Junior Human Rights Council
The Human Rights Council, established by the UN General Assembly in 2006, is a fundamental governmental body dedicated to promoting and protecting human rights in a global scale. It is made up of 47 member states that gather annually to address relevant and recurring human rights issues affecting several societies worldwide. These states work together with a shared interest and commitment of advancing human rights principles throughout the entirety of the world.
The council addresses a range of issues including gender inequality, minority rights, freedom of religion, and environmental rights, together with several others.
The Human Rights Council holds at least three regular sessions during a year, with each session lasting about 10 weeks. These sessions provide unique and unmatched opportunities for member states to generate global responses to current human rights crises. Additionally to such regular sessions, the council has the ability to host out-of-schedule sessions in order to address urgent situations requiring immediate attention.
The council’s meetings take place in Geneva, Switzerland, where the United Nations’ main human rights office is based on. The Human Rights Council plays a substantial role in shaping global human rights boundaries and responding to violations, making it a vital peace-generating platform.
Google Classroom Code:
Topics
Topic A: Citizenship and visa pathways for descendants of former colonial subjects
Topic B: Family separation and unaccompanied minors at the US-Mexico border
Study Guide
Chairs
Co-Chair, Tomaso De Farace
Hi! Im Tomaso, I’m a freshman at EARJ Gavea and I’ve been participating in MUN for a while. I’m 14 years old, and MUN has become one of the activities I enjoy the most because I love debating, sharing ideas, and learning about international issues. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to participate in several conferences and have won Best Delegation three times, which has motivated me to keep improving my public speaking, negotiation, and teamwork skills. Outside of MUN, I enjoy spending time with my friends and family, discovering new things, and challenging myself in different activities. I would describe myself as someone who is competitive, curious, and always willing to learn from others. I really enjoy hearing different perspectives, especially when people have opinions that are different from mine, because I think that is one of the best ways to grow and understand a topic better. I’m looking forward to this conference, meeting all of you, working together, and hopefully creating some great memories. I hope we can have productive debates, interesting discussions, and, most importantly, enjoy the experience together. I’m excited to meet everyone and see what we can accomplish during the conference!
Vice-Chair, Felipa Salles
I’m glad to introduce myself as Felipa Salles, a sophmore who graciously accepts the honor of being a chair for this edition of ‘RioMUN’. It is special to me as this is my very first time being a chair. In the past, MUN has always been an activity that I enjoyed and took a great deal of passion in. I’ve always felt MUN conferences aid me in my self-development as a student and a person, and this passion is reciprocated through the love I have for the areas which I have grown, such as public speaking or debating.
I can say that I have a great support system in the form of my family. My family means a great deal. This includes my sister, who is my greatest cheerleader, and of course, my younger brother, whom I love a lot. Most importantly, my family inspires me every single day. I have great delight in supporting the delegates, motivating them through the conference, and assisting them in every way possible so that every single delegate feels prepared. It is an honor to share my first of many unforgettable experiences with all of the delegates. I look forward to the RioMUN conference to experience all the captivating dialogues that we all look forward to.
Head-Chair, Gabriela Klabin
Hi everyone! My name is Gabriela, I’m 16 years old, and I’m a sophomore at EARJ Gávea. I’m so excited to be your Head Chair for the Junior Human Rights Committee! This will be my second time chairing JHR, and I’m thrilled to meet you all.
I love working with JHR and I’m looking forward to creating a welcoming and engaging environment where everyone feels comfortable participating and sharing their ideas. I’m also excited to work alongside my co-chairs, Felipa and Tomaso!
Outside of MUN, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, going to the movies, and trying new restaurants. Having been a delegate at 8 conferences, I know MUN can be challenging, so please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns. I’m always happy to help!
I can’t wait to meet you all and have an amazing conference!