Topics for GrunnMUN 2012
The next topics will be addressed in the councils:
- General Assembly: Combating Global Piracy
Maritime piracy is a growing security headache for governments the world over. Pirates originating from Somalia regularly grabbed the headlines in previous years with high-profile attacks on cargo ships crossing through the Gulf of Aden, taking the crew hostage and sometimes making off with the ship itself. The attention of the media may have moved on to other things, but the problem of piracy remains as intractable as ever. Pirate attacks are on the rise worldwide: 2011 was another record year for the Somali pirate syndicates, whose example seems to have inspired would-be buccaneers in West Africa, South East Asia and even the Caribbean. Pirates themselves have claimed they were driven into illegality by civil conflict and the destruction of their traditional livelihood, fishing. It will be up to the General Assembly to weigh the arguments involved and seek a balanced solution that provides both immediate security and addresses the root causes of the phenomenon.
- Security Council: The Situation in Syria
The wave of protests and uprisings that swept across the Arab world in 2011 continues into 2012. In Syria, protests calling for the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad and his ruling Baath Party through protests and civil disobedience have been met with iron-fisted repression. The regime clamped down on dissent, imprisoned opposition activists and increasingly, resorted to brute force to quell the protests movement. Estimates suggest that, at the time of writing, just under 6,000 people have died as a result, and the violence shows no sign of abating. Indeed, with the increasing militarisation of the protest movement, the outbreak of a full-blown civil war seems more than a distant possibility. As the body responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security, the Security Council will have to find a solution to prevent the turmoil in Syria from engulfing the whole region.
- ECOSOC: Development Aid in times of Economic Crisis
While governments have sought to survive the raging economic and financial crisis, the prospect for a strengthened development effort in the world's poorest regions has taken an alarming turn. Increased cutbacks on Official Development Assistance by traditional donor countries has left the development field vulnerable to financial malpractice and ineffective aid. With the effects felt across public and private organisations, prospects are indeed very bleak for public-funded initiatives, leaving most of the humanitarian and development agencies of the United Nations particularly affected. Without sufficient endowments, the international community is at a loss in achieving the hard-fought targets of the Millennium Development Goals. It will be the task of the Economic and Social Council of GrunnMUN 2012 to reflect on the decline of development finance during episodes of major financial constraint and to seek out a renewed commitment for Official Development Assistance in the coming years.
