Topic: 2024-Supply Chain Stability
Country: Iran
Delegate Name: Natalie Gibbs
Islamic Republic of Iran
Supply Chain Stability
Increasing the stability of the supply chain is an important task, as every country in this committee knows well. With recent crises like the Covid-19 pandemic, Suez Canal blockage, and Israel’s acts of ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip, the supply chain’s weaknesses have become more and more evident. Collaborating with both big businesses and national governments and creating incentives for them to stabilize their production and exports is essential to ensure economic prosperity and high quality of life for people worldwide. However, in doing so, the SPECPOL committee must ensure that incentives and resources are distributed fairly among all countries. A stable supply chain means a supply chain that works regardless of the conflicts brewing around the world. Thus, too much favor must not be given to Western countries or countries that have aligned themselves with the West.
In the Islamic Republic of Iran, the main problem the supply chain faces is sanctions from Western countries, most prominently the United States of America. Though a wide variety of sanctions have been placed on Iran by the USA over the decades, the most recent ones have been imposed following Iran’s withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or the JCPOA. The JCPOA was created to limit Iran’s nuclear program, dismantling most of the program in exchange for relief from past sanctions. However, the USA’s President Trump withdrew from the deal, and Iran began to stop following it a year later. Despite the fact that they were the first to withdraw, the United States ramped up sanctions against Iran, claiming it was because they’d exited the deal. Since these harsh sanctions have been put in place, Iran has been forced to turn inward and invest more in local production as well as rely on other trade partners such as Russia, China, and neighboring countries like Iraq, Turkey, and the UAE. While Iran is grateful for these relationships, it recognizes that not every country being unfairly sanctioned has such resources, and their citizens shouldn’t have to suffer without essentials like food and medicines because of it. Sanctions are a huge hurdle to the stability of the supply chain.
The creation of a trade corridor regulated by the United Nations is one potential solution to the supply chain issues that exist, and Iran is heavily in favor of it. This trade corridor could strictly be used for food and medicine, but would be functional for all countries, regardless of any sanctions they might have been placed under. While this might be difficult to regulate, a devoted task force and neutral group of countries intent on monitoring the corridor and ensuring its safety could make it happen with sufficient resources. Iran also advocates for a resolution that would encourage more regional trade routes between countries in each area, increasing economic connection and mutual benefit for neighboring countries.
Additionally, this committee should emphasize the importance of investing in long-lasting infrastructure based in each country. While pouring money into furthering local production is not incredibly feasible, every nation needs to be able to turn inward and produce for its citizens for a short period of time during a crisis. The creation of more infrastructure, ideally climate-friendly and sustainable, would be ideal.
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-iran-nuclear-deal
https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/market-insights/latest-news/natural-gas/080718-us-confirms-iran-sanctions-waiver-for-azerbaijan-natural-gas-pipeline-to-turkey-europe
https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/245317.pdf
