Topic Intro
(101) The Situation in Venezuela
On January 3, 2026, U.S. forces launched Operation Absolute Resolve, capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in Caracas and transporting them to New York to face narcoterrorism charges. The United Nations Security Council has since convened in the face of acrimonious debate and predictable deadlock, with Russia and China decrying it as a flagrant violation under the UN Charter while the US justifying it as a “specialized law enforcement action” against a non-state criminal entity.
Venezuela’s crisis traces back to Maduro's 2013 succession amid oil price collapse, hyperinflation, and disputed elections. Today, accompanying political uncertainty amongst the Venezuelan public is a decade-long humanitarian crisis affecting millions. These domestic governance failures highlight the role of external military intervention and its aftermath.
Delegates must address sovereignty contentions versus accountability, historical economic collapse, and multilateral norms in this constitutional vacuum, where youth voices, such as that of the Venezuelan youth, demand democratic rebuilding amid fears of neo-colonialism. This crisis transcends U.S.-Venezuela tensions, compelling all member states to confront its ripple effects on global stability. For the UNSC, rooted in anti-colonial principles, this situation mandates consensus in order safeguard international peace.
(102) Weaponization and Politicization of Humanitarian Assistance in Armed Conflict
In the context of modern warfare, the delivery of humanitarian and medical aids had drifted apart from its very original logistical roots governed by core principles of neutrality, impartiality, and independence, into a politicized weapon undermining regional stability and challenging the very authority of the United Nations Charter. When parties to a conflict utilize aid as a bargaining chip or a tool of leverage, the deliberate obstruction of life-saving resources is no longer merely a localized matter, but a threat to international peace and security.
While the 1990s in Somalia warned us that aid can be looted to fuel militia violence, the recent crisis in Afghanistan presents to the globe a new, institutional challenge of how international sanctions and the withdrawal of foreign protections can inadvertently create a chilling effect that paralyzes the very aid the Council seeks to protect, and brings both local and regional instability.
The politicization of aid transpires when life-saving resources are exploited for strategic gain, directly undermining International Humanitarian Law. The Security Council faces three urgent trends. Firstly, the legitimization of factions, where armed groups control aid to secure local loyalty. Secondly, tactical siege warfare, which uses the obstruction of medical convoys to weaken territories. Lastly, the chilling effect of sanctions, where counter-terrorism measures inadvertently criminalize neutral humanitarian action.
In conclusion, ensuring access in politicized zones requires the Security Council to move beyond solely increasing the quantity of assistance and focus on the integrity of its delivery by addressing the accountability of those who weaponize aid and designing context-sensitive mandates. In the Security Council, delegates are expected to work together to restore aid’s original purpose, to preserve human life rather than serving as a casualty of geopolitical strategy.