LAMUNUnited Nations Security Council May 9th, 2011.


L’Amoreaux C.I. Model United Nations Presents:

The United Nations Security Council

Yassie Jeyarajan Sindia Vijayarajan Janki Lodhia

Chair Co-Chair Co-Chair

Dear Delegates,

My name is Yassie Jeyarajan and it is my esteemed pleasure to be your chair in the United Nations Security Council. I am current in my final year of high school at L’Amoreaux Collegiate Institute and I intend on pursuing life sciencein university this fall. I have been a member of the Model United Nations club at L’Amoreaux C.I since grade 10 and I have had the privilege of attending various conferences including SSUNS and UTMUN. Additionally, I have had the privilege of chairing the Security Council and the Copenhagen Climate Conference in the past United Nations conferences that L’Amoreaux C.I has hosted.

It must be noted that the United Nations Security Council will be a crisis committee, where all delegates will be expected to address the issues discussed in the background guide as well as to resolve crises that pertain to the respective issues. As being one of the more demanding and elite committees in a typical model UN conference, the Security Council is meant to challenge delegates, but the debates overall will be of high calibre.

Delegates are expected to not only read the background guide provided, but also conduct additional research on the topics of the Libyan civil unrest and the recent Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan. Should you have any questions pertaining to the Security Council and the respective topics that will be debated, please feel free to contact the Co-Chair Hilary Hung or myself. I wish you all the best of luck and I look forward in meeting everyone at LAMUN.

Sincerely,

Yassie Jeyarajan (Chair)

Topic 1: 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan

An exceptionally powerful and shallow earthquake with a 9.0 magnitude hit the north-east coast of Japan on March 11, 2011. The recent earthquake is the strongest earthquake it ever hit Japan and is the 5th strongest earthquake in recorded history. Subsequently, a massive tsunami was induced, which hit Sendai, which is a port city in Miyagi Prefecture. Although analysts distinguished Japan as one of the most earthquake prepared countries, the earthquake and tsunami and the subsequent crisis in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plan is an unprecedented crisis. Japan’s Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, has even declared that the evolving crisis is the most unprecedented crisis since World War II. The tsunami has destroyed various pieces of infrastructure including buildings, bridges, and roads. Additionally,the tsunami has contaminated the fresh water supplies and has transported corrosive saltwater inland, which has contaminated farmland. Entire villages near the affected costal region has been destroyed, in which the land has been scoured by the debris filled tsunami waves, or black tsunami waves. Due to the earthquake, tsunami, and the nuclear power plant crisis, there are at least 450,000 people currently in temporary shelters and more than 150,000 people in northern Japan are homeless.

As of April 13, 2011, the Japanese National Police Agency have stated that the death toll is approximately 13, 456 and the number of civilians that are missing are 14, 851. The earthquake and tsunami is perhaps the costliest natural disasters ever since the Japanese government has estimated that the total cost in damages is $211 billion to $309 billion. Although there are relief efforts in Japan to alleviate the crisis, the frequent aftershocks and the strong 7.1 earthquake on April 7, 2011 has disrupted such efforts. Weeks after the earthquake and the tsunami resulted in regional food shortages and scarcity of fuel, which has led to fuel rationing of gasoline. However, government officials are concerned that rationing supplies might induce artificial shortages in other regions of Japan, which creates more hardships for the disaster ridden areas that are in need of such supplies.

The nuclear power plant crisis was followed by the combined natural disaster. Initially, nuclear reactors in northern Japan were scrammed, or ordered to execute a rapid emergency shutdown, in response to the earthquake. Subsequently, fires at three nuclear power plants raised concerns of possible radiation leaks, but initially nuclear energy officials and monitoring agencies stated that there were any significant radiation leaks. In spite of the successful shutdown of at least seven nuclear power plants, five nuclear plants were evaluated as a precautionary measure. The most severely damaged nuclear power plant was initially the Tokyo Electric Power Co’s (TEPCO) Fukushima Daiichi power plant, which is located 240 km north of Tokyo. The cooling pumps were disabled and thus engineers were unable to cool the reactors. They used direct infusions of sea water, which contained boric acid to counter the disabled cooling pumps., in which using the sea water was a desperate measure. In order to avoid a rupture of the containment housing, engineers conducted the controlled release of slightly radioactive water vapour but they assured the public that more and dangerous radioactive fuel waste would be released. It must be noted that this measure was endorsed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Japanese environmental officials as it would not pose a significant heath risk or result in environmental damages. However, on March 16, IAEA officials reported that there were high levels of radioactivity between reactor No. 3 and reactor No. 4. At the same time, there were low level atmospheric releases of radiation ultimately detected at extremely low levels around the northern hemisphere. In the initial stages of the Fukushima crisis, the radiation levels fluctuated as radiation levels were equivalent to those in medical X-ray and there were times were it was 20 times that level. On April 12 Japan’s nuclear safety agency assessed the Fukushima crisis as the most severe nuclear crisis since the 1986 Chernobyl accident in the former Soviet Union, which is now modern day Ukraine.

