The road so far

Tomorrow the rest of the school delegation and I leave for Model UN.  I'm pretty excited; first for the five hour car ride with some of my good friends, and secondly for Model United Nations itself.  I've learned quite a bit about Tanzania over the course of my preparation, and about the issue of R2P, although I'm sure this weekend will be filled with hectic research between sessions to try and learn more about whatever topics my fellow committee members bring to the floor.  In any case, here is what I have written for my two-minute opening speech:

Mr. Moderator, Madame Director, Honourable Delegates, it is my honour to partake in the SOCHUM committee debate regarding the right to protect on behalf of the United Republic of Tanzania.

It is one of the utmost priorities of the URT to both safeguard the sovereignty, integrity, and independence of our nation, while also defending human rights, freedom, democracy, justice, and equality, both within our borders and throughout the world. We attest that the promotion of good neighbourliness, African Unity, and the support of the UN in its endeavour for peace, economic development, and international security are of the greatest importance.

It is critical that the United Nations carefully reconsider its current stance on the issue of the right to protect. In 2009, the URT, and many other honourable delegates, sponsored resolution A/RES/63/308 at the sixty-third session of the United Nations, deciding to continue consideration on the responsibility to protect, and the time for that consideration to turn to action is now.

Since that resolution, the international community's commitment on the right to protect was put to the test with the 2011 situation in Libya, after thousands of civilians were killed and countless more deaths were possible. The decision of the UN Security Council on this matter was to authorize NATO to protect Libyan civilians by any means necessary. In this crisis, NATO armed the rebellion and carried out over 7000 airstrikes, both actions that put the civilian population at risk.

This must not be considered the right to protect; like the US's war against Iraq beginning in 2003, these actions are not condoned by the URT. It is the undeniable duty of the international community to ensure the safety of the peoples of the world, but that safety should be ensured by peaceful means, and with those peoples as the primary priority, not the economic interests of NATO or the West.

The URT is proud to have over a thousand peacekeeping troops serving in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Lebanon and Sudan, and hundreds more engaged in peacekeeping efforts in the current situation in Syria. The United Republic of Tanzania believes that such peacekeeping efforts are key towards achieving the proper balance of national sovereignty and the protection of human rights on the international scale.

Thank you, I yield the remainder of my time to the Moderator.

I'm sure I'll have more to say about Model UN later in the weekend!