The International Singhania Model United Nations 2021

The ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

DIRECTOR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR MODERATOR Sailee Dadarkar Manas Jain Ayush Shahi Table of Contents Letter from the Executive Board

Dear Delegates,

Greetings from the Chair! We are pleased to have you here at the ISMUN 2021, especially to the Economic and Social Council. We also hope that despite our platforms having changed from the on ground event to an online event, your enthusiasm and fervour for the MUN remains unshaken. The following document has been finely curated for you by the entirety of the Chair to serve as a quick reference or even a starting point in your research. However, by no means should this document be considered as the whole of your research.

At the end of the document, we will also be providing you with links to an assortment of news and research websites which can help you with your study.

We also highly suggest reading through the Rules of Procedures to get a grasp on how the committee will commence and progress. The documents which you will be required to submit will also be elaborated upon in the following study guide. Apart from this, all three of your Chair members are welcoming and ready to answer any other query that you may have, so do not hesitate to reach out to us at any point! Keeping that in mind, we expect our relationship with all of you delegates to be based on trust, mutual respect, and effective communication to ensure a harmonious event for us all.

At last, we wish you good luck on your research, and despite the change in the mode of our MUN, we hope to make this a memorable experience for you! Looking forward to meet you all.

Regards, The Executive Board Committee Introduction

The Economic and Social Council is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations that plays an important role in the fabric of the UN and serves as a central platform for reflection, debate, and innovative thinking on sustainable development. It is also the principal body for coordination, policy review, and recommendations on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as for the completion of internationally agreed development goals.

As a committee, ECOSOC is dynamic and happening. It focuses on the cooperation of members, while also welcoming healthy dialogue between all delegates to form inclusive and appropriate resolutions.

During times where cooperation among member nations is essential, in this committee we will look to deliberate upon and provide solutions to the critical problem of unemployment while keeping in mind United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal to “Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all.” Mandate

The mandate of the Economic and Social Council was defined by the Charter of the United Nations and various General Assembly resolutions. The responsibilities of the United Nations in the area of international economic and social cooperation established by the United Nations Charter are “vested in the General Assembly and, under the authority of the General Assembly, in the Economic and Social Council”. The UN Charter mandates ECOSOC to promote higher standards of living, full employment, and economic and social progress; solutions of international economic, social and health problems; international cultural and educational cooperation; and universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion.

2030 agenda for sustainable development

Following the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in 2012, ECOSOC was tasked to become a more issues-oriented body capable of overseeing implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Among other changes, the Council was mandated to provide greater leadership and guidance on substantive priorities by convening a separate segment on integrating the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. With the establishment of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) to be convened under the auspices of ECOSOC every year and under the General Assembly every four years, Member States underscored the centrality of the Council and its subsidiary bodies in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda adopted in 2015.

Member States also gave ECOSOC the task to address the follow-up and review of the financing for development outcomes of past conferences and summits and the means of implementation of the 2030 Agenda by creating the ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development. The creation of this new Forum as part of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, adopted in July 2015, strengthened the previous arrangements for the follow-up to the financing development agenda. A Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals, part of the Technology Facilitation Mechanism, mandated by the 2030 Agenda and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, was placed under the authority of the Presidency of ECOSOC. Agenda

T“Promoting employment opportunities post COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on the goal of equitable and sustainable economic growth.” Background The World Health Organisation has termed the COVID-19, or as it is known commonly, the Corona Virus as a highly-contagious, infectious disease that spreads primarily through the hands, nose, and mouth. The earliest case of the Corona-virus was reported in late 2019, while the virus itself boomed through the world during March, 2020. Since then, the world is in the midst of battling against a global pandemic, with almost three-fourths of the entirety of the world’s countries being affected by it.

The pandemic has resulted in severe global, social and economic disruption, including the largest global recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s. It caused a supply shortage which was resulted by panic buying, agricultural disruption, and food shortages. Numerous educational institutions and public areas have been partially or fully closed due to the no-contact condition of the virus, and many global and national events have been cancelled or postponed. False information was circulated through social media and mass media, and political tensions had been exacerbated. The pandemic raised issues of racial and geographic discrimination, health equity, wealth inequality and the balance between public health imperatives and individual rights.

