Montessori Model United Nations MMUN 2012

Transcription

1 Montessori Model United Nations Dear Delegates, Food and Agricultural Organization FAO It is a pleasure to welcome you to the 2012 Montessori Model UN and specifically to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, commonly referred to as the FAO. The following pages intend to guide you in the research of the topics that will be debated at in committee sessions. Please note - this guide only provides the basis for your investigation. It is your responsibility to find as much information necessary on both the topics - how they relate to the country you represent. Such information should help you write your Position Paper, where you need to cite the references in the text and finally list all references in the MLA format. The MLA format may or may not be strictly adhered to in this because the primary purpose is to provide you the initial launching pad to pursue your research on the two topics. The more information and understanding you acquire on the two topics, the more you will be able to influence the Resolution writing process through debates [formal and informal caucuses], and the MMUN experience as a whole. Please feel free to contact me if and when you face challenges in your research or formatting your Position Papers. We encourage you to learn all you can about your country first with regard to the two selected topics and both committee members need to be well versed in each topic. Enjoy researching and writing your Position Papers. We look forward to seeing you in New York! Peter Megginson President FAO Montessori Model UN FAO@montessori-mun.org

2 MONTESSORI MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2012 History: Forty- four governments assembled in the State of Virginia, USA, in 1943, to commit to starting an organization to fight hunger in the world. By 1945, in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, the Food and Agriculture Organization became chartered as a United Nations agency and thus began a collective effort to defeat hunger. In the succeeding years, the FAO and non-governmental partners aligned to support the FAO s mission, set standards for providing food in underdeveloped areas, established protocols for faster response to urgent situations, and created programs to combat the underlying causes of hunger. The work continues today; and although countless individuals and organizations have worked to decrease the number of hungry in the world, hunger is on the rise. Purpose and mission statement: The Food and Agriculture Organization, located in Rome, Italy, is the largest nongovernmental organization (NGO) under the United Nations direction. It exists to help build a food-secure world for present and future generations." The FAO is funded by UN member states and donations; the budget is established for two years. FAO exists to: 1. Act as a neutral forum for negotiations, discussion, or problem solving between groups, regions, or countries; 2. Provide a wealth of information on production, nutrition, methods, safety, and resources to help increase food supplies; 3. Share the experience of experts; and 4. Employ 12,000 persons to work in the field to help ensure FAO projects are successful and reach their goals. Membership and Authority: The FAO is comprised of ten governing bodies: FAO Conference, FAO Council, Programme Committee, Finance Committee, Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters, Committee on Commodity Problems, Committee on Fishery, Committee on Forestry, Committee on Agriculture, and the Committee on World Food Security. The

3 governing body of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations elects the Director General for a six-year term. The present Director General, Dr. Jacques Diouf of Senegal, is serving his third six-year term.

4 Topic I: The Use, Production and Trade of GMOs and GMO Crops Introduction: Genetically-modified organisms are everywhere in the world of food, both as plants and as animals. They are also a subject of heated debate, because they are so new that we are not entirely sure of what their long-term impacts might be. Although better food security can be attributed to higher production yields of GMO crops, GMOs also interfere with agricultural biodiversity, which can lead to widespread crop loss in case of new pests or natural disasters and a loss of food and habitat for wild plants and animals. Human health issues are also important when dealing with GMOs. We do not have long-term data on what happens when humans eat genetically-modified crops as food over many years. Also, the economic impacts of the rise of GMO crops could have a negative impact on the global profession of agriculture, as it makes growing plants for food more expensive and complicated. Background: Genetically-modified organisms, also known as GMOs, are now quite common, thanks to modern scientific methods. They are created when scientists intentionally alter the genetic information that every living thing contains in its molecules of DNA. They insert information into the original DNA to produce traits taken from other living things. When the modified organism s cells express their DNA, they include the inserted trait. This way, scientists can choose for plants and animals to be more resistant to diseases, pesticides or droughts, produce more meat or bigger fruit, or other important characteristics. Many agricultural experts consider the advance of GMO crops and livestock to be a key component in the Green Revolution, a period of time in the late 20 th century when agriculture made significant advances thanks to new scientific discoveries and

