Study Guide SPECPOL

Special Political &
Decolonization Committee
BMUN'24
Chairs in prologue
With a strong background in the political world, including

participating in many MUNs, presiding over a French-speaking
committee at ALJMUN, and winning Best Deputy in a recent
Moroccan Parliament simulation, my name is Souha El Guerraj,
your chair for this edition. Being a delegate is a lot of work,
especially for first-timers. To ensure that all of you willingly
participate and feel comfortable within this council, Nizar and I
have created this background guide tackling both issues.
However, please note that this background guide should under
no circumstances be your only source of research.
Souha El Guerraj
[email protected] Nizar Oualid
[email protected]
My name is Nizar Oualid, and I'm excited to be your co-

chair alongside Souha El Guerraj. Just like many of you, I
dove into the MUN world in AgoraMUN. Since then, I've
actively participated in conferences like the Moroccan
Parliament simulation, even winning Best Deputy at
AURMUN!
Souha and I understand the challenges of navigating MUN,
especially for first-timers. That's why we created a
comprehensive background guide to equip you for success.
Remember, this is just the beginning
I. overviews
Central Subject: The Role of Private Military and Security

Companies (PMSCs) in Conflict Zones
Committee overview Topic overview
Established in 1993, SPECPOL is a . and Security

Private Military
combination of the Decolonization Companies are private entities
Committee (formerly the Fourth that provides armed combat or
Committee) and the Special Political security services for financial
Committee. These committees were gain. They serve both
merged in 1990 when the United governments and businesses,
Nations established 1990-2000 as their work ranges from running
the “International Decade for the small-scale training missions to
Eradication of Colonialism.” This was providing combat units
particularly important considering at composed of up to several
the time of the creation of the hundred highly trained soldiers
United Nations, 750 million people equipped with powerful
lived in weapons platforms, including
colonised territory. . Today, in part tanks and attack helicopters.
due to the work of the Fourth They have become increasingly
Committee, this number has prominent in conflict zones
drastically decreased to around the world. However,
approximately two million people their actions can sometimes lead
living in colonised territory, which to human rights abuse, legal
SPECPOL remains determined to ambiguities , and challenges in
address. oversight.
Countries concerned by this issue
United States of America Iraq France Russia Congo

United Kingdom Afghanistan China Colombia Lybia
South of Africa Syria Nigeria Chad Yemen
II. Guidelines for Motions and Moderated Caucusesr
Historical Background Legal Framework

- Evolution and history of - The international and
PMSCs national laws that govern
- Notable conflicts PMSCs.
involving PMSCs (e.g., Iraq, - Important documents or
Afghanistan) agreements (like the
- Key incidents and Montreux Document)
controversies
Responsibilities of Ethical and Human

PMSCs Rights Concerns
- Role of PMSCs services -Problems and abuses
(e.g., protecting people, caused by PMSCs.
- Ways and solutions to
gathering information).
make sure PMSCs are
- Comparision with
held accountable if they
regular soldiers.
do something wrong.
.
The impact on Security Economic and Political
and peace Implications
- PMSCs can make areas - Reasons why countries and
safer or more dangerous. companies use PMSCs (e.g.,
- PMSCs’ relationship with cost, flexibility).
local armies and the long- - Consequences on local
term effects on peace. politics and economies.
III.Position Paper: Writing process
The principal characteristic of a position paper is that it is written from the

point of view of your country, not yourself. This means you should avoid using
personal pronouns, such as ‚I', ‚we,' and ‚you.' Position papers tend to be
around one page in length. Although you will not be penalized for ti being
longer or shorter, this is generally the amount of space ti takes to cover all of
the necessary points for each topic concisely. You will not be penalized for
having a long list of works cited, but you wil be for plagiarizing.
1. Introduction: Briefly introduce the represented country or

entity and outline the importance of the topic at hand.
2. Current Position: Describe the current stance of the country

on the issue, highlighting existing policies, actions, or initiatives.
3. Concerns and Priorities: Identify the main concerns and

priorities of the country related to the issue, explaining the reasons
behind these positions.
4. Proposed Solutions: Propose concrete solutions or

recommendations to address the problems or achieve specific
objectives related to the issue.
5. Historical Background and Previous Commitments: Provide

