Historical Security Council - World Model United Nations

Past uN Actions
The course of action requested by Lumumba and
Kasavubu are wholly unprecedented in the UNSC’s
history thus far and should be treated as a distinct
break from the typical actions of the body. First, the
interpretation of the situation in the Congo must be
squared appropriately with the UNSC’s mandate to
address situations that breach “international peace
and security.” That an internal threat to territorial
integrity harms international peace and security is
NOT a doctrine that has been ingrained in the practices
of UNSC. Second, the dispatching of peacekeepers
to actively support a nascent nation in its struggle
for territorial integrity has never been done, and
the kind of peacekeeping force for this task has
never been dispatched anywhere. Since the Korean
War, UN peacekeepers have been stationed at the
demilitarized zone to maintain peace between the
North and the South. In Israel in 1948, peacekeepers
were dispatched to maintain peaceful relations
between the Palestinians in the region and newly
arrived Jewish settlers. After the Suez crisis of 1956,
peacekeepers from around the world arrived at the
Suez Canal to ensure that the agreement between the
former colonial powers of Britain and France and their
ally Israel and Egypt and its Arab allies was carried out.
Ultimately, the request from the Congo government
reconceptualizes what a UN peacekeeper is and what
UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold visits with Suez Crisis peacekeepers.
his or her duties are, envisioning them as robust
entities with mandates that require them to perform
duties typically associated with military. 173
Potential Solutions
The situation in the Congo has not been evaluated
by the United Nations, and this could prove to be a
benefit or challenge. Although there are no previous
actions to evaluate and build upon, there is freedom
to develop and create innovative solutions that utilize
the full power of the United Nations. Embedded
in the conflict, as detailed, are weak institutional
structures, ethnic parties and divisions, and an
economy that benefits corporations at the expense of
the population. the following is a listing of potential
areas solutions could be applied to; it is by no means
comprehensive in number of potential areas nor in
description of the listed areas.
Independence, Wait?
the Belgian Minister of the Congo and Ruanda-
Urundi, Auguste de Schrivjer, favored at the outset
of the independence a substantial and open debate
on whether a new Congolese government could
maintain internal autonomy. He had significant
doubts that the Congolese institutions had a capacity
for self-government, and he urged that independence
be postponed in order to . 174 With this argument in
mind, the UNSC may recommend that a caretaker
government be established by Belgium and other
21
Melbourne Host Directorate PTY LTD | Office of Media and Design