Topic: Territorial Dispute in the South China Sea
Country: Burkina Faso
Delegate Name: Lydia Barron
School: Royal Oak High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Burkina Faso position papers GLIMUN 2015 committees
Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa and while possesses no maritime claims does have a diverse sectarian background and firsthand experience with territorial disputes.
Outside of the country Burkina Faso is 1 of 19 territories in the geographic region sharing boundaries and intermingling the territories of Burkina-Faso, the Republic of Mali and the Republic of Niger with the goal of promoting economic growth and poverty reduction in the region, seeing as it is composed of the poorest territories of all three countries. A solution like this, where countries intermingle territory for beneficial economic gains would be ideal, and has even been suggested in Taiwan’s South China Sea Initiative, but the return of sovereign waters by China to their rightful states would also be something we look to see.
Burkina Faso has a strong interest in seeing Taiwan in particular reclaim its own sovereign territory in the South China Sea as well as Vietnam and the Philippines. In this we are not only supporting our allies but also our own internal goals about protecting the sovereignty of smaller states.
Burkina Faso also feels that Chinese tactics to reclaim the Area have not been officially sanctioned seeing as off water claims must be centered around a natural formation which is visible at high tide and therefore considered a landmark, of which only Fiery Cross Reef qualifies, as well as wrongful exploitation of natural resources in other EEZ’s, and wrongful occupation of islands not belonging to the PROC. Such actions are unlawful and it is Burkina Faso’s belief that UNLOS should be honored in this case.
