fourth session - rebelmun
TRANSCRIPT
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Welcome Delegates!
Chair Background
Hello and welcome! My name is Phillip Honenberger, and I'm a professional philosopher with
research specializations in philosophy of biology and the history of philosophy since Kant. My
current research focuses on the intertwined histories of biology, anthropology, and philosophy
from roughly 1800 to present. I've published articles on aspects of this history
in HOPOS,Synthese, Studies C, and a variety of other forums.
Since fall 2018, I'm a full-time instructor of philosophy at the University of Nevada - Las Vegas.
Vegas is a crazy town but I'm managing to stay "philosophical" regardless :)
Position papers for this committee will be due to the committee email by April 21st at 11:59
p.m. Late submissions will not be eligible for position paper awards. We are beyond excited to
welcome all of you to RebelMUN IV and can’t wait to start debating!
Best of luck,
UNESCO Dais
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Committee Information
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a
specialized agency of the United Nations that seeks to bolster international dialogue and peace
through the broadening of successful educational, scientific, and cultural reforms. Based in Paris,
UNESCO was initially fundamental in restoring cultural sites, artifacts, and community facilities
that were damaged or lost during World War II. Recently, its focus has largely shifted to
progressing the advancement of the Millennium and Sustainable Development Goals and
addressing emerging humanist ethical challenges. UNESCO aims to foster the idea of the
equality of all cultures and the importance of cultural diversity on a global spectrum. It also
emphasizes the necessity of universally accessible education in closing the divide in human
rights and the importance of the freedom of expression and the media in ensuring democratic
societies. Their efforts have included a consortium of programs aimed at eliminating illiteracy,
promoting free education, closing the digital divide, implementing knowledge-sharing programs,
and more. Throughout its history, UNESCO has been criticized by some nations for allegedly
becoming overly politicized and having an anti-western bias, leading some countries, including
the United States in 2018, to withdraw from the committee. However, after over seventy years of
liberation battles, UNESCO has not ceased to pursue its mission to eliminate prejudice,
intolerance and injustice and promote freedom, democracy and international intellectual
solidarity.
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Topic A: Protecting Cultural Artifacts in Times of Conflict
Historical Background
The term “cultural artifact” refers to something that is made by man and communicates
the culture of that person or the society in which they live. This can include a myriad of objects,
such as a monument, a religious artifact, a manuscript, or various art pieces, such as sculptures,
tapestries, or paintings. At the onset of war, the safety of cultural artifacts in conflict zones is
endangered by human ignorance, looting, environmental conditions, and purposeful destruction
as a form of propaganda or cultural cleansing. Each cultural artifact holds different values of
importance relative to different groups of people, functioning on one level as a historical record,
on another as a significant aesthetical museum treasure, and on another as something that may
serve a cultural or religious purpose. The protection of these artifacts holds up these different
values and serves to provide justice and wholeness for both these pieces and the communities to
which they belong.
In the midst of WWII, as war ran rampant in countries like France and Italy, the Nazi
party was responsible for looting art and other artifacts from both museums and the Jewish
citizens. Both the Nazis and the
museums were desperately hiding
a vast majority of this art in
underground storage locations,
with many museums creating
maps to inform the allied powers
where the art was being stored
and where their culturally significant monuments and buildings were. The Monuments, Fine Arts
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and Archives Program, established by the allied forces and composed of many civilians and art
historians, would become famous for going into these war zones to find and preserve the art both
during the war and afterward. Nevertheless, it is still believed that upwards of 100,000 pieces of
art may still be missing or have been unknowingly destroyed (Bradsher).
The collateral and deliberate damage of cultural sites and artifacts has become nearly as
prevalent in recent years. During the Iraq War, the U.S. forces were responsible for vandalizing
or taking thousands of national artifacts, some dating to ancient middle eastern culture. Many of
these, including around 8,000 artifacts, still remain unaccounted for (Aziz). These pillages ran
parallel to the infamous burnings of the Quran in Afghanistan.
