The United Nations General Assembly Third Committee (also known as the Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee or SOCHUM or C3) is one of six main committees at the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

. It deals with

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

, humanitarian affairs and

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives fro ...

matters. The Third Committee meets every year in early October and aims to finish its work by the end of November. All 193 member states of the UN can attend. As in previous sessions, an important part of the work of the committee will focus on the examination of human rights questions, including reports of the special procedures of the Human Rights Council which was established in 2006.

Mandate

The work of the committee focuses on human rights, humanitarian affairs and social issues. In addition, it also considers issues relating to: * The advancement of women * The protection of children * the protection of Indigenous populations, and related issues * The treatment of refugees, and related issues such as racism and discrimination * The promotion of fundamental freedoms * The right to

self-determination Self-determination refers to a people's right to form its own political entity, and internal self-determination is the right to representative government with full suffrage. Self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international la ...

* Youth, family, and aging * The rights of persons with disabilities * Crime prevention and criminal justice * The international drug trade, and related issues

Working methods

The work of the Third Committee begins in early October and is usually finished by the end of November. Unlike most other bodies of the General Assembly, the work of the Third Committee does not begin with a general debate between its members. Instead, its agenda items are debated individually from the beginning of the session. The Third Committee hosts interactive dialogues with the

High Commissioner for Human Rights The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is a department of the United Nations Secretariat that works to promote and protect human rights that are guaranteed under international law and stipulated in the Univers ...

and the

High Commissioner for Refugees The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, l ...

each year.

Current state

In its 79th Session, the committee will focus on: A. Promotion of sustained economic growth and sustainable development in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and recent United Nations conferences * Social development * Advancement of women B. Maintenance of international peace and security * Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, questions relating to refugees, returnees and displaced persons and humanitarian questions C. Promotion of human rights * Report of the Human Rights Council * Promotion and protection of the rights of children * Rights of indigenous peoples * Elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance * Right of peoples to self-determination * Promotion and protection of human rights D. Drug control, crime prevention and combating international terrorism in all its forms and manifestations * Crime prevention and criminal justice * Countering the use of information and communications technologies for criminal purposes * International drug control

Bureau

The following make up the bureau of the Third Committee for the 79th Session of the General Assembly:

References

External links