But the consequences of the pandemic stretched wider than simply deterring people’s health. With entire clusters of population affected, large periods of home-quarantine and government-imposed lockdowns, as well as a stop in all and any direct human contact, the economy of the world was catapulting into recession. Around March 2020, several countries around the world, including major economies such as the USA, India, Italy, France, and such began imposing home-quarantine in their countries. With everyone quarantined at home, save for essential front-line workers and the entirety of the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry, other sectors began to see a gradual decline or anomaly in their functioning. The sectors which were affected the most adversely by COVID-19 included Aviation, Tourism, Oil and Gas, Automobile, Restaurant and Leisure (shopping malls, fast food services, cinema theatres, casinos, gaming arcades, etc.) sectors, which saw a rise in the total unemployment in the year 2020. The IT sector was impacted, but to a small extent, after which it boomed throughout the market. Subsequently, the livelihood of more than a hundred-thousand people came to a staggering pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Workers in four sectors that have experienced the most harrowing effects of the disease and falling production are: food and accommodation (144 million workers), retail and wholesale (482 million); business services and administration (157 million); and manufacturing (463 million). Together, they add up to 37.5 per cent of global employment and this is where the sting of the pandemic has been felt.

According to a statement published by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), “Employment losses in 2020 translated mainly into rising inactivity rather than unemployment. Accounting for 71 per cent of global employment losses, inactivity increased by 81 million, which resulted in a reduction of the global labour force participation rate by 2.2 percentage points in 2020 to 58.7 per cent. Global unemployment increased by 33 million in 2020, with the unemployment rate rising by 1.1 percentage points to 6.5 per cent.”

In addition to that, the International Labour Organisation also published in their statement a segment about the rate of unemployment in female workers and young workers. “In total, there were unprecedented global employment losses in 2020 of 114 million jobs relative to 2019. In relative terms, employment losses were higher for women (5.0 per cent) than for men, and for young workers (8.7 per cent) than for older workers.” In 2020 April, the UN News published an article estimating that more than 190 million people would be unemployed, however, the actual amount surpasses the estimate. Main Causes

The International Labour Organisation has stated that the global unemployment rate will be 5.7% in 2022 with an estimated 205 million unemployed people around the world. The main causes for such high unemployment numbers and subsequent economic plight are:

Covid-19 Crisis Needless to say, the pandemic has had a devastating effect on employment levels, wrecking livelihoods and plunging people into poverty. The share of workers living in countries with COVID19-related restrictions has remained high, with 93 per cent of the world’s workers residing in countries with some form of workplace closure measures in place in early January 2021. In terms of the sectors most at risk, accommodation and food services, manufacturing, retail, and business and administrative activities are particularly vulnerable. According to the ILO analysis, 1.25 billion workers are employed in the sectors identified as being at high risk of “drastic and devastating” increases in layoffs and reductions in wages and working hours. Many are in low-paid, low-skilled jobs, where a sudden loss of income is immediate and devastating.

Slowing Global Economic Growth Even before the pandemic struck, global unemployment rates were at high levels. The shortfall in employment and working hours because of the pandemic comes on top of persistently high pre-crisis levels of unemployment, labour underutilization and poor working conditions. Excluding the COVID19 crisis period, an unemployment rate of 5.7 percent was last seen in 2013. Global unemployment has been roughly stable for the last nine years but slowing global economic growth means that, as the global labour force increases, not enough new jobs are being generated to absorb new entrants to the labour market.

Unequal Recovery ILO projections highlight the danger of a COVID-19 labour market legacy of increased geographic and demographic inequality, rising poverty and fewer decent jobs. The ILO report maintained that although global employment recovery should accelerate in the second half of 2021, it will likely be an uneven recovery due to unequal vaccine access and the limited capacity of most developing and emerging economies to support strong fiscal stimulus measures. The worst-affected regions in the first half of 2021 have been Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe and Central Asia, all victims of uneven recovery. Current Situation

Talking about the situation of the world today, in 2021, as a whole with regards to COVID-19, it can be said that things are improving as related to the way they were in 2020. However, with new variants of the virus coming up in recent times, it cannot be said if this period of liberation and normalcy with last. Many countries, including major economies such as India and South Africa which represent a sizeable role in the functioning of the global economy. Other major economies have not yet reported any new signs of a third-wave striking any time soon, however, it is best if the guard is not let down. From President Joe Biden of the United States of America lifting the indoor-mask rule for all vaccinated citizens, to a country like Brazil which has already crossed more than half a million COVID-19 deaths, the situation of the pandemic is vastly different from nation to nation.

