UCIMUN 2014 3rd Committee Social, Cultural, Humanitarian Welcome Delegates! Hello everyone! My name is Maha Alabbad and I will be co-directing this committee alongside our Director Sandra Sok. Many diverse opinions and solutions can emerge during committee, and I am excited to open the discussion and listen to all your different solutions. I am currently a sophomore at UC Irvine double majoring in Aerospace Engineering and International Studies. I am an international student from Saudi Arabia and I’ve been passionate about MUN since I helped establish the MUN club in my high school. I come from a different background and therefore I enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people. This conference will mark my ninth MUN conference and like every other time I am excited to spend the weekend in a productive-fun manner. Welcome to the Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Committee (Third Committee). My name is Sandra Sok and I will be your Director for UC Irvine’s 2014 Model United Nations Conference. This year the topics we will be discussing are as follows: (1) Female Genital Mutilation and (2) Malnutrition and Safe Drinking Water in Developing Countries. I am currently a third year undergraduate at UC Irvine and majoring in Psychology and Social Behavior. This year marks my seventh year of MUN. My passion for this program has only magnified since my first conference as a freshman in high school. Aside from taking classes and working on MUN related matters, I am involved in UC Irvine’s Campuswide Honors Program and also work at a law firm in Orange County. Should you have any questions or concerns during the course of your conference preparation, please do not hesitate to contact either your Assistant Director, Maha Alabbad, or me. Committee: Third Committee – Social, Cultural and Humanitarian (3 rd SCH) Topic: Malnutrition and Safe Drinking Water in Developing Countries Background In many developing countries there exists a huge population of people who suffer to meet their basic individual needs. One of these basic needs that has been an issue for a while is access to safe drinking water. The World Health Organization (WHO) calculated that “About 2.6 billion people- half the developing world- lack even a simple 'improved' latrine and 1.1 billion people have no access to any type of improved drinking source of water.” Obtaining safe drinking water and malnutrition usually come hand in hand under the umbrella of poverty; in such desperate circumstances people who live within these communities eat to survive with no consideration towards nutrition-fulfillment. Malnutrition is the medical term that is used to describe this situation, defined as “the condition that occurs when your body is lacking these main supplements.” We will be aiming to find solutions that can satisfy both problems in which they usually coexist with each other. Unlike under-nutrition or starvation, malnutrition is not the lack of food but the lack of adequate nutrition from their diet. This condition is a long-term one, and leads to the numerous side effects and diseases that in turn can lead to death or disability in adults and especially in children. Many of these cases remain untreated because of the little access to health services in these countries, and because the side effects of these problems aren’t severe during the early stages. The problem that we are concerned about is that even the basic of human needs aren’t being globally met. Therefore, we shall be more concerned about coming up with resolutions that will help standardize these basic needs until they can be managed even under poverty. Today, the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s), concerned with “meeting the needs of the poorest”, have adapted this issue. United Nations Actions The United Nations has identified the situation as a “global crisis” and has been working on finding alternative solutions for the problem. Many conferences, such as the United Nations Water Conference (1977), the international Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade (1981-1990), the International Conference on Water and the Environment (1992), and the Earth Summit (1992) have been launched in attempts to resolve the water crisis in the developing countries. The UN focuses “on the sustainable development of fragile and finite freshwater resources, which are under increasing stress from population growth, pollution and the demands of agriculture and industrial uses.” Also, the UN has declared/established: a. International Year of Freshwater (2003) b. UN Water - established by The Chief Executives Board (CEB)- (2003) c. “Water for Life” – (2005-2015) d. World Water day (22 March) The United Nations General Assembly has drafted many resolutions regarding Malnutrition in developing countries including “The Universal Declaration on the Eradication of Hunger and Malnutrition" (The World Food Conference 1974), and Resolution 50/109 (World Food Summit 1995). Many actions have been taken in attempts to meet the Millennium Development Goals to eradicate poverty as a whole, including those meant to address clean water access and malnutrition. These actions are numerous by nature, and delegates should consider what about these efforts up to now have not worked at all, or should be expanded upon in future endeavors. Possible Solutions: When looking for solutions keep in mind that awareness has an overrated influence on such problems, which can be applied as a minor component of solutions in tandem with tangible solutions. Educating the poor about the consequences of their living conditions will not do much, and raising awareness internationally is ineffective by itself. Good solutions will keep in mind that we are dealing with a global issue, and that only diverse and wide-reaching solutions will be effective . Think about where your country stands regarding this problems (is it suffering from it, or can it help solve it?) then think about what role can your country play that will benefit it the most and that can reflect these benefits globally. Another key point to consider is what solutions address symptoms of the problem and which address the root causes. Providing aid in any form works to help people recover temporarily, but does not affect their impoverished status, which is the cause of their health concerns. While it is not necessary to solve poverty within this committee, good solutions should work towards longevity and sustainability of solutions, leaving the living conditions of these peoples bettered overall. Short term solutions and long term solutions are both integral parts of plans to combat malnutrition and lack of water access, and delegates should include elements of each. Question to Consider: 1. How are the water crisis and the malnutrition crisis, and are there any solutions that can solve both problems? 2. How do these problems reflect on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s)? 3. What makes this problem a global world crisis? 4. Where does your country stand on this issue? Is it directly affected by the problem (a developing country)? 5. What actions did your country take during past conferences and resolutions? 6. Do the side effects of this issue can or may reflect on your country or the International System? Works Cited “Water Sanitation and Health (WSH)” World Health Organization. WHO. <http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/mdg1/en/> “The Water Crisis in Third World Countries” Monterey Starke. Liberty University 2012. <http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1301&context=honors> “What is Malnutrition?” World Food Programme (WFP). United Nations. <http://www.wfp.org/hunger/malnutrition> “Malnutrition and Health in Developing Countries” Olaf Muller, Michael Krawinkle. Medical knowledge (CMAJ). <http://www.cmaj.ca/content/173/3/279.full>