The Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, commonly known as the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee or SOCHUM, is one of the General Assembly's six Main Committees. It considers a broad range of social, humanitarian and human-rights questions and hears from Special Rapporteurs, independent experts and treaty-body representatives. Its work covers issues including human rights, refugees, indigenous peoples, discrimination, women, children and social development. As a General Assembly committee, SOCHUM primarily debates issues, considers draft resolutions and makes recommendations to the General Assembly rather than exercising Security Council-style enforcement powers.
 

Agenda: Safeguarding Cultural Heritage, language, and identity against forced assimilation and cultural erasure
 

The agenda examines situations in which cultural practices, languages, historical memory, religious traditions, heritage sites or Indigenous and minority identities are threatened by coercion, discrimination, displacement or deliberate destruction. Cultural rights include the ability of communities and individuals to participate in cultural life, maintain and transmit languages, preserve traditions and protect heritage. Delegates should consider safeguards for minority and Indigenous languages in education and public life, protection of tangible and intangible heritage, documentation and restoration of damaged sites, freedom of cultural expression, and meaningful participation of affected communities in decisions concerning their heritage.