The Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee (SOCHUM), founded in 1947 and situated in New York, USA, consists of 193 member states. SOCHUM is the third General Assembly of the United Nations, and it centers around dealing with global issues involving social, humanitarian, and human rights. Non-member states and other entities recognized by the UN as permanent observers are permitted to attend and partake in meetings however, unlike member states, they aren’t able to vote.
The committee reviews a multitude of topics, such as the rights and welfare of women, children, and victims of discrimination, the treatment and protection of refugees and indigenous people, and the EU immigrant crisis. SOCHUM takes the initiative of drawing up general resolutions on these matters. As opposed to other bodies of the general assembly, SOCHUM’s work does not start with a general debate among its members. Instead, points on the agenda are debated individually from the beginning of the session.