Topic: 2024-Supply Chain Stability
Country: Belgium
Delegate Name: Frinz Fisher
The world has succumbed to the mass migration of products our integrated society has to offer. As a result, has led to the instability of the supply chain that drives our economy and individualistic lives. Intercontinental trade routes were barred, political tensions heightened, and pandemics only contributed to reduced stockpiles and new standards of labor and transportation. During this duration of instability, uneven recovery among more prioritized sections of the world has become more perceptible. In a regression of the COVID-19 pandemic since 2020, global economic output is foreseen to be cut by nearly $8.5 trillion, contributing to extreme poverty, increased crime rates, delays in manufacturing, and other foreseeable negations towards a prime society. Belgium formally recognizes this issue as a negative agitator to today’s economy, socio-cultural development, and infrastructure and offers support to coincide with the rest of the United Nations.
Belgium is heavily reliant on exports: chemicals, pharmaceuticals, automotive, and high-quality agricultural products. Throughout the pandemic, however, manufacturing was halted as a safeguard to reduce the reach of the viral spread. This caused exports to fall significantly by 8% in 2020 compared to the 2019 period. At the height of the pandemic, Antwerp, one of Europe’s largest ports, experienced congestion that generated large delays in products that held a substantial contribution to Belgium’s reputation as an exporter and importer. In response, Belgium has prioritized the development of logistics infrastructure to digitize and organize big data to instruct operations. In addition, Belgium has initiated the SPEED project to transport goods on railways to reduce the burden on stressed truck routes. Therefore, Belgium believes that with the utilization of other routing options, the stress on the global supply chain will be alleviated.
In conclusion, Belgium calls for a multi-variable approach to the situation, especially in a day of age in which circumstances are ever-changing with a new set of standards to implement and follow. Belgium supports the idea of executing the United Nations to oversee a more distinguished and overseen means of communication which is necessary for establishing a comprehensive guideline regarding the topic.
