2018 RUSSIAN FEDERATION POSITION PAPER

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Our History

The Russian Federation has a long history of revolution and strong leadership that changes with the will of the people, from the Revolution of 1905, which led to reform and the creation of our Federal Assembly, to Vladimir Lenin’s creation of the USSR, to the introduction of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) by Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev in the late 20th century. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia has undergone massive change to become a nation of honesty and openness. This includes protecting social and political freedoms, as well as moving towards a market-based economy. Since 2000, the Russian Federation has been led by the great President Vladimir Putin, a leader who legitimized his rule by employing popular elections and universal suffrage for citizens over the age of 18 in order to promote the voice of the people.

Russia & The United Nations: A Brief History

The Russian Federation has been an active member state of the United Nations since the establishment of the UN Charter in 1945. Chapter V, Article 23 granted Security Council membership to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). However, following the collapse of the USSR in 1991, the Russian Federation took over all USSR membership responsibilities in a movement that was supported almost unanimously by the Commonwealth of Independent States, a Eurasian confederation created in 1991 to promote trade and security. Furthermore, the Russian Federation’s replacement of the USSR was not objected to by any other UN members. Since this shift, Russia has proven itself to be a powerful partner and bold defender of justice across the world. Recently, Russia has stepped in to promote nonviolence and facilitate the exercise of democratic institutions in Crimea as well as lend aid in fighting the global war on terror, specifically in Syria.

The International Criminal Court

The Russian Federation signed the Rome Statute in 1998, when we believed that an international court had the potential to be impartial in its distribution of justice across the world. What we have found, however, is a body that refuses to accept the decisions of legitimate democratic institutions, like Crimea’s 2014 referendum that showed their desire to join the Russian Federation as a federal subject. This, as well as a general lack of trust in this infantile, Euro-centric institution, led to our decision first not to ratify the Rome Statute, then to leave the Court entirely in 2016. Russia does not stand alone in our decision to remove ourselves from the ICC- the African Union encouraged its own members to abandon the ICC following their unjust focus on Africa while blatantly ignoring European crimes in an unchecked pursuit to use Western institutions as a means of furthering colonial ideals in Africa.

United Nations Environmental Program

The Russian Federation is committed to global environmental protection, and has always taken an active role in the UNEP. In recent years we have prioritized sustainable economic development, biodiversity, natural resource management, and pollution as key areas of cooperation within UNEP.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Refugees from the war that Ukraine continues to wage against its citizens have sought refuge in Russia for the past several years. Through cooperation with the UNHCR, we have helped more than one million Ukrainian refugees live in the Russian Federation. We will continue to work with the UNHCR to ensure that refugees and asylum seekers from around the globe are able to find a home in the Russian Federation.

Global Cooperation Under Siege

In a challenging global political climate increasingly charged with the threat of nuclear annihilation, it is more important than ever that all nations gather to have open conversations about solving problems together. The Russian Federation is committed to promoting United Nations values of peace and security around the world. We are particularly interested in using global diplomacy to reassure the Western world that their growing Russophobia is a misunderstanding engendered by sensationalized press that misreported our aid of Crimea as a violent occupation rather than an act of compassion requested through a legitimate referendum. We look forward to working with our allies around the world during the 2018 Model United Nations conference.

Sources:

Associated Press in Addis Ababa. “African leaders plan mass withdrawal from international criminal court.” The Guardian. January 31, 2017. https://www.theguardian.com/law/2017/ jan/31/african- leaders-plan-mass-withdrawal-from-international-criminal-court.

Nechepurenko, Ivan and Cumming-Bruce Nick. “Russia Cuts Ties with International Criminal Court, Calling it ‘One-Sided’.” November 16, 2016. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/17/ world/europe/russia-withdraws-from-international-criminal-court-calling-it-one-sided.html

The Government of the Russian Federation. Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations. Accessed 1/24/18. http://russiaun.ru/en/permanent_mission/istorija United Nations in the Russian Federation.

United Nations Environmental Program. Accessed 1/26/18. http://www.unrussia.ru/en/agencies/united-nations-environment-programme-unep United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Russian Federation. United Nations. Accessed 1/23/18. http://reporting.unhcr.org/node/2551?y=2018#year