5 technological breakthroughs. The Green Revolution helped to provide new food security to many poorer regions of the world, as crop yields multiplied many times over. Despite the great advances in food production that GMOs and other Green Revolution advances have created, there are still numerous questions about their long-term ecological, health, and economic impacts. Because GMOs are relatively new on the agricultural scene, we do not have the historical knowledge of how they affect people and the environment in the long-term. We have also already begun to see how these advances can create larger obstacles for developing-world agricultural communities, even while supposedly trying to decrease world hunger. Ecologically, there is great concern that GMOs decrease agricultural biodiversity, and that they can affect non-gmo plants and animals. Biodiversity, or the representation of many types of living things in a habitat, is important to the survival of all creatures. Organisms rely on one another through the food web, compete with one another for food, water, and shelter, and benefit from the way other living things survive. Biodiversity is natural, even in a crop field. There are small differences between plants of the same kind, many farmers grow multiple crops, and insects and animals use the field as a home. GMOs, however, can create unnatural similarities in a crop field, and if one plant gets sick or is eaten by an insect, all of the plants will have the same weakness to the disease or pest. Also, because they are designed to grow well in many conditions and resist many types of natural damage, GMO crops may make poor food and shelter sources for wildlife whose natural biome is agricultural fields. There are also concerns about how GMOs may affect human health when they are eaten as a food source or grown near or worked on by humans. The FAO has performed studies on the safety of GMOs as food, as well as on their potential to create or worsen food allergies in people. While the general consensus is that most GMOs seem safe within global health guidelines, the problem is that we do not have the same amount of experience with these crops being eaten as food as we do with traditionallyproduced crops. There may be unknown long-term health risks associated with GMOs that have not yet been studied. Also, many GMO crops are associated with other industrialized forms of agricultural production, including the use of fertilizers and chemical pest killers. These added chemicals can have negative long-term and shortterm impacts on the health of workers and people living near agricultural fields. The increased use of GMOs in food production can also have an impact on the economics of agriculture. Farming is one of the world s oldest professions, and many people in developing countries farm not only to feed their families on a day-to-day basis, but also to earn a living. However, GMOs can complicate this source of income. Because GMOs are created in laboratories, they considered the property of the organization or company that invents them. Depending on the intellectual property (IP) laws that apply in a certain place, it may become illegal for a farmer to grow GMO seeds without re-purchasing them from the copyright holder every year. As mentioned before, some GMO crops also require special chemicals like fertilizers and pesticides. This means that GMO crops can become very expensive for the grower. Also, when a few farmers in an area can produce a much larger amount of food per square meter because they are using GMO crops, it makes it difficult for non-gmo farmer s crops to compete in the market. It may not be economically worthwhile for a farmer to keep growing food at all if he or she does not switch to GMO crops in these cases. Additionally, because the specific genetic information of the GMO is owned by the IP holder, if these crops mix in

