Topic: Conflict Commodities
Country: Indonesia
Delegate Name: Todd Baker
School: Roeper School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Indonesia position papers GLIMUN 2007 committees
It is widely accepted that lucrative natural resources, like precious metals, stones, minerals, or timber have played a large role in a number of major conflicts. These “conflict commodities” frequently fuel illegal rebellion and crime against legitimate state institutions and governments.
Conflict Commodities, specifically timber, are a major problem in Indonesia currently. Recently Indonesia signed path-breaking Memorandum of Understanding on illegal logging. It also started an Asian Forest Partnership, primarily focused on curtailing illegal logging. In Indonesia illegal forestry undermines the law, costs the government large amounts of money, and fuels violent conflict. This is happening in many nations in the world, in different ways. Indonesia is interested in stopping as much of this as possible.
One would think that it would be universally agreed upon that these conflict commodities need to be monitored more closely, and that countries need to be more engaged in helping end the conflicts they create, but sadly, this is not so. The Diamond industry has created an international certification scheme for the monitoring of diamond trade. However, there appears to be no effort being put into creating a similar scheme for the trade of timber.
Indonesia is already taking action to resolve this conflict. Discussions about possible voluntary partnership agreements, or VPA’s, between producer nations and the European Union about timber licensing have already taken place. Indonesia feels strongly about taking further action in international discussion regarding trade legislation to regulate conflict commodities. As has already happened with Indonesia’s recent Memorandum of Understanding, important reforms can be achieved, and more importantly, lives can be saved.
