Caroline Orth for The New York Times

Human Rights in the Paris Peace Conference

By CAROLINE ORTH

Yesterday evening, the Paris Peace Conference motioned to begin its first session in order to create a lasting tradition of peace among both Allied and Axis nations following the end of World War II last spring. At the 1964 session of the Johns Hopkins University Model United Nations Conference, the Paris Peace Conference chose to focus on the topics of renewing democratic freedoms in belligerent states and European territorial adjustments. In the Conference’s first hour of debate, a moderated caucus was motioned on its first topic, specifically concerning the definition of human rights. 

After the oppressive Nuremberg Laws were passed in Germany in 1935, Italy echoed its racist ideals as an ally of the Third Reich. Other nations followed suit with similar restrictions on their Jewish populations, including Hungary and Romania. Six years ago, in February of  1940, the first deportation of German Jews into occupied Poland occurred. Approximately six million Jews lost their lives in concentration camps. It came as no surprise that the Conference chose to discuss human rights to begin its session, considering the atrocities Germany committed against its own citizens.

During the first moderated caucus of the committee session, various participating countries from all corners of Europe shared their viewpoints. A delegate representing the country of Turkey outlined  four  freedoms  that   the  country

believes should become a standard for human rights across the Allied and Axis nations: the freedom of speech, the freedom of worship, the freedom of want, and the freedom from fear. In his speech, the delegate commented that, “They are concrete enough to where we can all adapt and work within those definitions, and they don’t restrict anyone, and they allow us to all come together and work in an international community.” Greece then stood to argue for more solidified freedoms, pointing out that vague freedoms may result in vague interpretations, and he also urged for an emphasis on the human rights of minorities – especially the Jewish population – in response to the atrocities committed by Germany’s Nazi regime.

With the topic of renewing democratic freedoms being the most prevalent thus far in the Paris Peace Conference, JHUMUNC can expect a resolution addressing human rights to come out of its 1946 session.