Topic:
Country: Romania
Delegate Name: RJ Langen
United Nations Development Programme
Food Instability and Political Crisis
Republic of Romania
RJ Langen
Forest Hills Northern High School
Without question, food instability is a dire problem that can cripple a country’s economy and lead to millions of deaths each year. With a score of less than 5 on the GHI scale, Romania fully recognizes its role in providing solutions to countries challenged with trying to achieve food stability.
Romania has enacted many policies that follow the guidelines of the United Nations’ Goal of Zero Hunger by 2030. For example, Romania has provided its farmers with direct subsidies to help them produce more food to export to other countries. Through similar actions, Romania is expected to export over 3 million tons of corn this year.
Romania is also one of the main producers of grain and oilseed in the European Union. On average, about half of our harvest is exported. Unfortunately, this year, we are predicting a 22% reduction in exports due to severe droughts in recent years that have hindered our farmers’ ability to irrigate their crops. We are grateful that the EU has provided financing to some of our farmers to set up irrigation systems. However, for many other farmers, access to irrigation can only come from large-scale irrigation infrastructure, including large canals and pumping stations. Sadly, this level of irrigation infrastructure is not currently available widely. At the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation, Romania has consistently recognized family farms as the backbone of a strong and sustainable agricultural sector. As such, we continue to be deeply committed to advocating for rural development initiatives that will help farmers provide food for more people.
Looking beyond Romania’s borders, we are also concerned about the ongoing war in Ukraine and the effects that the war has had on fuel and shipping prices. We urge for a peaceful resolution so that we can better ship our food around the world without having to worry about ongoing conflicts in the Black Sea. Additionally, Romania urges countries that enjoy food stability to join in efforts to help countries suffering from food instability by promoting food exports and issuing sanctions on countries that would hinder progress. Romania also requests that the European Union continues to provide financing to our farmers to irrigate their crops and expand such support to farmers in other countries.
