SOCHUM
Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee
The United Nations Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee was commissioned in 1945 as the United Nations’ third committee with the goal of advancing human rights, overseeing indigenous issues and improve womens rights and education, among other mandates. In a world continuously threatened by conflict and instability, SOCHUM grows increasingly relevant as natural rights are transformed into mechanisms of warfare, economic leverage and coercive control. Delegates are challenged to debate, negotiate and understand the power dynamics, sociocultural and political-economic factors involved in the status of education and cultural heritage.
Topic A, The Advancement and Exchange of Global Education Systems, debates how the UN can best facilitate and promote the development of education and educational infrastructure in regions that are prone to conflict, instability and limited resources. Topic B, The Preservation of Tangible and Intangible Cultures, explores how globalization, conflict, climate change and political pressures threaten the survival of cultural heritage worldwide.
DIRECTOR: KARINA TORRES
Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee (SOCHUM)
The United Nations Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee was commissioned in 1945 as the United Nations’ third committee with the goal of advancing human rights, overseeing indigenous issues and improve womens rights and education, among other mandates. In a world continuously threatened by conflict and instability, SOCHUM grows increasingly relevant as natural rights are transformed into mechanisms of warfare, economic leverage and coercive control. Delegates are challenged to debate, negotiate and understand the power dynamics, sociocultural and political-economic factors involved in the status of education and cultural heritage.
Topic A, “The Advancement and Exchange of Global Education Systems,” debates how the UN can best facilitate and promote the development of education and educational infraestructure in regions that are prone to conflict, instability and limited resources. Delegates must examine how socioeconomic disturbances, ethnic cleavages and resource availability undermine education and widen educational disparities, overall negotiating the roles of governments in crafting educational systems and the need for universal education platforms. Topic B, “The Preservation of Tangible and Intangible Cultures,” explores how globalization, conflict, climate change and political pressures threaten the survival of cultural heritage worldwide. Delegates must analyze how factors such as external involvement, local support and contested governance directly influence and shape efforts to protect cultural sites and traditions, while also considering the broader implications of cultural loss, stability and overall development.
DIRECTOR: KARINA TORRES
TOPICS
Topic A: The Advancement and Exchange of Global Education Systems
Topic B: The Preservation of Tangible and Intangible Cultures
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Karina Torres Figueroa (she/her/hers) is a 2nd-year Geography and Russian major as well as an International Studies in Agriculture and Life Sciences minor. She is currently serving as University of Florida Model UN’s Director of General Assembly Member Development and as a Director for both of UF’s conferences, GatorMUN and SunMUN. Karina has competed in Model UN for 5 years as a GA delegate and has previously co-chaired and staffed many conferences including GatorMUN, SunMUN and FlagMUN.
Aside from Model UN, Karina is an intern at UF’s Center for European Studies and is a National Security Language Initiative for Youth and Critical Language Scholarship recipient, having studied Russian abroad in Daugavpils, Latvia and Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. In her free time, Karina loves to travel, listen to music (ask her about Car Seat Headrest, Ziferblat, or any rock music), reading, rollerskating and side questing with her friends. She is so excited to direct this SOCHUM and cannot wait to meet all of you!
