Topic: Impact of Urbanization
Country: Germany
Delegate Name: Grace Kraimer
School: Forest Hills Central High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Germany position papers GLIMUN 2015 committees
With the headline issue of overpopulation popping up everywhere, the logical progression is to see the problem with so many people trying to live in the same area.There are numerous downsides to having people crammed in like tuna fish, and Germany is ready to step up to the bat.
Germany is the sixth most populous place in the world, with 80,219,695 people. However, they have a 0% growth/decline rate, so they have a little bit more breathing room than other countries debating this issue. Being a smaller country, favored cities may become heavily populated and common malignant symptoms pop up that need to be addressed, and are even worse and even inhumane in other regions. Germany has an Interregional Support Policy, which essentially believes “1) the idea of interregional solidarity 2) the concept of economic spatial cohesion within a country (in order to prevent tension within regions) 3) the assumption that – along with other factors- market failures are contribution to interregional disparities and that a correction of these market failures is necessary” (http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3 -540-32088-3_6#page-1). They are a forward thinking country, pushing to help out and step up for basic human rights at other places.
Quotes from your country's leaders about the issue;
Urbanisation started to become brought up as the issues started to arise.“At the beginning of the 19th century, only 2 per cent of the world’s population was urban. By the beginning of the 20th century, the percentage had increased to 10. During the first decade of the 21st century, a historic milestone was achieved when the global population living in cities and towns reached the 50 per cent mark, thus making urban centres the dominant habitat of humankind” (ECOSOC). Those numbers signify an incredibly large gap, and proper measurements to be taken to protect criticisms.
Conventions and resolutions that your Germany has signed or ratified;
Resolution 2008/1 “Calls upon Governments, in formulating population distribution policies, to ensure that their objectives and goals are consistent with internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals, all human rights and fundamental freedoms, the eradication of poverty in both urban and rural areas, the promotion of gender equality, equity and empowerment of women and environmental sustainability; “2012/17 is yet another resolution, same sorts of lines.
Germany is looking to add structure to cities and space people out to reduce environmental impact and to lessen tensions between people, which will ultimately end with more peace. A perfect resolution would call for re-organizing and structuring of overpopulated cities, but seeing as though most countries would be unwilling to fork over the sort of money needed to make such a change, the basics of making sure essential human needs are covered in an overpopulated city should come first. Most countries will agree with this view.
For as frequently as overpopulation is discussed, many don’t realize the negative side effects that are spawned with too many people in one are. Humankind needs space; or cities become a breeding cesspool of infection and tension.