ISIS was the most recent and relevant example of this in countries like Syria, Iraq, and
Libya, notoriously selling art and artifacts to American and later to the black market areas mainly
in Europe to finance their weapons program. Not only did they loot and sell items that were
privately and publicly owned, they also destroyed many of these items, as well as monuments
and culturally significant buildings in the areas they controlled. It is also difficult to determine
how many artifacts and monuments were lost due to outsider bombings and attacks. ISIS’s
destruction of the art, however, is deeply rooted in their salafist ideology. This is why their
concentration has largely focused on mosques and religious works they deem antithetical to their
movement. Mali, is another relevant example of this tragedy, the Mali war bringing about a wide
destruction of monuments, mausoleums, manuscripts, etc.
While the time between WWII and the conflicts we face now have been treated with
numerous international treaties and resolutions, conflicts like the one in Syria prove that the fight
is long from over.
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Past UN Action/International Involvement
Following WWII, the United Nations Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural
Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (The 1954 Hague Convention) aimed to protect cultural
heritage by “explicitly prohibiting the use of
cultural property which are likely to expose it
to destruction or damage in the event of an
armed conflict,” requiring all “state parties to
refrain from any act of hostility toward such
properties,” and asking states to foster a spirit
of respect for these artifacts within their armed
forces (UNESCO). There was also a specific blue and white symbol created to identify such
artifacts.
The 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit
Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property established that no property be
exported during armed conflict and that property that has been must be returned to the place of
origin. However, a large amount of member states have refused to ratify this as they see the
wording as a deterrent for market states.
The second protocol, adopted in 1999, strengthens the rhetoric of the first Hague
Convention and requires the destruction of such property to be criminalized. It also established a
Special Fund for Assistance to countries or groups that need monetary assistance to help preserve
and protect the art, as well as a committee to oversee these measures.
UNESCO has also created a World Heritage Site List, legally protecting landmarks and
areas that have cultural, historical, scientific, or other significance. UNESCO has been criticised
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in the past for valuing artifacts and heritage sites in European nations moreso than in other areas
of the world. This is a common cultural occurrence, Europeans themselves historically believing
that other nations don’t have the capacity to appreciate art or preserve it the way they can or do.
This makes it difficult to pass resolutions that value all cultures equally and have substantial
international effect.
Today, most western museums accept that art pieces that were taken in times of conflict
from their home nation should be returned, however there remains a myriad of famous art and
cultural artifacts that have yet to be repatriated to their country of origin. Some countries, such as
Greece against the British museum, have even considered taking legal proceedings against these
museums and the government in which they reside. Some of these cases have been successful,
such as the repatriation of Inca artifacts to Peru from Yale University’s Peabody museum and the
return of some sarcophagi from Israel to Egypt.
The European Union may have the most concrete laws established to combat this issue,
including “the European Union Regulation on the Export of Cultural Goods” and the “Export
control in the European Union Directive on the Return of Cultural Objects,” which both aim to
clarify laws regarding the illegal trafficking of cultural items from one country to another. In the
European states case, this largely occurs between other EU members.
Currently, the Middle Eastern areas ravaged by ISIS and various African nations,
including Mali, Somalia, and Nigeria, are all in a battle to reclaim and protect their culture.
While some, like Nigeria, have so far succeeded in repatriation efforts, these countries have both
environmental and structural struggles that make it difficult to both keep the art in their country
and keep it safe. While almost all of these countries do believe in cultural exchange and the value
of worldwide appreciation of other cultures, the fight for their history is at its peak.
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Current Status/Possible Solutions
The question of how to preserve cultural artifacts and monuments takes place on multiple
levels. Not only should resolutions be considered on a political, historical, and legal level, the
topic should be viewed as a deeply ethical one as well. While much of the threat is from
collateral damage, ignorance, or looting, there may often be a precedent for the destruction
rooted in religious or moral beliefs. Furthermore, there is a question as to what level these cases
should be prioritized during conflict. While many during WWII stated that no piece of art was
worth a human life, many lost their lives in the name of protecting them.
