Country: Brazil
Committee: UNDP
Topic: Eradication of Poverty
Delegate: Josh Glynn
School: Williamston High School
Despite nearly all countries across the world working tirelessly to halt and eventually diminish the cycle of poverty, such efforts have proven to be minimal in their beneficial effects. Poor managerial operations at the federal level created the foundation for poverty at the citizen level. Weak healthcare systems, infrastructure, and telecommunication technology (to name a few), are some of the factors that prematurely handed citizens a disadvantage. Without fundamental methods of transportation to utilize, many job possibilities are immediately dismissed. The absence of a quality healthcare system creates a society where many find themselves prioritizing overcoming an illness rather than being active in the workforce. With outdated communication technology, information is relayed at a upsettingly slow rate causing negative effects in many areas of society.
Brazil not only acknowledges the prevalence of poverty across the globe but is taking initiative to combat it. Within the country of Brazil, officials are looking to decrease government expenditures on the middle and upper classes in an effort to focus more closely on reducing poverty for the poorest 40% of the country’s population. Brazil has created a method to house those in need of shelter with the creation of Minha Casa, Minha Vida program. Another program implemented by the Brazilian government was called Bolsa Família. The system gave financial aid to families that made less than a set amount. In order to receive the aid, the parents must ensure their children are meeting health and educational requirements. This program will benefit the country in the long run as these children will harness their education within the Brazilian workforce and thus strengthen the national economy. The Brazilian government not only looks to further limit poverty in its own country but also those around the world.
Brazil proposes that gender inequality be reduced through proposed standards that would be agreed upon by countries that are members of the United Nations. Ensuring that women have equal educational opportunities will greatly decrease the chance of marriage before the age of eighteen. Also, women that lack education generally spread HIV/AIDS at a higher rate which is a significant root for poverty. Education is another vital topic that needs attention. UNESCO reported that the ability to read can remove 171 million people from severe poverty. Those with an education can give back much more to the country they grew up in, making education mutually beneficial to the government and its citizens. Brazil unfortunately witnesses poverty firsthand, that is why we deeply understand its inauspicious effects and look to work with countries such as the United States and Germany as they share similar views on the steps to take in reducing poverty.
- Josh Glynn
