Topic: Dealing with Civil and Political Unrest
Country: Belgium
Delegate Name: Ellie Buchanan
School: Forest Hills Central High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Belgium position papers GLIMUN 2014 committees
Civil and political unrest is inevitable in every country of the world. It is bound to happen during some point in history. The issues can be simple or complex, and occur in both developed and developing countries. In the last few years alone, there have been countless examples. The Arab Spring, the Syrian conflict, the emergence of ISIS, the war in Ukraine, and the shooting in Ferguson, Missouri are but a few. With such weighty issues comes a need for solutions. Because these problems are often large-scale, accurate solutions are not easy. This is where the UN must step in to help suffering nations.
In the past, the UN has done what it could to solve the problems created by civil and political unrest. With a range of issues, the UN attempts to help in many ways. Often, however, the main goal is to make peace or go to war. These are not always the best ways. Through simple measures, the UN can try to solve the pressing issues of civil and political unrest in a more manageable way.
Belgium believes to solve civil and political unrest, we must take simple measures to help societies of the countries experiencing domestic crises. The UN can donate money to educate people of the country experiencing unrest. If citizens attempt to rise up against their governments, with education these citizens may quell the choice to rise up. Belgium believes the UN should focus on measures to prevent future uprisings. To do this, the UN should address small issues that may not be big at the time, but could eventually trigger major crises within countries. When small measures are taken by educating the people, the UN could prevent further civil and political unrest.
Most nations will likely approve this idea our country proposes, because it solves small problems before they become big problems. Because problems are domestic, most countries will help resolve them. The only countries that may be against our mission are those who do not want to educate their people, either because they are a dictatorship or because the majority of their population is illiterate, and therefore education would be difficult. This includes many African nations such as Benin, Guinea, Ethiopia, and Somalia. Their literacy rates are low, the four lowest in the world. If these countries get on board, the idea of educating the people causing unrest could be an effective way to bring an end to political and social unrest.
