ECOSOC+2


 * ECOSOC 2- Tina **
 * 1) Measures to prevent outbreaks and the spread of avian influenza.
 * 2) The question of cultural identity of tribes as urbanization occurs in southern Africa.
 * 3) The social and economic impact of outsourcing on LEDCs.
 * 4) The provision of fast and fair distribution of food aid in Zimbabwe.

Forum: ECOSOC II Delegation: The United States of America Delegate: Tina School: SAS Pudong Honorable chairperson, fellow delegates, and distinguished guests: In today's society, there are many crucial economic and social issues that impact people all over the world. The United States of America wishes to collaborate with other countries in developing solutions to these problems, especially concerning the current food crisis in Zimbabwe, where 7 million citizens are in dire need of food aid. The US believes this crisis can be alleviated by having wealthier nations donate food to Zimbabwe in its time of need, and by pressing sanctions against President Mugabe's government until it proves that it is capable of improving the situation. The United States is deeply concerned with the welfare of the people living in Zimbabwe, as well as the people facing the rest of these issues; thus it is eager to begin working with members of the ECOSOC II committee to aid them. Thank you.

By Tina (US)
Forum: ECOSOC II Submitter: United States of America Question of: “The provision of fast and fair distribution of food aid in Zimbabwe”

// The ECOSOC II Committee, //

// Deeply disturbed // that nearly 7 million Zimbabweans, which is more than half the population, will need food aid during the months of February and March of 2009 (UN World Food Programme),

// Emphasizing // that adequate food is considered a human right across the world, as detailed in “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights”, Article 25 (1948),

// Noting // that the government of the United States of America has donated more than 264 million USD worth of humanitarian aid to Zimbabwe since October 2007, making it one of the biggest donors to Zimbabwe, and is continuing to provide humanitarian assistance to the nation,

// Reminding // that in January 2009, the World Food Programme (WFP) was forced to halve food rations for 7 million Zimbabweans from February because of the rapidly rising demand and a lack of donations from other nations,

// Recognizing // that the WFP needs 65 million USD more to continue providing food aid until the end of March,

// Pointing out // that, due to shortages in farming supplies and a bad market, Zimbabwe’s main harvest in April will not produce enough to feed Zimbabweans,

1. __Calls for__ wealthier member states to contribute with donations of food in order to alleviate the hunger crisis in Zimbabwe and raise rations back to at least 10 kg per person per month (doubling the current rations);

2. __Asks__ that agricultural supplies such as fertilizer and seed are also provided for Zimbabwe farmers so the next harvest will yield enough to begin sustaining Zimbabweans;

3. __Requests__ that the safety of organization workers distributing food in Zimbabwe be guaranteed, meaning that they will not be unjustly detained or harassed while in the country, and that UN peacekeepers be assigned to protect them if harassment is reported; 4. __Urges__ the Zimbabwe government to collaborate with donating member nations and organizations in finding a method of distribution that is transparent and impartial, allowing food aid to be given to anyone who needs it, regardless of their political party or views;

5. __ Suggests __ that other nations join the United States in imposing travel and financial sanctions against President Robert Mugabe and members of his government until the new unity government demonstrates that it is effectively dealing with the issues in the country and, in particular, taking the actions described in this resolution to improve the food crisis.

Zimbabwe Food Aid
The problem is that for the last couple years, there has been a serious food shortage in Zimbabwe, mostly due to bad weather, an incredibly high inflation rate, inadequate farming supplies such as fertilizers, and land-reform policies/farm seizures from the government. Currently, more than half of the population needs food aid. The political conflict there has, in the past, made it difficult for food to be distributed efficiently and fairly. During the 2008 elections, Mugabe’s political party banned international organizations from delivering food, so that they could make sure people who didn’t plan to vote for their party would not receive food. Also, the World Food Program is cutting the rations they’re donating to Zimbabwe because it does not have enough funding. The issue doesn’t directly affect my country, but the US does care about the situation in Zimbabwe.
 * What is the problem? How does it affect your country?**

The United States, along with European countries like the UK, is one of the biggest donors to Zimbabwe. It has given more than 264 million US dollars in food and health aid since October of 2007.
 * What has your country done to combat the problem?**

Certain countries could say that since the entire world is experiencing an economic crisis right now, it wouldn’t be fair to ask nations to donate when most of them don’t have a lot of money right now in the first place. Others might point out that it’d still be the responsibility of countries that are richer than Zimbabwe to help out the millions who are starving there due to no fault of their own. Some nations could also argue that since Zimbabwe’s government is at least partially to blame for the issue, it should be their mess to clean up, not other countries’. Lastly, countries could say that their donations will be misused by the government (for example, the food might be used as a political weapon), which would be unjust and a waste of money.
 * What are the various “sides” in the debate?**

To the US, it’s extremely important that their food aid (and food aid in general) not be used as a political weapon in Zimbabwe or be otherwise unfairly distributed. It also does not want its aid workers overseeing the food distribution harassed or detained by the Zimbabwe government. It does not trust Mugabe and his political party, but it wants to protect and assist the nation’s citizens.
 * Which aspects of the issue are most important to your country?**

The United States is very involved, since it is donating to Zimbabwe already.
 * If your country is not involved with the issue, how can it become involved?**

