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TOPIC A - Defending the Right to Privacy in the Digital Age

Over the past decades, the internet has taken an increasingly central role in civil, political, and personal life but the international community has been unable to come up with a multilateral, binding way of addressing this fundamental societal shift. Governments and corporations around the world collect large amounts of personal information without much oversight or consent, and these data are often used to monitor political dissent, target minority groups, or restrict freedom of expression. This committee will ask delegates to consider how the United Nations can uphold the right to privacy--enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights--while balancing legitimate concerns about national security and public safety. Additionally, this committee will challenge delegates to think about how global disparities in government, political stability, and digital infrastructure will affect global enforcement and equity.

 

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TOPIC B - Protecting the Rights of Women in Conflict Zones

When armed conflict erupts somewhere in the world, women and girls are left especially vulnerable to violence, displacement, and exploitation. From barriers to the access of healthcare and education to the use of sexual violence as a tool of war, gender inequalities are exacerbated in times of crisis. Despite past international action such as the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), enforcement remains inconsistent and women are still suffering in conflict zones around the world. This committee will ask delegates to discuss practicable ways of ensuring that the lives and rights of women are not disregarded as soon as arms are taken up: delegates are encouraged to come up both with short-term humanitarian responses and long-term structural reforms.

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CHAIR: Vasco Rato Santos

CO-CHAIR: Karen Wu

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​Vasco is a junior at Princeton majoring in Operations Research and Financial Engineering with minors in Computer Science and Classics, and his academic interests range from discrete math to Roman history. He is also passionate about languages and is currently learning German. On Campus, Vasco leads Tiger Sustainable Investment Group and can usually be found at Dillon Gym or attending a concert at Richardson Auditorium. This is Vasco’s third year chairing at PMUNC, and he is incredibly excited to be chairing the Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee.