Topic: The Rights and Status of Refugees
Country: United States
Delegate Name: Evan Calderon
School: Forest Hills Northern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All United States position papers GLIMUN 2018 committees
The first major success for the rights of refugees came in 1951 in the form of the refugee convention. This landmark document provided an official definition of a refugee as well as set a basis for the rights of those who were displaced; this important instrument has been signed and ratified by 145 state parties. Following this document, the Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees removed geographical and temporal limitations from barring protection of refugees. These important accomplishments have provided guidance for circumstances of large refugee populations, such as the Somali civil war in 1991, the Yugoslav wars during the 1990s, and others. Most recently, the Syrian civil war and other catastrophic events have wreaked havoc among the region and those who live in it, forcing millions to relocate homes and causing one of the largest refugee crisis in modern history. This has sparked backlash from many countries, starting a new debate on refugees. The United States of America has long accepted refugees fleeing persecution. During World War 2, the US took in many refugees fleeing Nazi persecution in Europe. During the Cold War, they accepted a multitude of different ethnicities such as Jews, Hungarians, and Russians. When the Korean war hit, the United States also welcomed many new asylum seekers into the country to find a new home. Since then, many similar situations have arisen and in 1980, the United States started refugee quotas and a better vetting process, moving away from an ad hoc system as well as setting the first statutory basis for asylum. Today, the United States provides tens of thousands of refugees with asylum and currently has one of the The United States believes the rights of refugees should be protected. All safe refugees that have been approved for asylum should be afforded all of the same rights that citizens in the same nation are afforded. However, the United States can not allow all refugees wishing to seek asylum to enter into the United States for security reasons. Non-citizens account for an unproportionate amount of crimes committed in the United States according to the Center for Immigration Studies, and some refugees have been found to be planning serious terrorist attacks. The United States would be willing to contribute financially to help refugees in need and would encourage other states to follow suit; however, they believe it is unlawful for any sovereign nation to be forced to take in asylum seekers. To ensure the protection of refugees, the United States would seek the council to produce a resolution that would seek advice from the UN high commissioner to give instruction to better provide rights to refugees and also encourage countries to follow the commissioner's instructions and cooperate. Any nation not willing to protect the human rights of refugees should be condemned and possibly have the security council be notified of any nations that do so and from there. This topic should not be taken lightly and the United States will ensure that this committee fulfills its duty of maintaining human rights to the fullest extent.
