Topic: 2024-Supply Chain Stability
Country: France
Delegate Name: Molly O’Donnell
Great Lakes Invitational Model United Nations Conference 2024 Delegation: France
Committee: Special Political and Decolonization
Topic: Supply Chain Stability
The stability of global supply chains has become an increasingly pressing issue especially due to the effects of the COVID-19 virus and the 2021 blockage of the Suez Canal. These disruptions not only caused panic but also demonstrated the fragile system that is our current network of production and distribution. In addition to these, political conflicts are also a leading cause of supply chain instability causing countries to no longer be in good relations and therefore refusing to import or export essential goods with each other. We have seen this happen countless times, but most recently political tensions between the Russian Federation and Ukraine have caused the countries in favor of or opposed to this war to either continue relations in terms of trade or cut them off entirely. Events like pandemics, natural disasters and political conflicts are unavoidable and will almost indefinitely lead to shortages, upset economies and slow a nations growth. (Thierry) Along with this comes the issue of reliability, many nations are struggling to reliably source things like food, grains, semi-conductors and raw materials, all of which are contributing to leading issues of food insecurity and manufacturing difficulties. Due to this we can find a multitude of nations struggling to keep up and support their supply and demand which is only emphasizing the severity of this situation. (Global)
The Delegation of France has been greatly impacted by these issues, specifically concerning the Russian Ukrainian war. Alongside many other nations The Delegation of France has witnessed firsthand the effects of the current energy crisis caused by Russia’s reduction in gas supply to Europe. Causing nearly a 180% increase in gas prices across much of Europe including for The Delegation of France. (Adolfsen) This drastic increase has brought inflation along with it causing an uptake in public transportation prices, which many citizens once relied on but are no longer able to afford.( Thierry) It is because of this that many families are also affected by food insecurity and are unable to make a living off their wages. (Global)
To combat the multitude of issues that come with an unstable supply chain the Delegation of France proposes a multilateral plan. To address the most prominent struggles of the people, being food security, countries must begin or continue to diversify their relations in terms of trade, as well as creating food stores for things like grains and shelf stable items, which could then be distributed to those in need. In addition to this, nations affected by the energy shortages due to the Russian Ukraine War should begin to look to more renewable sources of energy. To make these new sources more readily available to countries without the means to build the necessary infrastructure funding for this project would be drawn from the United Nations Sustainable Energy Committee working with their plan for 2025, with nations wishing to participate receiving funds based on their population. (Byline)
Works Cited:
“Russia-Ukraine War Impact: Global Supply Chain & Logistics Crisis: GEP Blogs.” Russia- Ukraine War Impact on Global Supply Chain & Logistics | GEP Blog, 18 Mar. 2016, www.gep.com/blog/mind/russia-ukraine-war-logistics-impact.
“Global Food Security.” Global Food Security | Journal | ScienceDirect.Com by Elsevier, www.sciencedirect.com/journal/global-food-security. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.
Adolfsen, Jakob Feveile, et al. “The Impact of the War in Ukraine on Euro Area Energy Markets.” European Central Bank, 21 June 2022, www.ecb.europa.eu/press/economic- bulletin/focus/2022/html/ecb.ebbox202204_01~68ef3c3dc6.en.html.
Thierry Dubois Thierry Dubois has specialized in aerospace journalism since 1997. An engineer in fluid dynamics from Toulouse-based Enseeiht, et al. “French Supply Chain Struggles to Keep up with Production Needs.” Aviation Week Network, 2 May 2023, aviationweek.com/aerospace/manufacturing-supply-chain/french-supply-chain-struggles- keep-production-needs.
Byline:, and Adam Fisher Sustainability Communications. “U-M Publishes Third Annual Climate and Sustainability Report.” The University Record, record.umich.edu/articles/u-m- publishes-third-annual-climate-and-sustainability-report/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.
