resolution on freedom of

Philadelphia Model United Nations 2009


United Nations Human Rights Council


Resolution 1-2

The UN Human Rights Council

Acknowledging the importance of freedoms of speech and press,

Reminding all nations of the implications of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

Reaffirming that freedom and democracy is essential to all civilized nations,

Stressing the right of national sovereignty and a nations right to sacrifice some freedoms to protect the greater good,

1. Recognizes the need for censorship in areas of:
a.) Political unrest- relating to radical groups, revolts, and warring fractions including but not limited to disputes between nations;
b.) Times of war- considering the effect of negative propaganda on morale and a nation’s success,
c.) Countries transitioning political regimes, and,
d.) Nations declaring a state religion;
2. Suggests guidelines for appropriate censorship, which include:
a.) No blasphemous statements that would result in any type of aggression against minorities,
b.) Allowing selective transparency so that governments can disclose information to civilians without compromising domestic security,
c.) No disrespectful or distasteful propaganda on cultural ideas,
d.) Refrain from fallacy;
3. Supports the utilization of the World Bank for fiscal purposes in order to empower media expression in a proper fashion and offer incentives to nations who abide by this document;
4. Urges nations to strengthen the powers of UNESCO, whose goal is to:
a.) Provide technical and material assistance to local/international medias
b.) Promote the international standards for safety training and expression of access to risk-awareness training for journalists in order to promote a positive image of journalism as well as protect these individuals;\
5. Encourages nations to uphold the UDHR and defend the rights of journalist who have experienced hostilities through trials in the International Court of Law;
6. Calls upon journalist to abide by laws of the nation they are reporting in;
7. Offers monetary incentives to media outlets such as newspapers and broadcasing stations that are making significant movements toward proper censorship through loans with prerequisites provided by privatized loans;
8. Considers the use of trade sanctions and embargoes as a final measure in nations whose freedoms of speech and presses digress from progress and violations increase;
9. Designates the need for nations that have stabilized to move away from more oppressive forms of censorship
10. Encourages inviting the Human Rights watch into consenting countries to provide media coverage on human rights and freedoms of speech and press with in the nation