Topic: Protecting the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Country: Kuwait
Delegate Name: Matthew Wedeven
School: Forest Hills Eastern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Kuwait position papers GLIMUN 2018 committees
Indigenous peoples are populations that have been unable to assimilate into a country following the development of new territories. In past years, the United Nations have honed their focus toward protecting indigenous people. For instance, in 1982, ECOSOC built the foundation for protecting them and in 2007 the General Assembly addressed and set a precedent for how they are to be protected and cared for worldwide. Appropriate treatment of indigenous peoples must come to a common understanding, however, the agreement must reach a decision that provides polar results. The protection of people remains to be a pivotal question that the SocHum Committee must address. In order to make peace, countries must come to an agreement revolving around requirements for treatment of indigenous peoples due to the land and resources required to house and take care of such people.
As Kuwait secured its independence from Britain in 1961, many people of nomadic tribes called Bidoons had not registered as citizens of Kuwait, however, they remained located on the territory. Through the following decades, Kuwait has provided the necessary resources for their protection such as education in public schools, employment, free health care, and voting rights – parallel to the rights of Kuwaiti citizens. After the late 1980’s, the Iranian War and an economic upheaval led to the decision to cut off the costly government securities to the “illegal citizens”, previously known as Bidoons. Although Kuwait has issued a desire to provide citizenship to those illegal citizens who had heritage on territory prior to 1962, barely more than 30,000 applied, displaying the remaining 100,000 as illegal. The Kuwaiti government does not support the act of providing resources to illegal citizens in a country's territory, however, when outside of the country, the decision is subject to change.
Kuwait urges that the United Nations altars their previous rulings that frown upon a countries treatment of such illegal citizens. In a country riddled with poverty and issues concerning our own population, Kuwait refuses to aid illegal citizens that are located on Kuwaiti territory and understands the economic issues that are derived from directing aid toward them. As stated previously, the Kuwaiti government has provided citizenship to those located on our lands prior to the revolution, however, the 100,000 located on Kuwaiti territory have not been here before us, thereby are illegal, which imposes reason for change amidst the current United Nations agreement. Upon the change, countries must not be required to provide the economic, medical, and schooling benefits to indigenous peoples that are provided to actual citizens.