a brief overview of the country's past actions on similar issues and
emphasize previous commitments.
6. References: Cite relevant treaties, agreements, and other

international documents that support the country's position.
Definition of Key Terms
1. Private Military and Security Companies (PMSC): Private businesses that

provide military and security services, including combat operations, strategic
planning, intelligence gathering, risk assessment, and security consulting. They
operate in conflict zones and are contracted by governments, corporations, and
non-governmental organizations.
2.Conflict Zones: Airspace over areas where armed conflict is occurring or is

likely to occur between militarized parties, and is also taken to include airspace
over areas where such parties are in a heightened state of military alert or
tension, which might endanger civil aircraft.
3.Mercenary: A person hired to take part in armed conflict but is not a part of
the official military forces. Mercenaries are often motivated by financial gain
rather than political or ideological objectives.
4.Human rights: Rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex,
nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status.
5.International Humanitarian Law (IHL): A set of rules that seek to limit the
effects of armed conflict for humanitarian reasons. IHL protects persons who
are not participating in the hostilities and restricts the means and methods of
warfare.
8. Security Sector Reform (SSR): the work undertaken by a government and its
people to make the country's security institutions serve its citizens by improving
the effectiveness and accountability of security institutions, including the
military, police, and PMSCs, to make them more capable of fulfilling their roles
without violating human rights.
9. Sovereignty: a government possesses full control over affairs within a

territorial or geographical area or limit; In the context of PMSCs, sovereignty
issues arise when foreign companies operate in conflict zones, potentially
undermining the authority of the host state.
10. Accountability: The obligation of an organization or individual to account

for their actions, accept responsibility, and disclose results transparently. For
PMSCs, accountability involves being held responsible for their conduct in
conflict zones.
More information and sources:
(links to help with your research)
https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker
https://www.un.org/ssr/
https://www.dcaf.ch/sites/default/files/publications/document
s/DCAF_BKG_26_PrivateMilitarySecurityCompanies.pdf
https://www.policycenter.ma/sites/default/files/2
022-02/PB_08-22_Mquirmi.pdf
https://www.cmi.no/publications/6637-russian-use-of-private-
military-and-security
https://archive.globalpolicy.org/nations-a-states/private-
military-a-security-companies.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_private_military_c
ontractors
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/9-largest-private-military-
contractors-174024698.html?
guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvb
S8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAI3l0Z35-
orkLSlIwNis2Y_muFecRhD4swPi72GEMK_cSvUvjK9R121tkFCJTZ
4A44rO3mIQ0Ly_-mFPB-
fPTi9VrsDieRM0z397CNkhb85TOBM8dysmBsd_qEmqb9Q5jXsc41
gx4orhZVurqi0fwKe1yrc6XYjbE6wr7TqyKaZU
RULES TO FOLLOW FOR WRITING
YOUR POSITION PAPER
The position paper must be a PDF document.

The entire document must be written using the
'Times New Roman' font.
It must follow the general outline of the provided
example.
The flag should be placed in the right or left
corner.
The use of the personal pronoun 'I' is prohibited.
The use of artificial intelligence tools is strictly
forbidden and will result in disqualification if
detected.
You must cite your sources in a bibliography or
reference page.

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Special Political &

With a strong background in the political world, including

My name is Nizar Oualid, and I'm excited to be your co-

Central Subject: The Role of Private Military and Security

Committee overview Topic overview

Established in 1993, SPECPOL is a . and Security

Countries concerned by this issue

United States of America Iraq France Russia Congo

Historical Background Legal Framework

Responsibilities of Ethical and Human

The principal characteristic of a position paper is that it is written from the

1. Introduction: Briefly introduce the represented country or

2. Current Position: Describe the current stance of the country

3. Concerns and Priorities: Identify the main concerns and

4. Proposed Solutions: Propose concrete solutions or

5. Historical Background and Previous Commitments: Provide

6. References: Cite relevant treaties, agreements, and other

1. Private Military and Security Companies (PMSC): Private businesses that

2.Conflict Zones: Airspace over areas where armed conflict is occurring or is

9. Sovereignty: a government possesses full control over affairs within a

10. Accountability: The obligation of an organization or individual to account

The position paper must be a PDF document.

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