In the June of 2021, unemployment has reached a new height, and though collective measures have been put into place by countries to promote employment, the result of these efforts are yet to be seen. According to the International Labour Organisation statistic report, there is an 8.8% decline in working hours, which is equivalent to 255 million full-time jobs and approximately four times higher than during the global financial crisis in 2009. Along with this, global labour income has declined by 8.3%. An estimate had been made of 190 million being unemployed by 2021, however, a recent study has estimated that unemployment may rise up to 205 million by the start of 2022, along with global unemployment rate rising to 5.7% in 2022.

However, compared to the sheer catastrophe in the year 2020, 2021 has shown slow but steady improvement. With vaccination facilities being circulated throughout the world, and with aviation sector back in business, the world is on its way to resume normal life. Many institutions and largescale companies have adapted to the Work-from-Home module, while others with a vaccinated workforce are looking to return to their physical workspaces. Companies have also begun recruitment, but the employment scene globally is still suffering with the blunt, hard-hit effects of the pandemic. It is estimated that employment will increase as a result of effective and imminent vaccination. Hence, the need of the hour has become complete vaccination in all and every country impacted by the COVID-19 virus.

The global employment shortfall from the pandemic is predicted by the International Labour Organization to be 75 million in 2021. The gap is not expected to shut in 2022, when it is estimated that the world will still be 23 million jobs short of its pre-COVID-19 path even as world economies recover. Some have raised the doubt of a global inflation to follow, however experts believe that there is not enough employment to cause an inflation in the market. Although income and wage rates have increased for some industries which are recovering post the home-quarantine, several people are unemployed or inactive. Global prospects are still uncertain one and a half-year into the pandemic, as new mutations of the virus and growing COVID-19 deaths surge through the world, despite the currently wide-spreading vaccination coverage. Economic recoveries are spanning across countries and sectors, showing variation in pandemic-induced disruptions and the extent of political support. The perspective depends not just on the result of the fight between the virus and vaccines but also depends largely on how efficient economic policies which are implemented under high uncertainty can restrict the damage of such an unforeseen crisis.

The global growth is estimated around 6% in 2021, while dropping to 4.4% in 2022. These are relatively stronger than the estimates of October 2020. This shows the extent of fiscal and economic support in a few large economies, the vaccine-powered recovery in the third and fourth quarter of 2021, and the increased adaptability of people to the concomitant changes in their workspace and standard of living caused by the disruption of the virus. There is no definitive basis to the permanency of these estimates, as conditions could worsen instead of improving, and in such a case, countries may have to revise their economic, social, and political security measures.

As mentioned before, in 2020, global labour income was $3.7 trillion or 8.3% lower than the estimated pre-pandemic forecast. This deficiency has spilled over into the first-half of 2021, with a decrease of $1.3 trillion or 5.3%.

While unemployment is expected to remain high in both rich and low-income economies, the International Labour Organisation found that middle‐income countries will be most impacted by joblessness. However, both low and middle‐income nations face a slower jobs market recovery due to limited access to coronavirus vaccines and constraints on how much fiscal spending governments can allocate. For poorer nations, the job of producing quality and productive jobs will feel like an almost impossible challenge. According to the report of the International Labour Organisation, the average annual labour productivity growth for low-income countries is projected to decline to a negative rate of –1.1 percent until at least 2022. The report also stated that small businesses – especially in sectors which shut down during the pandemic such as accommodation and food services, wholesale and retail trade, construction and manufacturing – are now ridden with high levels of debt.

As can be seen from the above information, creating a path for the global economy to recover through is paved with obstructions, more so in lesser- developed and developing countries than developed economies. Shortage of vaccines, inadequate monetary and fiscal funds, and a situation of complete uncertainty has clouded the vision of the world’s future, and having now experienced the effect of such an unprecedented global emergency, countries around the world must make double the effort to improve their ability to deal with more, if any, upcoming emergencies. How to start the Research

Delegates are expected to be thorough with their research regarding their countries’ policies, stances, and their current situation with regards to the agenda. It is essential that delegates understand the topic fully and know their country’s relation to the topic. While starting research here are a few things delegates should keep in mind:

You should have some basic understanding of your country’s population, geography, social and cultural structure, alliances and trade partners, and governmental system. You will also need to understand how your country fits into larger debates of concern to the international community. It is vital for delegates to be well versed with their respective country’s stance with respect to the agenda and other countries. For this, the delegates should read up on the foreign policy of their country. Your Country Policy is what your country thinks should be done, or not done, about the issue, and how this topic impacts your country. A good starting place to learn your country's policy is to research what your country’s government, foreign ministry, or UN mission have said about the topic on their website. If your country’s leaders have not clearly articulated a policy on your topic, then you can infer it from how your country has voted on past-resolutions, treaties, and conventions (or whether they were even present). More specifically pertaining to our agenda, delegates should look into the statistics provided by the International Labour Organisation (ILOSTAT) to be aware of all the numbers related to the labour market in their respective country and how their country is performing with respect to employment goals. Delegates should know about the Covid-19 situation in their country and how severe has been the impact of the pandemic on their country’s economic and social fabric . For their research delegates should look to get their information only from legitimate trusted sources.

