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The Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee (SOCHUM) is the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly. Created in 1945, it brings together all 193 UN member states to discuss key issues related to human rights and social development.

The committee deals with a diverse range of issues, including the rights of women, children, indigenous peoples, and refugees. The committee also works to combat racism and discrimination. Additionally, it addresses social development challenges, such as caring for aging populations, protecting the rights of people with disabilities, as well as crime prevention and drug control. By focusing on these areas, SOCHUM's work directly supports efforts to reduce poverty and inequality, improve health and education, promote gender equality, and ensure decent working conditions for all people.

Agenda Topics

Topic A: Combating Modern Slavery and Forced Labor of Migrant Workers in Gulf States

The Gulf states (namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates) host some of the world's highest concentrations of migrant workers. Yet, behind the region's gleaming skyscrapers and mega-projects lies a darker reality: workers, drawn by the promise of decent wages, end up in debt bondage. Their passports are confiscated, preventing them from leaving without their employer's consent.

The kafala system, which effectively ties migrant workers to their sponsors or employers, is widespread in the region. This system leads to exploitative practices that violate international human rights and labor standards. Workers often experience excessive overtime under dangerous conditions, wage theft lasting for months, and isolation in overcrowded labor camps. Many migrant workers, primarily from South and Southeast Asia, pay thousands of dollars in recruitment fees, which plunges them into crippling debt that makes escape from forced labor nearly impossible.

There is a significant gap between national laws and international labor standards. While some reforms have been made in countries like Qatar and Saudi Arabia, their implementation is inconsistent, leaving many workers vulnerable and stripped of their basic human rights. This situation demands urgent international action to protect these individuals and improve labor conditions.

Topic B: Protecting civilians from the impact of international sanctions

International sanctions are economic "punishments" used to influence a government’s behavior without using military force. They are mainly designed to target political leaders, but they affect the people, they often create unintended "humanitarian gaps." In our connected global economy, a ban on a country’s banking system can accidentally cut off regular families from life-saving medicine, food, and electricity that, with other elements, might lend in a humanitarian crisis.

Is it ethical to pressure a regime if the most vulnerable citizens pay the price? A major challenge is "over-compliance," where private companies and banks are so afraid of breaking rules that they refuse to ship even legal humanitarian aid, like vaccines or grain, to sanctioned zones. And people or NGO’s actions are blocked by the affected government.

The debate is directly linked to SDG 3 and SDG 16. If sanctions prevent a hospital from getting electricity or a school from buying books, these global goals cannot be met. Delegates will look at frameworks like UN Resolution 2664, which was created to ensure that humanitarian aid can still flow into sanctioned areas