aid reaches those in need without obstruction, particularly
in conflict zones and areas under occupation;

27) Supports the ongoing investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) into
situations where grave human rights violations and international crimes have been
alleged, and encourages Member States to cooperate fully with such investigations;

28) Suggests amendments to the concept of reservation to define an explicit criterion for
"incompatibility" for nations to reserve provisions if the reservations:

a) Contradict the treaty’s core obligations,

b) Violates jus cogens, that is, peremptory norms of international law,
c) Prevents the implementation of essential monitoring mechanisms,
d) Are based on broad, undefined terms like "cultural" or "religious" exceptions;

29) Suggests the implementation of international accountability mechanisms through:

a) Enlarging the jurisdiction of regional courts to prosecute state actors and non-state
actors implicated in human rights abuses during conflict,
b) Creating a Global War Crimes Tribunal under the UN to guarantee that war
criminals are brought to trial irrespective of state nationality or geopolitical interest;

30) Recommends member states to implement obligatory extraterritorial jurisdiction for

war crimes by:

a) Integrating universal jurisdiction over war crimes in national legal systems, so as to

prevent culprits from escaping prosecution by crossing borders,
b) Enlarging the judicial ambit of the ICC's jurisdiction pursuant to Article 12(3) of
the Rome Statute, to permit ad-hoc state referrals and circumvent nationality-based
restrictions requiring all war criminals to be prosecuted either under the territorial,
universal, or active nationality principle, to ensure justice is served regardless of the
jurisdiction where crimes were committed;

31) Strongly advises the UNGA to define accountability with respect to Strengthening
Human Rights Accountability in Conflict Zones as “legal obligation of states, NSA, to
 comply with established norms n treaties, ensuring violations—such as war crimes,
crimes against humanity—are met with appropriate legal consequences”;

32) Recommends the formation of Watermelon Task Force (WTF) as per article 11 and 22
of the UN Charter which shall be established to combating arms trafficking, human
rights violations and strengthening regional cooperation on arms control (Annexure I);

33) Recommends the establishment of mechanisms for protecting of witnesses and

survivors and ensure their safe and confidential participation in investigations without
intimidation and re-traumatisation;
34) Recommends the adoption of survivor-centred justice approaches by funding
reparation programmes, legal aid and psychological support services;
35) Recommends the formation of a dedicated UNRWA fund for the protection, welfare,
and rehabilitation of war-affected women and children;

36) Encourages its members to adopt the Safe School Declaration to protect the right to
life and education of children in warzones.
 Annexures

Annexure I - Watermelon Tast Force (WTF)

Article-1

Definition

1) Formation of a Multinational Special Task force called the WTF (Watermelon Tast
Force) which would operate with the purpose of suppressing violence and arms trafficking as
per article 11 and 22 of the UN Charter to combating arms trafficking, human rights
violations and strengthening regional cooperation on arms control;

2) The countries that shall be part of the WTF are Kingdom of Belgium, State of Palestine,
Republic of Cameroon, Republic of Chile, Syrian Arab Republic, Kingdom of Netherlands,
Republic of Indonesia, Italian Republic, Kingdom of Denmark, Dominion of Canada, Japan,
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Republic of
Bulgaria, India;

3) These countries which wish to be part of and involved in this task force shall have to send
in an application and after voting will be invited to be a member of the treaty, and once they
accept the invitation they shall be a member

Article-2

Functions:

1) The WTF would work alongside military forces in the region and would be given intel by
the intelligence agencies of the respective countries;

2) The main objective of the WTF is to suppress violent uprisings and Non-State Operations
carried out that disrupt peace in the region, arms trafficking by transnational organizations in
the region as well;