Topic: Access to Safe Drinking Water
Country: Guatemala
Delegate Name: Madeline Moore
School: Royal Oak High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Guatemala position papers GLIMUN 2009 committees
The condition of a country's drinking water is a determinant of its health as a whole. It is a foundation that decides whether the country thrives or suffers. About half of the developing world lacks clean drinking water. This leads to the 1.6 million deaths of citizens of developing countries each year due to diarrhoeal diseases contracted through tainted drinking water. Guatemala strongly urges the World Health Organization to assist developing nations in improving their drinking water quality.
The Republic of Guatemala struggles with supplying clean water to its citizens. This slows its development as a country and causes medical costs to rise. The system of gathering water from rivers that is currently used by its citizens also spreads diseases that could be passed on to other nations through travel or immigration. Being one of the poorest Latin American nations, Guatemala does not possess the funds to support an efficient water supply and sanitation facilities. The current system features low coverage and poor quality services, and requires an update in basic infrastructures. Guatemala wishes to implement additional gravity flow water supply systems, which prove to be efficient and reliable sources of clean water.
To implement more sophisticated water sanitation systems, Guatemala requests that developing countries receive financial aid from other nations. This money will be used as a supplement to boost Guatemala’s mainly agricultural economy and steer it down a more industrialized route, creating more jobs and increased stability. The Republic’s hope is that it will be able to become self-sufficient enough to support itself and restructure its water supply and sanitation sector. In addition, Guatemala believes that this is an acceptable solution for all developing countries, and that all developing countries should be considered for aid.
Water is a precious resource, and a clean supply of it is something that most developing countries are not wealthy enough to afford. Therefore, the Republic of Guatemala appreciates any aid that has already been put forth and any that will be offered to it in the future. The Republic looks forward to working with the WHO to improve the health of its own people as well as the people of developing nations around the world.