6 with non-gmo crops, it can be considered theft of that genetic information. Unfortunately, this mixing can happen when insects pollinate two different fields, or even when the wind blows. This mixing has led these multinational food corporations to sue farmers, whose fields and non-gmo crops have been cross-pollinated with GMO crops (by accident). Although GMOs can significantly increase food production, they also make the work of farming more expensive and complicated for the farmers. This may make crop farming less profitable or accessible for farmers in developing nations. Possible Solutions: Education, public outreach: Part of ensuring that modern agricultural advances as a whole are successful includes bringing these concepts and technologies to areas that might not otherwise use them. Farmers in developing regions may benefit in some cases from GMOs but may not have access to the companies that provide them, or may not know how to properly care for the living things once they have them. Cooperation between the developed and developing world to create a global system of equitable agriculture is crucial. Research: Much of the concern about GMOs is due to the fact that relatively little is still known about their long-term impacts on health, the global economy, and the environment. Dedicating people and money to research on GMOs and other newer forms of agriculture is key so that problems can be fixed and future agriculture can be even more efficient and sustainable. Regulation: Until more is known about GMOs, some areas have chosen to strictly regulate their use in the food system. A primary example of this is the European Union. In the EU member states, products containing GMOs must go through a rigorous approval process before they may be sold to the public. Then, when they are approved, they must usually be labeled as containing GMO food crops. This allows the consumer to make informed decisions about whether or not they wish to consume GMOs while their long-term effects are still unknown. This labeling of GMO foods is not typical in nations outside of the EU area. Encouraging diversity: Governments and non-governmental organizations can play a key role in protecting agricultural diversity, both in protects the genetic diversity of native non-gmo living things, as well as preserving more traditional farming practices alongside modern ones. For example, wildlife preserves can be established around agricultural areas. These buffer habitats can be maintained around modern industriallyfarmed fields to give native plants and animals a place to live, and seed banks can preserve historically-important non-gmo types of plants so that they are not wiped out by cross-pollination and competition with GMO crops. Research Questions: 1. Is this issue a problem in your country/neighboring countries/continent? 2. Who and what are the stakeholders (important participants) related to this issue? 3. What are the positions of the various stakeholders on this issue? 4. What strategies/solutions have been attempted? a. What has worked? Why?

7 b. What has not worked? Why? c. What could be improved? Why? d. What new strategies need to be introduced? Why? 5. How does this problem affect your country/neighboring countries/continent/the world, and what effect has it had in the past? 6. If this issue is not a problem in your country, then how can your government and people be involved? Explain in detail how your government and people could become involved in the solutions. 7. What and how can children like you be involved in the prevention and occurrences of the issue? 8. What are some facts, figures, statistics regarding the issue national, regional, international Summary: GMOs, along with all of the advances of the Green Revolution, have made it possible to feed many more people in the world. However, it is important to remember that this increased food production does not come without consequences. Maintaining biodiversity, protecting human health, and ensuring the continual viability of the global practice of agriculture are all important goals. We must carefully learn more about GMOs as more information becomes available, and work hard to research the new, preserve the traditional, and keep everyone informed so that modern agriculture can be as efficient and sustainable as possible. Reading/Research Resources: ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/006/y5316e/y5316e00.pdf

8 Key Terms K o o o o o o GMO genetically-modified organism, a living thing that has had its characteristics changed by adding new material to its genes. DNA deoxyribonucleic acid, a molecule found in the cells of living things that stores genetic information. Traits characteristics of a living thing that are expressed, or made visible. Traits are stored in DNA. Green Revolution the period from roughly 1960 to 1990 when many advances in agriculture were made, increasing food productivity but also setting off unknown environmental consequences. Biodiversity the representation of many types of living things in a habitat. Intellectual property (IP) refers to laws that help to determine who owns ideas as well as products that are created as a result of certain ideas. For example, the genetic information of GMOs as well as GMO seeds are considered intellectual property. o Seed bank A seed bank is a protected storage place for historically-important seeds so that these types of plants are not lost to environmental problems or natural disasters.

9 Topic II: Addressing Food Price Volatility Introduction: A dramatic climb in food prices has hit markets in the past five years. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has been monitoring food prices since 1990, and in 2011, record highs were reached. The FAO believes that a rocky road is ahead too. Real prices for cereals (grains) could average as much as 20 per cent higher and the prices for meats as much as 30 per cent higher, compared to , FAO states in a news release, adding that these projections are well below the peak price levels experienced in and again this year. According to the FAO Biannual Food Outlook, global food prices are likely to remain high due to declining excess food stocks and the smaller production increases for the majority of crops. Causes of high price volatility include unexpected crop failures, growing economic linkage in outside markets including the purchasing and corporate ownership of future food markets, poor market transparency, unexpected changes due to national food security situations, panic buying, and hoarding. Food consumption is expected to rise rapidly. The areas that will see the most growth include Eastern Europe, Asia, and Latin America with a larger demand for meat, dairy products, vegetable oils, and sugar. FAO experts have recognized that unexpected food price hikes are a high threat to food security. Generally, it has been determined that the supply and demand of grain crops are adequate and in balance. Less information is available about meat and dairy products, but they are often closely related to cereal grain statistics. It is reported that the global agricultural production will grow more slowly this decade with a farm output increase of only 1.7 percent annually. This is compared to a 2.6 percent growth in the past decade. This is a problem, when food production is outpaced by population growth. Background: There is unrest in dozens of countries where citizens blame governments for their hunger. There has been much effort to lower the hunger across the globe, but