Some public health experts are concerned that the prolonged release of radiation from the Fukushima might be equivalent to or even surpass radiation levels of Chernobyl. It must be noted that IAEA experts have identified the nuclear meltdown of No. 3 reactor to be the most severe aspect of the crisis, in which reactor No. 3 is using fuel rods that contain a small amount of plutonium, a highly toxic substance. The release of plutonium, in any amount, is extremely hazardous to the environment and to human health. In addition, a nuclear meltdown is when the hot core of the nuclear power plant literally burns through the reactor containment vessel and thus a meltdown is very dangerous as it would result in the potential groundwater and atmospheric pollution.

A week after the nuclear power crisis, nuclear engineers and military units had to address and resolve the possible damages to the reactor core containment and the overheated fuel rod in three separate cooling ponds, in which the initiatives taken by helicopters and ground based water cannon crews to ameliorate the situation was hindered by the high radiation levels in the facilities that limited the time that crews can work. Since No. 3 reactor was the only reactor that had a mix of uranium and plutonium fuel, resources were directed on cooling and containing No. 3 reactor. Another initiative was taken, where water dranining from the Fukushima facility was sprayed in order to cool the reactors and replenish the rod cooling pools. However, this resulted in the water spilling back into the sea that is off the coast of the facility, which led to the increase in radioactive iodine-131 levels. As of April 7, 10,000 tons of radiation-contaminated water was pumped into the ocean and thus Japanese officials employed an 30-km no-fishing zone and prohibited ship transportation in the exclusion zone. Although traces of radioactivity was initially at very low levels that would not threaten public health, traces of radioactivity were eventually discovered in rainwater and atmospheric samples in China, South Korea, and even the eastern coast of the United States.

Japan’s Health Ministry banned food and milk exports due to the levels of contamination. In response, a number of countries in Asia have banned various Japanese agricultural and seafood exports and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned imported milk products, vegetables, and fresh fruits that were produced near the Fukushima power plant. In addition, parents in Tokyo are advised not to use tap water to prepare infant formula as there are increased levels of radioactive iodine in the tap water.

The Tokyo Electric Power Co’s has been criticized for the lack of transparency in Fukushima Daiichi crisis and more specifically the reported radiation levels and the safety and care of workers in the Fukushima site. According to the IAEA, as by March 24 there are at least three workers at the Fukushima facility that have suffered from exposure to high levels of radiation. Additionally, the IAEA has indicated that at least 17 workers at the plant suffered from exposure levels that are three times the normal annual exposure for workers and 30 times the normal exposure for a person living in an industrialized country. As a result, the Japan’s health ministry increased the limits of allowable exposure for emergency response workers.

The Japan’s Science Ministry provided a complex assessment of the radiation leakage after a week of strong aftershocks and tsunami warnings that hindered the recovery operations at the Fukushima facility. However, officials have described the radiation levels in ocean waters adjacent to the Fukushima power plant as the highest since the beginning of the accident, in which the radiation levels are 23 times above the legal limits in the waters of a nearby city called Minamisoma. The increase in radiation levels is due to the dilutions of radioactive runoff from seawater, which was used in an attempt to cool the reactors in the Fukushima power plant. Officials intended that they will expand the evacuation zone to villages and towns outside the current 20-kilometer evacuation zone.

China and South Korea has criticized the Japanese government’s response to the crisis. Many economists have commented that the costs of the accident and the cost due to power shortages and transportation disruptions will affect the automotive and electronic supply chains that are integral in the industries of other countries. As a result, it could threatened Japan’s already slow economic recovery and adversely affect the ongoing global economic recovery from recession. On the contrary, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Russia have offered assistance to Japanese nuclear experts and engineers in managing the nuclear crisis. As of March 30, at least 134 countries and 39 international NGOs have contributed to the continuing recovery process.

Topic 2: Libyan Civil Unrest

Libya is located on the North African coast and has a population of 6.5 million. Berbers and Arabs consist of 97 percent of the population, while the remaining 3 percent of the population includes Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, and Tunisians. Until the middle of the 20th century, Libya was one of the poorest countries in the world, but the discovery of the Zaltan oil field in 1959 changed that. At the point forward, Libya became an oil based economy, in which oil exports account for 97 percent of Libya’s export earnings, 54 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). However, the profit earned by oil exports has been mismanaged by the government, which is very corrupt. Approximately 30 percent of the population is unemployed, in which at least 7.4 percent of the population is living under the poverty line. Even though agriculture remains as the country’s second-largest economic sector, Libya imports over 75 percent of its food. The discrepancy is due to the Libya’s poor quality soil and adverse climatic conditions.