My country will shape the debate a lot, as it donates so much to Zimbabwe and is a powerful nation. I think it would want other nations to pitch in with food donations, as the UN’s WFP is running out of funds and numerous Zimbabweans still face starvation. Even though it has imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe and isn’t giving any more developmental funding until there is evidence that the new unity government works, it still believes that that humanitarian aid should be provided for the nation.
 * How will your country shape the debate at the conference?**

They might say nations shouldn’t donate to Zimbabwe so the government will be forced to shape up and cooperate more; they could argue that the crisis isn’t really their business. Or they might say there’s no way to ensure that their aid will be distributed fairly, so donating would be a waste of resources.
 * What arguments will other countries make?**

Most countries’ positions wouldn’t affect the United States’ that much, but it will need other economically powerful countries to join its side so that the Zimbabweans will receive more aid.
 * How do the positions of other countries affect your country’s position?**

Adequate food is considered a human right all over the world. The WFP has estimated that more than half the population of Zimbabwe (around 7 million people) will require food aid in February and March. The US has donated more than 264 million dollars in food and health aid since 2007, making it one of the top donors. As of December 2008, the inflation rate was roughly 231 million percent. The US Ambassador to Zimbabwe, James McGee, said, “We are dealing with a desperate regime here which will do anything to stay in power,” referring to the June 2008 incident when Mugabe was said to be using food aid as a political weapon. McGee reported, “The only way you can access food is to give up your right to vote. It is absolutely illegal.”
 * Is there evidence or statistics that might help to back up your country’s position?**

Outsourcing
Outsourcing is when one company pays a third-party company in a different country to perform a certain task or process, such as product design or manufacturing. It is very popular for developed countries to outsource to less economically developed countries, in order to get work done for at a lower cost or more efficiently utilize the land, labor, and resources available there. However, outsourcing can negatively impact the growth of these developing countries, by causing gender discrimination, violations of the workers’ human rights, and a larger divide between social classes, and some people think it is a way to exploit low-income workers. This problem doesn’t exactly affect my country, but my country is among the biggest outsourcers in the world. The United States hasn’t done anything to combat this issue. Some people think that offshore outsourcing has too many negative effects on the developing countries that tasks are being outsourced to, and it shouldn’t be used (or it should be used less). Other people think that outsourcing creates jobs for people in LEDCs, which is good and outweighs the negatives. The US wants its companies to be successful, but it is also concerned about the welfare of people living in developing nations. My country is already involved. The United States will try to convince other nations that outsourcing has many positive social and economic impacts on developing nations which outweigh the negative ones. Outsourcing creates many new jobs for people in developing countries, so they have more opportunities to escape poverty. These countries are getting wealthier and joining the developed nations because of it. They could say that outsourcing companies take advantage of the fact that the people in developing nations are poor by paying them less than they would an American employee. Outsourcing also creates a greater divide between social classes and genders. The US is the biggest outsourcer to other nations.
 * What is the problem? How does it affect your country?**
 * What has your country done to combat the problem?**
 * What are the various “sides” in the debate?**
 * Which aspects of the issue are most important to your country?**
 * If your country is not involved with the issue, how can it become involved?**
 * How will your country shape the debate at the conference?**
 * What arguments will other countries make?**
 * How do the positions of other countries affect your country’s position?**
 * Is there evidence or statistics that might help to back up your country’s position?**

=Cultural Identity=

The southern region of Africa is developing economically and experiencing globalization. Cities are flourishing there; the society is changing drastically. Urbanization is causing Africa’s numerous incredibly diverse cultures to all become more “modern”. Many young people from African tribes are eagerly integrating themselves into cities and larger towns, meaning that their unique ethnicities risk being lost forever. This issue doesn’t directly affect the United States at all because my country isn’t located in southern Africa. Nothing. Some countries believe that in order to stop these tribes from losing their cultural identities due to urbanization, we should prevent them from becoming urbanized by giving the young men and women moving to cities an incentive to stay in their home tribes, thus continuing to pass down their culture. An alternative solution would be to raise awareness about how important preserving cultural diversity is by teaching this in schools, etc.; or, countries could donate money to set up events showcasing African tribal culture and to provide tribes with additional resources so people won’t be forced to seek a better life in urban areas. However, other countries think that if people want to move to cities and lose their culture, it isn’t non-southern-African nations’ place to tell them not to, and this problem isn’t worth spending a lot of money on anyway. I think it wants to help these people save their cultures, but it doesn’t care about cultural diversity as much as some other issues (such as food aid for Zimbabweans). It could provide funding for cultural events, like festivals, or donate money so the people living in tribes don’t have to move to cities to earn more money. It could also sponsor programs to raise awareness about the importance of cultural diversity. It will probably not have a very strong opinion on this issue, since either way it doesn’t really affect it much. It would be willing to help sponsor cultural events, etc. to preserve African cultures, though.
 * What is the problem? How does it affect your country?**
 * What has your country done to combat the problem?**
 * What are the various “sides” in the debate?**
 * Which aspects of the issue are most important to your country?**
 * If your country is not involved with the issue, how can it become involved?**
 * How will your country shape the debate at the conference?**
 * What arguments will other countries make?**
 * How do the positions of other countries affect your country’s position?**
 * Is there evidence or statistics that might help to back up your country’s position?**