6th Legal
Large Dual Delegate General Assembly
legal@uclamun.org
Topics
Topic A: The Sinking States (addressing legal questions in regards to statehood and citizenship in anticipation of uninhabitable islands as a result of climate change)
Topic B: The questions and legal implications of universal jurisdiction
Committee Summary
The Sixth Committee (LEGAL/C6) of the United Nations General Assembly is a crucial agency within the UN that handles issues in regards to international law. C6 is responsible for examining legal questions within the GA programme, and it prioritizes the advocacy of progressive development and implementation of regulations and legal structures. LEGAL works alongside reporting bodies such as the International Criminal Court (ICC) and The International Court of Justice (ICJ) to ensure equitability across all international legal decisions. The work of C6 is highlighted during International Law Week, when legal advisors of all member states convene to consider the report from the International Law Commission, as well as subsidiary reports from UN bodies like the ICC and ICJ.
Topic A will address the detrimental effects of climate change on island states. Nations like Fiji and the Maldives are being violently threatened by rising sea levels, and within the next 100 years will potentially be completely submerged in water, making their populations the first to be completely relocated as an effect of the climate crisis. Delegates will be asked to think critically about the legal classifications that will be used not only for the displaced citizens of these islands, but also for the sovereign recognition of the territories as a whole. Differing classifications and labels come with heavy legal implications, those of which delegates will have to take into consideration when researching and debating.
Topic B poses the question of how far the reach of law should be when dealing with human rights violations. The concept of universal jurisdiction comes with many layers that pose uncertainty and confusion, and it is these key issues that delegates will be asked to respond to. Some legal violations and crimes are heinous enough to beg the question as to whether or not jurisdiction of any state, regardless of national/territorial links, is justified. However, ensuring there are no violations of state sovereignty in this process is a complicated issue. To what varying extent universal jurisdiction is applicable and what the specific legal requirements would need to be are both questions that this committee will work to answer.
Chair Letter
Distinguished Delegates,
Welcome to LAMUN XIX! My name is Sydney Lester and I am thrilled to be chairing the Sixth Committee (LEGAL) of this year’s session! I am currently a third year psychology major with a minor in evolutionary medicine, but more importantly I am a proud cat mom, experienced hammocker, and avid nap enthusiast.
My model United Nations career has been a 7 year long journey. I fell in love with MUN as a young high school student and was delighted to find such a welcoming, committed MUN program here while in my first year at UCLA. I have met some of my closest friends and have created some of my most cherished memories while being a part of this club, and I cannot wait to share some of those moments with all of you! I have chaired multiple BruinMUN committees for our high school participants, and this is my second year chairing a GA committee at LAMUN (shout out to any DISEC delegates from last year!). Alongside of my participation in MUN, I am a Bruin Ambassador working for UCLA Undergraduate Admissions, a writer for UCLA’s newspaper, The Daily Bruin, and a server at Founders Ale House, a sports bar in LA!
The Sixth Committee (C6) primarily deals with legal questions that arise within the General Assembly and aims to advocate for the progressive development and implementation of international law. LEGAL convenes to address reports provided to them by both the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ), while also presenting these reports to the GA Plenary, as well as offering both the ICC and ICJ recommendations and endorsements on various international legal issues. The specific topics that we will be addressing in committee are extensive legal questions currently posed to our international community. To what effect universal jurisdiction applies to differing crimes, and what legal classifications will come upon citizens of territories that no longer physically exist as a result of rising sea levels are both complicated and layered issues that the global community must immediately address.
At a glance these issues appear broad and hypothetical in regards to our personal daily lives, but in actuality they are significant threats to the functionality of the entire international community. Through your participation in this committee, it is my sincere hope that you will not only gain a far greater understanding of the topics at hand, but that you will be encouraged to examine the world and global issues with a new perspective, one with far greater empathy and a drive to foster change. With that being said, I hope you have an amazing weekend, and welcome to LEGAL.
Sydney Lester
Chair
6th Legal | LAMUN XIX