Please note that only the following sources can be cited: UN press and documents, Reuters and Al Jazeera. Organisations to refer to

International Labour Organization(ILO).

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice through setting international labour standards. Founded in October 2019 under the League of Nations, it is the first and oldest specialised agency of the UN. The only tripartite UN agency, the ILO brings together governments, employers and workers representatives of 187 member States, to set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes promoting decent work for all women and men. Today, the ILO’s Decent Work agenda helps advance the economic and working conditions that give all workers, employers and governments a stake in lasting peace, prosperity and progress. Delegates can refer to ILO for labour statistics pertaining to labour force, unemployment, labour income and inequality, impact of Covid-19 on labour markets, etc.

World Health Organization(WHO). Founded in 1948, the World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that connects nations, partners and people to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable - so everyone, everywhere can attain the highest level of health. WHO leads global efforts to expand universal health coverage. It directs and coordinates the world’s response to health emergencies - like during the current Covid-19 pandemic. Working with 194 Member States across six regions and on the ground in 150+ locations, the WHO team works to improve everyone’s ability to enjoy good health and well-being.

Delegates can refer to the World Health Organization for norms to be followed during the pandemic, updates on the Covid-19 situation across the globe, and the path that needs to be taken for the world to return to normalcy thereby paving the way for economic recovery. Country Stances

China: The COVID-19 crisis has had a major impact on employment in China. From the onset of the crisis, the Government adopted a wide range of policies to support enterprises and protect workers. These policies have prioritized employment, though not all policies have been yet fully implemented. Stronger implementation and more integrated employment policies are needed, while continuing to adapt to the economic recovery in a more flexible and fragile labour market. On June 7, 2020 the Government launched a white paper: Fighting COVID-19: China in Action.

This divided the process into five stages: 1. Rapid response to the public health emergency (27 Dec19 Jan) 2. Containing the spread of COVID and turning the tide (20 Jan-20 Feb) 3. New cases drop to single digits (21 Feb to 17 March). 4. COVID-19 effectively controlled in Wuhan city and Hubei Province (18 March to 24 April) 5. Prevention and control of COVID-19 across the country come into a normal (29 April onwards).

In developing its strategy, the Government had to strike a balance between containing the COVID-19 epidemic and protecting the economy and employment. 23 In stage 1, during the lockdown, employment was addressed primarily through schemes for job retention, vocational training, and social assistance. In stage 2, after the epidemic had been brought under control, the State Council issued national guidelines for resumption of production while ensuring the safety and health of workers.24 This has three interrelated components: an integrated approach, phased resumption of production, and supportive measures. n. The China Association for Labour Studies analysed the reopening across ten sectors, and identified three phases of resumption of production.

USA: From February 2020 to February 2021, a net 2.4 million women and 1.8 million men left the labour force – neither working nor actively looking for work – representing drops of 3.1% and 2.1%, respectively. Women accounted for a majority of the decrease in the labour force in the first year of the downturn even though they make up less than half of the U.S. workforce. U.S. job growth unexpectedly slowed in April 2021, likely curbed by shortages of workers and raw materials as rapidly improving public health and massive government aid fuelled an economic boom. The enhanced jobless benefits, including a government-funded $300 weekly supplement, pay more than most minimum wage jobs. The benefits were extended until early September 2020 as part of a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 pandemic relief package approved in March.

Payrolls increased by only 266,000 jobs last month. Data for March was revised down to show 770,000 jobs added instead of 916,000 as previously reported. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast payrolls would advance by 978,000 jobs. That left employment 8.2 million jobs below its peak in February 2020. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce urged the government to scrap the weekly unemployment subsidy, but the White House dismissed complaints the generous unemployment checks were causing worker shortages. The unemployment rate rose to 6.1% in April from 6.0% in March as 430,000 people entered the labour force.

