Topic: UN's Role of Addressing Sectarian and Ethnic Conflict within a Nation
Country: Ethiopia
Delegate Name: Daniel Jakubowski
School: Forest Hills Northern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Ethiopia position papers GLIMUN 2008 committees
The United Nations needs to make it a high priority to address sectarian and ethnic conflicts. These conflicts cause extremely dangerous outbreaks violence. There are many countries devastated by poverty and famine that undergo unnecessary violence resulting from sectarian and ethnic conflicts. If the UN took on a larger role in preventing these conflicts, then those people would already be better off.
There are many countries that are devastated by sectarian and ethnic violence. Iraq is a prime example of where these conflicts are currently happening. According to the UN page on the assistance in Iraq, “there is an estimated 1.5 million people displaced as a direct result of war and violence.” This is all because of disagreements about religion. The UN needs to consider how to improve those numbers in Iraq and in other countries in the same predicament.
I have researched about Ethiopia a lot in the last few weeks. There are major border issues with Eritrea. Eritrea broke off from Ethiopia in 1991 and caused Ethiopia to be completely landlocked from that point on. Obviously Ethiopia did not deserve to lose about a thousand miles of its coast on the Red Sea. It’s questionable whether the United Nations will take the step needed in order to resolve the pending issues between the countries.
The UN can help resolve sectarian and ethnic conflicts by serving as a mediator with the countries involved. If the countries can not make peaceful agreements after that, then the UN can use military force to keep the peace.
