Topic: Access to Safe Drinking Water
Country: China
Delegate Name: Jeffrey Stehlin
School: Royal Oak High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All China position papers GLIMUN 2009 committees
The safe drinking water situation is becoming more of a pressing issue throughout the international community. While general progress has been made, China feels that further progress needs to be accomplished – internally as well as internationally. Safe drinking water is one of the most important issues faced by the international community (most notably by African and Middle Eastern countries) as it directly affects the ability for people to lead healthy, functional lives. This dependency upon water stresses the need for a fast, sustainable solution that can alleviate suffering peoples from this deteriorating situation. A lack of safe drinking water has unparalleled repercussions, stemming from an initial water scarcity to diarrhoeal diseases, trachoma, unhealthy livestock, and the devastation of other food sources. This issue is something that cannot be contained, and unless acted upon quickly will have unprecedented negative effects on the world as a whole.
The importance of this issue and the direct effect that it has on China leads China to stress the need for an immediate solution. In China, freshwater resources are inadequate and conditions are slowly deteriorating despite progress that has been made in the areas of distribution and water quality, specifically sanitation. Drinking wells have been built and coupled with an intense fight against drought from the Chinese people small progress has been made to aid China’s growing population. However, China’s population growth and its rising need for safe drinking water are outpacing the progress being made. This situation is made worse as international countries look for support in the area of safe water drinking from the Chinese Government and relief committees. While China hopes to eventually aid developing counties and provide sustainable relief systems to those suffering from unsanitary water supplies, this progress can only be made when internal water issues have first been solved.
As a leading world power, China recognizes its responsibility to aid developing countries that lack the resources to function independently, however, China would also like to be given the opportunity stabilize its’ internal problems and to receive aid from other countries and Non-Governmental Organizations, such as the United States and the World Health Organization, who have more reliable and effective means for the creation of safe drinking water. China calls upon all nations capable of distributing safe drinking water technologies internationally to do so, believing that because water is a worldwide issue that the solution should also become a communal effort, China included. The importance of this issue surpasses the tendency to operate as independent nations and China believes that in order for a sustainable, adequate solution to be achieved all countries need to communally work together towards achieving said solution, taking a vast issue and making it manageable through cooperation and a common effort.