In order for the topic to be considered on any of the other levels, however, there almost
certainly needs to be a redefinition of many of the terms involved in protection and repatriation
efforts. Delegates should also consider if there are any better ways for artifacts to be documented
and collected in data forms before and during conflict and if there are better ways to increase
security measures on a national and international level to decrease smuggling.
There must be plans as to how these pieces or places will be protected or stored and
whose duty it must be to account for items. Many art historians have brought up concerns as to
how museums should be involved in this process, both in terms of safely storing, protecting, and
documenting art in host countries of conflict and rightfully and sensitively displaying art in other
nations. Nevertheless, the conversation does not take place between any one or two parties - this
is a conversation that has many actors, including museums, governments and their military,
individuals, and private and public organizations.
Because of the many components contained within this topic, delegates should try to reach
solutions that aim to uphold UNESCO’s mission of cultural equality and historical reverence.
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Questions to Consider
1. Does the State have a duty to preserve cultural heritage? What role should the military
play in this? If so, how should they be trained to appreciate and recognize cultural
artifacts? How should these missions be prioritized, relative to their other duties?
2. Does the idea of sovereignty make aerial monitoring for the collection of data off-limits?
Is this considered espionage? Do host countries of conflict have an obligation to try and
collect this type of data?
3. How do we repatriate items that were purchased in good-faith but unknowingly taken in
time of conflict? After generations have passed since being privately take, who should
artifacts be repatriated to?
4. What lessons from WWII can be applied to the current situation in the Middle East and
Africa? How does the non-state actor play in to contemporary resolutions?
5. How should the United Nations criminalize the destruction of art and artifacts? What
legal action and precedents can be redefined and taken to prevent this activity?
6. What ethical issues arise when the destruction of art is based on a religious belief? How
can the United Nations address these concerns?
7. What is the role of a museum in preventing the destruction and promoting the
preservation of art? How can this institution be effectively utilized, and how can they be
monitored and checked to ensure their artworks rightfully belong in their exhibitions?
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Works Cited
Bradsher, Greg. “Documenting Nazi Plunder of European Art.” National Archives and Records
Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, Nov. 1997,
www.archives.gov/research/holocaust/records-and-research/documenting-nazi-plunder-of
-european-art.html.
Carol A. Roehrenbeck."Repatriation of Cultural Property. Who Owns the Past?" International
Journal of Legal Information. 1 Jul. 2010
Cohan, William (November 17, 2011). "MoMA's Problematic Provenances". Artnews. Retrieved
June 26, 2017.
“Cultural Heritage in Armed Conflict: The 1954 Hague Convention and Its Two (1954 and 1999)
Protocols.” YouTube, UNESCO, 14 Nov. 2017, youtu.be/mqdgj1aPHqs.
John Alan Cohan, An Examination of Archaeological Ethics and the Repatriation Movement
Respecting Cultural Property (Part Two), 28 ENVIRONS ENVTL.L.&POL’Y.J. 1, 7
(2004).
Kanishk Tharoor “Museums and looted art: the ethical dilemma of preserving world cultures”
The Guardian 29 Jun. 2015.
Khalid al-Taie (13 February 2015). "Iraq churches, mosques under ISIS attack".
mawtani.al-shorfa.com. Archived from the original on 19 February 2015.
Shaheen, Kareem. "Outcry over Isis Destruction of Ancient Assyrian Site of Nimrud." The
Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 06 Mar. 2015. Web. 18 Aug. 2016. .