10 millions of citizens are not seeing the results. The World Food Program states that there are 925 million people who are close to starvation. Ninety-eight percent of these individuals live in developing countries. UNICEF cites that 5 million children under the age of 5 die from starvation each year. During an emergency summit in Rome, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated: Nothing is more degrading than hunger, especially when man-made. It breeds anger, social disintegration, ill health and economic decline. Hopeful of a global solution, he continued, Only by acting together, in partnership, can we overcome this crisis, today and for tomorrow. Hundreds of millions of the world s people expect no less. The United Nations has stated that many countries and food suppliers panicked in 2008 when food prices hit record levels. In an attempt to avoid price shocks, some countries imposed strict export restrictions. Importers started importing cereals at any price so they would not run the risk of a food shortage. This panic led to an increase in speculative investments, and it can be argued, to have led to more high food prices and corporate profiteering. Agriculture economist Joachim von Braun, Director-General of the International Food Policy Research Institute believes that high food prices are due to a multiple reasons including: Rising oil prices, which, in turn, ripple throughout the farm economy, increasing transportation costs, fertilizer and food processing costs. Improved living standards in China, India and parts of Latin America, has lead to increased meat consumption and thus higher demand for grain for animal feed. Poor weather in major food exporting countries, including years of drought in the Australian wheat belt and flooding in major US maize (corn)- and wheatproducing areas. Increased speculation in agricultural commodity markets by large investors. The FAO estimates that commercial investment in farm commodities has increased more than tenfold to $150 billion [between 2004 and 2008], inflating food prices as investors turn to agricultural commodities that promise high returns amid sharp downturns in other parts of the troubled world economy. Decades of underinvestment and declining yields in agriculture in African and other poor countries, which increases demand for limited world food supplies and limits the world s ability to produce more.

11 FAO Possible Solutions: The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), in conjunction with the FAO has called for greater worldwide investment in agriculture. This will ensure that farms thrive and produce ample product for their customers and consumers. FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf stated: The key solution to the problem will be boosting investment in agriculture and reinforcing rural development in developing countries, where 98 per cent of the hungry people live today and where population is expected to increase by 47 per cent over the next decades. In addition to this, he commented that efforts should focus in particular on small farms in povertystricken food-poor countries for the most positive agricultural growth. A group of FAO leaders in 2010 agreed on some key ideas to end high food prices. The Inter-governmental Groups on Grains and Rice (IGGs) vocalized some of these alternatives: Exploring alternative approaches to decreasing food price volatility and new systems to improve transparency and manage the risks related with new sources of corporate betting on food prices leading to high food market volatility Intensifying FAO s information-gathering and communicating with farmers, food vendors, purchasers and consumers, at all levels. More intense monitoring of farmer planting intentions, crop development, and domestic and international economic factors. This group made a point to say that it would follow all rules issued by the World Trade Organization (WTO) to protect global, regional, and national food security.