In 1911, Italy occupied and ruled Libya from the Ottomans, but Italy surrendered its land claim on Libya after being defeated in World War II. As a result, the United Nations administration established its jurisdiction in Libya until its independence in 1951. The Free Unionist Officers, under the leadership of Colonel Mu’ammar al-Qadhafi, was a secret army organization that ousted the king in 1969 in a “cultural revolution”, which is based on Islamic principles. In 2003, Libya destroyed its weapons of mass destruction and missile programs. Subsequently, Libya was elected by the General Assembly for a two year term in the Security Council, which was effective on January 1, 2008.

It must be noted that there were tensions arising in Libya and other northern African and southwest Asian countries throughout December 2010 and early 2011 over the lack of human rights, unemployment, and soaring food prices. Just three days after Mubarak’s resignation, activists utilized Facebook to organize peaceful demonstrations to call for reforms in the Libyan government and thus it initiated a series of anti-government demonstrations in Libya on February 16, 2011. A few hundred protestors were supporting the arrested human rights activist Fathi Terbil in the streets of Benghazi, which is Libya’s second largest city. Additionally, the protests were instigated because of Oadhafi’s oppressive long-term rule as Qadhafi has led an authoritarian rule ever since he assumed power. Although initially the protestors were confronted by the police and many were injured, the protests became violent as warplanes and militia began to strike against the protesters, in which Qadhafi asserted that he would fight “to the last bullet”. Even though foreign journalist were restricted to enter the areas where the protestors convened, eyewitness reports indicated that two or three hundred protestors were killed by security forces on February 20. It was near the capital of Tripoli where fighting between pro- and anti-government forces were waged as anti-government forces were pressuring Qadhafi to step down. The government forces led a violent crackdown on protestors, while all government buildings were reportedly to be burned to the ground.

Under the leadership of former justice minister Mustafa Abdel Jalil, the anti-government forces were organized under the Transitional National Council. The rebels then established a leadership of 30 members in the Council and they quickly claimed control over several areas in eastern Libya, which are located around the city of Benghazi. The anti-government forces were able to capture key military and government installations. The government forces, in response, conducted heavy air strikes to sustain control over the western areas that is situated around Tripoli. Many religious and tribal leaders supported Qadhafi, while many Libyan ambassadors resigned from their positions because of Qadhafi’s authorization of violence to suppress protestors. The United Nations reported on March 8, 2011, that at least 1000 civilians were killed since the uprising and almost 200,000 civilians fled the country.

The continuing violence in Libya led defence ministers of NATO to consider employing an international no-fly zone over Libya, which would prohibit military flights by the Libyan government forces over Libyan airspace. However, some argued that any foreign intervention may exacerbate the situation. The UN Security Council issued a statement which “condemned the violence and the use of force against civilians, deplored the repression against peaceful demonstrators and expressed deep regret at the deaths of hundreds of civilians.” The UN imposed sanctions against Qadhafi and his government and the International Criminal Court declared that it will investigate Qadhafi and his sons for crimes against humanity.

Although the anti-government forces were able to make considerable gains in the cities near Tripoli by March 3, the government forces maintained full control of Tripoli, which is protected heavily by loyal militia forces and foreign mercenaries. The international community was initially slow in formulating an appropriate response to the crisis, while a civil war was imminent in Libya.

After much deliberation, the UN imposed the no-fly zone over Libyan airspace by March 3. Although the Libyan government subsequently claimed that it would initiate a ceasefire and stop the military campaign against anti-Qadhafi rebels, such claims did not materialize. As a result, American and European troops began to strike via air and sea against Qadhafi forces. The coalition force asserted that they would stop the attacks if the coalition sees a genuine ceasefire from Qadhafi. Qatar also joined the coalition, which made Qatar the first Arab nation to join the military operations. It must be noted that Qadhafi showed no indication of stepping down and he threatened to sever Libyan oil to the U.S., France, and the United Kingdom. On March 23, the British military claimed that Libyan’s air force was unable to fight due to the coalition’s missile strikes and bombing raids within days of the UN Security Council authorized no-fly zone. Although the rebels were able to gain lost territory and were able to mobilize east towards Tripoli, the fighting was violent and fierce as government forces refused to surrender the eastern city of Ajdabiya. On March 30, Qadhafi’s forces ousted the rebels out of Ajdabdiya and thereby reversing the rebel’s recent territorial gains. It must be noted that the Libyan foreign minister, Moussa Koussa, resigned and fled to the U.K., where the U.K. wanted to cooperate with Koussa in facilitating the long-term investigations over the Libyan government’s involvement in the Pam-Am flight 103 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland. In the bombing, all 270 passengers were killed and there was evidence that implicated the Qadhafi government in the bombing. According to an interview with the former foreign minister in a Swedish newspaper Expressen, Qadhafi ordered the bombing.