Squires, Nick. "Amal Clooney: Greece Has Just Cause to Claim Return of Elgin Marbles." The
Telegraph. N.p., 15 Oct. 2014. Web
Topic B: Preserving Endangered Languages
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Historical Background
There are over 6,500 languages in the world today, and half of the world’s population speak one
of the eight that are most common (UNESCO). A language is in danger once it stops being
taught to younger generations, and it is estimated that one endangered language disappears about
every two weeks (Wilford). When a language dies, it has essentially no chance at being revived
again. Most believe that the implications of a lost language, however, brings far more than just a
linguistic dilemma, it also indicates a dissipation of diversity, both on a linguistic and intellectual
realm and a loss of cultural diversity and identity. With the disappearance of a language, comes
the disappearance of stories, customs, cultural knowledge of ecosystems, etc. Some linguists,
moreover, claim that the preservation for languages is a paternalistic pursuit and it is too difficult
to revive languages as they are constantly malleable and too numerous to be equally attended to.
There are many reasons that languages die, the first and foremost being assimilation and
globalization. While historically this has taken place as a forced and often violent process, this
now often can be seen in bilingual cultures, as one language dominates the other in terms of
school, work, media, the marketplace, etc. Many immigrants to western nations also feel
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pressured to learn the language most commonly spoken in their country, a lingua franca,
neglecting to pass on their language to their children in order to grant them greater access and
opportunities in that society that they were not afforded. The vast majority of dying languages,
however, are aboriginal languages, many of which have little to no written form, and the effect
that western colonization had and has upon this subject is undeniable.
Some efforts have been successful at restoring or slowing the loss of languages. The only
example of a language that at one point faced extinction in daily life and then amassed millions
of first-language speakers is Hebrew. Other languages that have been revived to different degrees
of extent include Irish, Welsh, Cherokee, and Navajo.
As more people in the aftermath of colonization seek to reclaim their personal heritage
and cultural autonomy, more people have been interested in learning languages of their ancestors
and other regional languages. Entities like UNESCO must be able to create resolutions in order
to preserve these languages before they are unable to.
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Past UN Action/International Involvement
The United Nations has taken a number of actions to slow the rate of dying languages.
Some of these include the Declaration of Vienna and Programme of Action (VDPA) in 1993 that
established that people who belong to minority groups are guaranteed the right to speak their
native language. Then, the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity continued to support
endangered languages incorporating them more into education and increasing access to
information about them through the global network. This was the first resolution that outlined the
truly incomparable virtues of the internet when tackling this issue. The 2003 Convention for the
Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage recognized the cultural role that language plays
and aimed to safeguard languages, and many safeguarding measure are adopted under this
doctrine. UNESCO, having a focus on education, has often stressed the vitality of
multilingualism and has aimed to expand their efforts to do this through education and by
adopting the Recommendation on the Promotion and Use of Multilingualism and Universal
Access to Cyberspace. In 1996, UNESCO also created the Atlas of World Languages in Danger,
an tool used to display levels of languages in danger in different regions and garner attention
toward them.
On a global level, many countries that at once colonized other people and effectively
jettisoned many of these people’s languages have now turned heel and have tried to restore and
preserve existing languages. Australia is a major example of this, having a National Indigenous
Languages Policy that gives financial support for indigenous languages too be taught in schools.
Many others, such as Haiti, Nigeria, and the U.S., have also utilized arts and storytelling in order
to preserve languages.
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Current Status/Possible Resolutions
Language planning essentially refers to the deliberate effort to influence use of language
within a community, and this takes place on a governmental level to some extent in every nation.
Some countries, such as Iran and South Korea, have placed bans on teaching English to students
at a young age. This is under the pretense that it will help preserve culture and is actually a
consideration that must be taken into account when approaching this as an education topic.
Furthermore, the prioritization of languages should also be taken into account when approaching
education, as choosing certain languages, even if they are endangered, can prove to make
education less accessible to more students.
Countries like Singapore and France, have chosen to sustain their languages by creating
laws that ensure certain languages will remain commonly spoken in certain regions or
throughout their entire country. This can apply only to certain aspects of that culture, such as
business, or they can even apply to languages like English must having to be taught as a second
language in schools. While this can be effective at preserving cultural identity through language,
some programs, such as the Speak Mandarin Campaign, have been criticized in the past as being
discriminatory and for regulating media that is not in that language.
Some countries have found that arts can be a very effective way at preserving cultures.
