Topic:
Country: Saudi Arabia
Delegate Name: Ava Surdam
Saudi Arabia has made great progress over the years. For example, we introduced free universal healthcare in 2019. We have education available for both genders, including higher education in the form of 36 universities that allow women to attend or are exclusively for women. Our literacy rate for men is around ninety-seven percent. For women, it is around ninety-two percent, but for youths of both genders, the literacy rate is around ninety-nine percent. Our life expectancy is over 76 years of age. We also have much less civil unrest within our country than many others because of the beliefs we all share through our beautiful religion, Islam.
Saudi Arabia is a monarchy, but we are also and have always been a single-religion country. We publicly practice Islam and don’t allow any of our citizens to practice any non-Islamic religion. For this reason, we believe that the definition of genocide does not need anything added to it. However, any detail regarding religious prosecution must not be included in any definition used, as we can restrict religious freedom in our country. Because we are a single-religion country it is illegal to convert to any non-Islamic religion, and we should not be accused of genocide for that as that would be ridiculous.
For the safety of this country’s values, we would like the definition of genocide to exclude any details regarding religion. Currently, the formal definition of genocide seems complete, in the eyes of Saudi Arabia, and doesn’t need any editing other than clearing up the religious aspects. We believe that our ideals only affect those in our country and under our rule. For this reason, we should never be attacked or even faintly considered genocidal. In every other aspect, however, we believe that the definition of genocide does not need any further editing, but should be universalized so that there is one formal definition, and therefore no confusion.
