Welcome to Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
Dear Delegates,
Welcome to the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice! The Commission, which arose from a ministerial meeting in 1991, is a subsidiary body of the Economic and Social Council. Additionally, the CCPCJ develops, monitors and reviews the implementation of the UN Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice program. If you are intrigued by problems such as the organization of national and transnational crime, the growing violence in urban areas, and the efficiency of justice administration systems, this is the perfect committee for you.
Before we get into all the technical stuff, let me introduce myself. I am a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences concentrating in Political Science and Economics, and pursuing a minor in International Development and French. I was born and raised in San Jose, Costa Rica where I acquired a fascination for international relations and current events. For that reason I have been participating in Model UN since high school. Here at UPenn, I have served as an Assistant Secretary-General and Vice-Chair for the past two years. Aside from Model UN, I am a board member of Wharton Latino, and serve in two university committees. I like to spend my spare time with my friends, and have a fascination for traveling.
Getting back to Model UN nuances, I expect you all to follow ILMUNC regulations in committee. I am extremely excited to be your Chair and am confident that this committee will far exceed all my expectations. To make the most out of your ILMUNC experience, I encourage you to carefully read through this guide and then follow up by conducting your own extensive research. A substantial part of your preparation should involve outside resources in order to comprise a well-rounded and well-opinionated solution to the problems you will face as delegates.
I hope you are up to the challenge and looking forward to four days of intense debate and discussion! I am confident that with enough preparation you will be ready to come up with innovative solutions to some of the greatest challenges our world is facing today. Please feel free to contact Allie Kronthal – our lovely USG – if you have any questions and/or concerns. Good luck with your preparation and enjoy the months leading up to conference. Can’t wait to meet you all!
Warm Regards,
Luciano Ruiz
Chair, Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
Ivy League Model United Nations Conference XXVIII
Topic Summaries
Topic A: Corruption and Delivery of Services
Greg Mortenson has become internationally renowned as the author of Three Cups of Tea, which tells the story of Mortenson’s efforts to build schools for girls across Afghanistan and Pakistan. Now, he has become known for his alleged use of the Central Asia Institute—the foundation that he co-founded to construct the schools—as his personal bank account. A sad and unfortunate truth is that many humanitarian efforts are plagued by corruption. Embezzlement and cronyism too frequently prevent the most destitute from receiving the education, healthcare, and food assistance promised them by humanitarian aid groups. Governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) alike are rifled with corruption, which hastens and foils the delivery of necessary services to the victims of natural disasters, war, and extreme poverty. The CCPCJ will investigate some of the most notorious cases of corruption, as well as develop tactics to reduce the level of corruption in humanitarian efforts.
Topic B: Domestic Terrorism
Terrorist acts today are usually conceived of within a worldwide context. The term “Global War on Terror” demonstrates the conception of the issue as international, with actors from one region of the world pitted against those from a different region. Nonetheless, the magnitude of domestic terrorism is too often overlooked. Examination of the actions of domestic terrorists is critical because these events have global implications. Though each organization has objectives related to its specific nation’s policies, parallels can be drawn between the grievances and motivations of terrorist organizations around the world. These organizations look to each other as examples and gain confidence from the success of each other’s doings. The CCPCJ will not only investigate how terrorism can originate within one nation but also approach the situation macroscopically to see how the motivations and actions of domestic terrorism can be applied in a more global context.