Brazil: Brazil in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, resulted in the paralysis of most economic activities. Measures were taken to provide support for maintenance of income and employment and to guarantee a minimum income for informal workers. Health and safety protections for healthcare and essential services workers received very minimal attention. In the field of COVID19, the Brazilian government enacted two important executive orders to assist employers and employees to fight against the crisis- the Provisional Measure 927 (“PM 927) and Provisional Measure (“PM 936”). PM 927 was enacted on 22 March 2020 and aimed to secure jobs and income by giving more flexibility to comply with certain rights and procedures (e.g., vacation notice and payment; severance fund deposits; working from home etc.). PM927 expired on 20 July 2020 and it was not converted into law. Any action taken by the companies under this executive order should be considered lawful for the period it remained into effect. PM936 was enacted on 1April 2020. This executive order authorised employers to reduce the employee’s monthly salaries according to a proportional reduction of their working hours; and/or suspend their employment agreements. In return the employees were entitled to financial aid paid by the Federal Government and job tenure for a certain period. Later 936 was converted into the Federal Law 14.020 of 2020 which confirmed ad extended the PM 936’S provisions.

India: Promoting herbal and medical gardens in tribal areas, providing street vendors access to credit and using the infrastructure of the Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) are among a slew of measures that the Centre is examining to generate employment in the post-Covid scenario. Aimed at boosting the economy amidst the ongoing Covid – 19 pandemic, several States in India have recently come out with ordinance and notifications containing exemptions from compliance with certain labour laws. Such suspension has been sought to give more flexibility to businesses and employers in order to help curb the effects of the Covid – 19 mandated lockdowns.

Labour laws provide social security measures for workers and while these measures may help boost the economy, they have also raised concerns regarding protection of the rights of the Indian labour force. In light of COVID-19, some states have increased both the daily and weekly work hours with the purported aim of reviving the economy, boosting productivity, and ensuring more workers get jobs. Assam, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh governments issued notifications to increase the maximum daily work hours for workers in their states to 12 hours.

France: The French government has mobilised various instruments to deal with the consequences of the pandemic. The main one is partial unemployment, which for the time being has made it possible to limit the rise of unemployment. However, as the period of return-to-work has begun, the question arises as to the distribution of efforts between the State, employers and employees. In any case, this crisis has undoubtedly enhanced the status of the State, which is no longer seen merely as a regulator but as a planner. The Government has therefore adopted measures to adapt the existing rules for active workers (a), the unemployed (b), and those suffering from Covid-19 (c). A large part of the social measures are designed to neutralise the effects, less of the virus itself than of the health measures adopted to limit its spread. the French Government has made great use of the ‘partial unemployment’ scheme, now known as ‘partial activity’.

Under this type of scheme, the suspension of employment contracts is combined with the maintenance of part of the remuneration (70% of gross remuneration, 84% of net remuneration) paid by the State. Persons affected by the Covid-19 virus are entitled to receive replacement income from social security, and more specifically health insurance. On the basis of this general text, the Government has identified a set of obligations to which the employer must submit (risk assessment, implementation of preventive measures, control of compliance with barrier actions). Tips for Drafting a Resolution

A resolution in any Model United Nations, is the concluding document in the committee which includes the results of the committee debates. Various blocs/alliances in the committee can put forth their resolution, which will be considered a draft resolution, however, at the end of the committee session, all delegates who are present and voting must vote on the resolution that they deem the fittest for the agenda at hand, and the draft resolution with the most votes is appointed as the final resolution.

Since our agenda focuses on promoting employment opportunities, do consider several measures and methods that have been discussed in the committee, or in your respective blocs/alliances when drafting your draft resolution. Remember that every draft resolution must follow the guidelines laid out in the Rules of Procedure. This means it should include signatories, sponsors, a title, perambulatory clauses, operative clauses, friendly/unfriendly amendments, and such. Below, you have a list of tips available on how to best create a draft resolution.

Refer to the sample draft resolution attached below. • Discuss with other delegates of your committee for advice. Keep it clean, concise, and clear. Do not use excessive words. Make sure the clauses you use are coherent and pertain to the topic directly. Remember the correct punctuation.

A draft resolution must propose original, innovative, and effective solutions to the topic at hand, while also being presented in the given format, and being easy to read and comprehend. The draft resolution should be well-defined, straightforward, and include global-scale measures or solutions. It should consider all countries in the committee (and/or those pertaining to the agenda), and ensure participation of all delegates in their respective draft resolutions. Additional Resources for Research

https://www.reuters.com https://www.bbc.com/news https://www.aljazeera.com/ https://news.un.org/en/ https://www.ilo.org/global/lang--en/index.htm https://www.who.int/ https://www.imf.org/en/Home