12 In February of 2011, the Press Conference on Response of Secretary-General s High-Level Task Force to Recent Increase in Food Prices was held. David Nabarro, Coordinator of the Secretary-General s High-Level Task Force on Global Food Security, explained focal points of the UN conference: 40 million people moved below the poverty line in recent months. These people should not need to spend 75 percent of their income on food alone. Especially seeing that it was on average 60 percent in 201o for poorer consumers to purchase food for their families. The World Food Program, registered on high alert, is running out of supplies. It may not be able to provide aid for many vulnerable communities. These poverty stricken people do not have economic or governmental safety nets to absorb price shocks and food shortages. UNICEF has reported that poor households are implementing coping strategies including eating fewer meals, cutting health expenditures, letting debts rise, and working longer hours in the informal employment sector. The UN agrees that all governments should invest in better nutrition particularly for pregnant women and all children. Increased investment in agriculture must target roads and transportation to markets, as well as help purchasing seeds and fertilizer. Post-harvest systems must be improved to increase the profit from crops for poor farmers in the developing world. Mr. Nabarro also stated that the UN was monitoring efforts to draft codes of conduct for international multinational corporate land purchases and is also considering ways in which international private investors could equitably go into developing countries without disrupting the local farming economies. Millennium Development Goal (MDG) One is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. To do this, food price volatility and overly high food pricing must be defeated. So, aiming to control food prices around the world, the UN is working on: Reducing the proportion of people whose income is less than $1 a day by half. Achieving full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people. Reducing the proportion of people who suffer from hunger by half. To aid in achieving this MDG, a Task Force was created in 2008 and published the Comprehensive Framework for Action. This force includes 20 key members of the UN. It is chaired by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and is vice-chaired by Director- General of the FAO Jaques Diouf. The Comprehensive Framework is constructed to meet specific populations needs regarding food and agriculture. This includes aid assistance, nutrition interventions, development of safety nets, and changes in international and national trade tax rules to benefit developing nations and poorer communities. Other goals of this group are to build longer-term strength and flexibility into the global food system. Each member has specific goals to aid this cause. Some of these goals include: The World Food Program is enhancing the availability of healthy food products. This is aimed toward all peoples, but was especially designed for young children and mothers. The WFP is also promoting local production of nutritious food products.

13 The World Bank plans to address short, medium, and long term financial problems. This includes creating safety nets such as meals at schools and meals at work places. The WB also promotes increased agricultural production and education on bio-fuels. It plans on providing assistance to the neediest countries. The FAO has directed 59 million US dollars in 2008 to assist countries with poor farming seasons. The FAO also has an Initiative on Soaring Food Prices which fosters infrastructure. The FAO also aids in disaster risk management. The International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) has made 200 million dollars available to increase agricultural production. This money provides credit to purchase agricultural machinery such as tools for seed distribution. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has conducted many studies researching food price volatility. It has teams set up to help countries plan and organize financial responsibilities. The World Health Organization (WHO) is undertaking the battle to fight malnutrition. It is putting the initial focus on the most vulnerable populations. The WHO promotes breastfeeding and organizes many mother-child nutrition programs. It is also promoting better health care and immunization programs for children and pregnant women. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) helps governments develop strategies to counter the global food crisis. It also promotes sustainable agricultural production and productivity. The UN Conference on Trade Development (UNCTAD) helps countries increase food security. It offers assistance in attracting domestic and foreign investments. It also helps market organic agricultural and bio-trade products. Research Questions: 1. Is this issue a problem in your country/ neighboring countries/ continent? 2. Who and what are the stakeholders (concerned participants) regarding this issue? 3. What are the positions of various stakeholders on this issue? 4. What strategies/solutions have been attempted? 5. What has worked? Why? 6. What has not worked? Why? 7. What could be improved? 8. What new strategies need to be introduced? 9. How does this problem affect your country/ neighboring countries/ continent/ world, and what effect has it had in the past? 10. If this issue is not a problem in your country, then how can your government and people be involved in solving this problem? 11. What are some facts, figures, statistics regarding the issue national, regional, international? Summary: There are many factors that have led to the global food crisis. Unfortunately, the global economic crisis helped create this problem, and is making it increasingly difficult to end. However, more and more attention has been brought to this problem recently. The UN has recognized the food crisis as major issue, and has named it one of the

14 Millennium Development Goals. Along with this focus, there are over 20 international organizations that are working hard on battling this problem. When more people have easy access to locally grown, healthy and affordable food, there will be better means to control high food prices and less international economic pressure and speculation on food products. Ending food scarcity will end soaring food prices and market volatility. Reading/Research Resources: cnbc.com/gallery/?video=