Topic: Assistance for Nations Facing Total Territory Loss
Country: Finland
Delegate Name: Karalyn Cook
School: Fishers High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Finland position papers GLIMUN 2011 committees
With 1,250 km of Finland’s border being coastline, territory loss is a big worry for the people of Finland. However Finland has a strong opinion on accepting refugees from other countries.
Finland has what they call the “Finnish Refugee Council.” This is a group of people who support the rights of refugees. Recently there have been some thoughts on raising Finland’s refugee quota, but many are hesitating due to the cost this would cause. The cause of the costly nature of this increase is due to the number of minors that come to stay in Finland. When a minor arrives in Finland, the government does what they can to track down the minor’s family. In the occasion that the minor’s family can be found, they are also admitted to the country.
Finland believes that countries should allow in refugees, but only if the country is able to handle the increase in population. If there is already a majority of a country’s population in poverty and jobless, then it would not be wise to open your borders to more human beings. However, if your population is well off, and most adults have jobs welcome these refugees in and give them somewhere to stay, as long as they can earn it.
Finland opens its borders to over 700 refugees a year, and while that doesn’t compare to Sweden’s 2000 + per year, this policy gives 700 people, who otherwise would not have a home, somewhere to call home.
Although it is not a country’s responsibility to open its borders and let in refugees, Finland believes it is the right way to handle the situation. It is not right for a country, which is providing well for their people, to send away those who have nowhere to go.
Finland believes there needs to be a policy put in place that requires country, based on their population and poverty levels, to allow in a certain number of refugees a year. Although some may be running from a problem in their own country, many refugees have nowhere else to go but to another country. Some must leave because of a natural disaster, government take over, or possibly a war. No matter what the reason they need someone’s help, so countries need to open their borders, to a limit, and allow in those with nowhere else to go.