Ethnographic filmmaking has become more popular with the rise of the streaming format
documentary film. Many of these films have the ability to document languages of different
cultures and provide translations for them within the film as subtitles. These, however, face
danger of being inaccurate or dubbed instead. Furthermore, companies like Disney have made
different efforts to create versions of films in different and endangered languages, including a
Cherokee version of 2003 film Finding Nemo and a Hawaiian version of 2016 film Moana.
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While it is difficult to find children who speak the language to perform these roles, companies
that create these dubbed versions believe it can be one of the most successful ways to increase
interest, particularly by children, in learning these endangered languages.
Delegates should also consider the effect that public institutions have on the growth of
diverse languages, with most institutions are not at the advantage of minority language speakers.
While it may be expensive to provide translators or translation materials in all environments, this
is something that should be accessible in all situations regardless of class.
Countries with high rates of immigration should also consider the impacts of exclusivity
on these immigrants who often feel the need to learn the language of that country. Countries
should think about how to communicate effectively with these people and provide them with
accessible education and entities without making them feel excluded or segregating them in these
environments.
Technology is at the forefront of this argument, and through the dissemination of videos,
tweets, and podcasts, people have become more interested and able to learn other languages.
Artificial Intelligence has also been used to sustain languages, as shown through the Centre of
Excellence and Dynamics of Language and Google’s Opie robot, which will be able to live in a
family environment and do things like play games and share stories. Technology does have its
drawbacks, however, largely due to its inaccessibility for users that speak minority languages.
This may be actually accelerating the rate at which these languages go extinct and translation
services online also are unable to truly convey the nuances of the languages they are translating,
which inevitably transforms and changes the languages themselves.
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Questions to Consider
1. What role should the government play in restoring and preserving languages? Should the
United Nations try to combat language planning? Should language laws be implemented
in nations on a regional or global level?
2. How can the United Nations resolve this topic through education? How should these
solutions be tailored to be as inclusive and accessible as possible?
3. How should the United Nations prioritize different languages over others in restorations
efforts? How can UNESCO minimize this prioritization?
4. How can the United Nations help immigrants both adjust and retain the language of their
native country? How can nations give immigrants full accessibility without excluding
them?
5. How can the internet and technology be used to save endangered languages? How can it
be harmful, and how can the UN address these concerns?
6. Are the current frameworks in place enough to address these issues? If not, should we
merely focus on improving these or should nations take a completely new approach?
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Works Cited
“Atlas of Languages in Danger,” UNESCO, accessed 31 May 2018, http://www.unesco.org/
new/en/communication-and-information/
Castillo , Chang. “Language Preservation: How Countries Preserve Their Language(s) | CCA.”
Chang-Castillo and Associates, 18 Jan. 2019, ccalanguagesolutions.com/
language-preservation-how-countries-preserve-their-languages/.
Crystal, Language Death, 2000, p. 77; Dalby, Language in Danger: The Loss of Linguistic
Diversity and the Threat to Our Future, 2002, p. 216.
Enrique Uribe-Jongbloed, “Endangered languages: Heritage of humanity in dire need of
protection,” Folios, no. 26 (2007): 66.
Joel Shurkin, “Half The World’s Languages May Be Endangered,” Inside Science, 15 July 2016,
accessed 2 September 2018, https://www. insidescience.org/news/half-worlds
-languages-may-be-endangered.
Peter H. Byers, “If Only We Spoke the Same Language—We Would Have So Much to Discuss,”
American Journal of Human Genetics 78, no. 3 (March 2006): 368.
UNESCO Ad Hoc Expert Group on Endangered Languages, 2003, http://www.unesco.org
/culture/ich/doc/src/00120- EN.pdf
UNESCO, Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, 2011, http://unesdoc.unesco.org/
images/0019/001924/192416e.pdf
Wilford, John Noble. “World's Languages Dying Off Rapidly.” The New York Times, The New
York Times, 18 Sept. 2007, www.nytimes.com/2007/09/18/world/18cnd-language.html.