Topic: Emergency Food Security Assistance for Refugees
Country: Turkey
Delegate Name: Michelle Ratchford
School: Roeper School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Turkey position papers GLIMUN 2014 committees
It is a pleasure to be here with all the other delegations and chairs to discuss the imperative topic of Emergency Food Security. Turkey is looking forward to swiftly finding the most effective method of providing aid with the FAO and their central goal of combating global hunger. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has established food security as a basic human right. Additionally, the Convention on the Rights of the Child calls upon states to ensure that children have access to “adequate nutritious foods.” Turkey, unquestionably, believes that food security is a human right that should always be available, and wants to continue providing food security to the many refugees who flee to our nation after the devastation of their own.
To escape an intensifying violent Syrian conflict, many Syrian citizens continue to flee from their home country to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, and our nation, with limited assets, resources, and funds. These families are becoming increasingly dependent on humanitarian assistance. Also, a needs assessment of these refugee Syrian citizens has demonstrated that food is a priority of the utmost importance. In response, the World Food Programme (WFP) launched a Regional Refugee Emergency Operation that provides the needed food assistance as part of a broader framework of support to these brave refugees under the leadership of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Sadly, because of a calamitous lack of funding, the program cannot take full effect and provide the food assistance that these refugees desperately need. Turkey strongly encourages any nations that are actively providing security to refugees or not, to donate funds and resources within reason.
Placement of refugee camps is imperative. Since Turkey shares a border with Syria, it is particularly grueling for Syrian refugees to escape safely into Turkey’s bounds. Changing the location of our nation’s refugee camps would not be a simple feat, but Turkey believes it is convenient and necessary for camps to be near our border for the Syrian refugees who flee their country by foot. With this in mind, Turkey would like to strongly urge other nations to help provide funds, not only food assistance that is desperately needed for the survival of these refugees, but also assistance that will help make the journey these refugees take part in and the refugees themselves more secure. Turkey believes that, while this may not be an extravagant success, it will provide the security needed for these refugees while their country is at unrest.
Turkey is looking forward to meeting with all the other delegates in hopes of finding passable resolutions to resolve these imperative issues.
