Topic: 2026 – Combating Malnutrition
Country: Sudan
Delegate Name: Helena Zweig
Representing: Sudan
Distinguished Delegates and Honorable Chair,
Hunger. Famine. Malnourishment.
It’s known by many names, but none of them is any less deadly than the other.
Today, we begin with the topic of combatting malnutrition in children on a global scale. Around the world, 45 million children under the age of five suffer from a critical lack of nutritious food [1-CI]. While the delegation of Sudan would like to formally recognize this international crisis, we deny the existence of such a famine within our borders and formally withhold support as our resources are engaged elsewhere in our current civil war, which rages on between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. If such sources were to attempt to assist in any perceived emergency, it would be allowed to cross our borders.
While Sudan is facing an onslaught of violence, it continues to deny the necessity of receiving aid in favor of defense. In the past, Sudan has supported efforts of the United Nations to move supplies across state lines, but several reports have confirmed that the government has intercepted and denied such aid from reaching the Darfur region of Sudan [4-CSIS]. Often, administrative red tape and conflicting ideologies have led to slow action and a high mortality rate among the country’s citizens.
Zooming out to a more global scale, UNICEF distributes roughly “75 to 80 percent of the world’s supply of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF)”, which supports communities within the thrash of hunger [2-UNICEF]. Its policies are as wide reaching as possible, but combatting hunger in the countries worst affected should be a top priority for the United Nations. Countries with the highest death rates per 100,000 people due to malnutrition include Somalia (~42 persons), Mali (~35 persons), Eritrea (~26 persons) and Djibouti (~25 persons) [3-WHO]. These countries must be seen as nation-states lacking support who are in dire need of critical assistance.
As the representative of one of the Northeast African Countries, it is my burden and our collective responsibility to commit to the eradication of malnutrition that pose a serious ethical risk. However, the burden should be taken upon larger countries who can contribute to the overarching cause.
WORKS CITED:
Children International. “World Poverty Facts | Children International | Global Hunger Statistics.” Children International, 2019, www.children.org/global-poverty/global-poverty-facts/facts-about-world-poverty-and-hunger.
Ferguson, Sarah, and Tong Su. “How UNICEF Fights Malnutrition in Yemen | UNICEF USA.” Www.unicefusa.org, 22 Mar. 2024, www.unicefusa.org/stories/how-unicef-fights-malnutrition-yemen.
Swanson, Zane, et al. “Conflict, Hunger, and Famine in Sudan.” Csis.org, 11 Sept. 2024, www.csis.org/analysis/conflict-hunger-and-famine-sudan.
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION. “MALNUTRITION DEATH RATE by COUNTRY.” World Life Expectancy, 2017, www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/cause-of-death/malnutrition/by-country/.
