Divyanshi Gupta Position: Deputy President Chair ______
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Challenging the Youth Model United Nations | The 2nd Edition 2021 Forum: Economic and Social Council Issue: Impact on socio-economic welfare during mass riots and destruction in all nations Student Officer: Divyanshi Gupta Position: Deputy President Chair ________________________________________________________ Introduction 1947, 1959, 1967, 1968… all the way till 2020. Riots and protests are incidences which escalate each time, and the most recent protest-turned riot was the Black Lives Matter movement. Riots may cause destruction and they could bloom from simple protests or innocent movements and the main cause for them is due to injustice, stereotyping or even a difference in opinions within a large population. 2020 has been an unexpected year for all, especially due to severe, life changing events such as the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, or several events such as movements or issues which united the world together forming protests and riots. In February of 2020, in New Delhi, India, a quite heated issue quickly transitioned into a riot, killing many and injuring several. This riot began due to hate speech, confrontation and previous protests against Muslims in India. This quickly escalated into riots in which people conducted heinous acts such as destruction of properties, intentional firings and fires, and mass killings, which led to over 200 people injured and the death of 53 people out of which 51 were identified, majority classified as Muslims. Even with 53 deaths however, 2200 people were arrested for the crimes which they committed, to settle the riot and restore peace in the capital state and city. The most recent and widely known riot in 2020 initially started from the Black Lives Matter movement, an initiative which began from the untimely and unethical of a 45-year-old man in Minneapolis, Minnesota by police officers who knelt on his neck for a period of time, causing his untimely demise because a third-party call of an accused crime. Once this news Research Report | Page 1 of 10 Challenging the Youth Model United Nations | The 2nd Edition 2021 broke out, through social media platforms, people of all ages from the world were able to express their condolences and opinions about the situation, eventually leading up to the opening of more stories such as Breonna Taylor. Across the United States, multiple peaceful protests began, for the justice of George Floyd and the community. Some protests then transitioned into riots, now known as the 2020 United States racial unrest, in which 14000 people were arrested, 25 were killed and due to violence and destruction of property, $1 – 2 billion were insured damages (NW, Suite 800Washington and Inquiries, 2020). Now, the aftermath of the protests have left people with hefty bills and issues, especially to those who were arrested on non-criminal offences such as curfew violation. Now that the world continues to battle the coronavirus, the situation has mellowed to a manageable rate and law enforcement has begun. However, this is simply the mere beginning. Key Terms Riot A riot is defined as a tumultuous disturbance of the public peace by three or more persons assembled together and acting with a common intent. Destruction Destruction is the act of causing immense damage to a thing or situation to where it may no longer be repaired. Protest An expression or declaration of objection, disapproval, or dissent, often in opposition to something a person is powerless to prevent or avoid. Pandemic The worldwide spread of a disease, affecting a significant population of the world. Unemployment In economics, unemployment is defined as when a person who is a part of the working population and actively seeking work is unable to find work. Research Report | Page 2 of 10 Challenging the Youth Model United Nations | The 2nd Edition 2021 Gross Domestic Profit (GDP) Gross domestic product is the total value of goods and services produced in a country, measured over a specific period of time. This can be used to measure the growth of a nation’s economy. Profit or Loss The difference between the revenue received from the sale of an output and the costs of all inputs used, as well as any opportunity costs. If the difference is positive, the organization has earned profit, if the difference is negative, the organization has faced a loss. Injustice A quality relating to unfairness or undeserved outcomes. This means that injustice is a term where in a situation, a person or a ruling is decided unfairly due to biased circumstances. Stereotype A stereotype is a mistaken idea or belief many people have about a thing or group that is based upon how they look on the outside, which may be untrue or only partly true. Stereotyping people is a type of prejudice because what is on the outside is a small part of who a person is. Aggregate Demand An economic measurement of the total amount of demand for all finished goods and services produced in an economy. Aggregate demand is expressed as the total amount of money exchanged for those goods and services at a specific price level and point in time. Recession Period A recession is a period of declining economic performance across an entire economy that lasts for several months. Businesses, investors, and government officials track various economic indicators that can help predict or confirm the onset of recessions, but they're officially declared by the NBER (National Bureau of Economic Research). Research Report | Page 3 of 10 Challenging the Youth Model United Nations | The 2nd Edition 2021 Treaty A contract in writing between two or more political authorities (such as states or sovereigns) formally signed by representatives duly authorized and usually ratified by the lawmaking authority of the state. It is a formal agreement which may be used to resolve conflict between 2 or more nations. Key Issues Unemployment Riots, theft, massacres, and a lot of other related crimes are connected to unemployment, as not all people commit crimes based on bad intentions, rather it is because they are forced to, and one of the key reasons being unemployment. Unemployment causes people to use their savings, and statistically, the majority of adults in the USA are unlikely to save their money. Unemployment can also act as a loss of social status, which could lead to physical and mental illnesses, such as depression, and in order to save their families and themselves they resort to criminal activity. Impact on Families and The Community Many riots eventually cause damage of property to some extent, and mostly it is either homes or shops, of which many people use to earn their monthly incomes. Especially for the people who only have these shops as their income and are heavily dependent on it and live solely on it, if destruction of property occurs, and they are unable to receive enough insurance money, it could leave the earner in the family unemployed. Houses are also some which may be destroyed in these riots, and if it is burnt, or damaged, then it could lead to unemployment and continue the cycle of criminal activity. Multiple states and cities have faced losses due to loot and destruction with more than 300 businesses incurring heavy losses. These losses could become burdens on families which have loans, rent and hefty expenses to pay for, and therefore, with the intention of saving their families from poverty or unhappiness, crime rates increase greatly. Especially after mass destruction and riots, people are in the most vulnerable states, which provides many people with advantages, encouraging them to commit crimes while there is minimum security. Research Report | Page 4 of 10 Challenging the Youth Model United Nations | The 2nd Edition 2021 Impact on the Economy Any activity on a nation-wide or global scale affects the economy and the long-term effects take a long time to subside. The COVID-19 pandemic itself had caused a recession period in the economy where unemployment increased by a large scale and businesses had to shut down. The result from this is a 5-15% decrease on the aggregate demand (Somvichian-Clausen, 2020), which would take a couple of years to retrieve to the normal levels again. However, the riots as well, mainly in the USA, caused many people to rely on insurance and close down their shops to prevent any further damage, negatively impacting the demand and supply chain further. Major Parties Involved United States of America (USA) The USA is one of the countries which is most affected by global incidents and especially riots and protests. It has been identified that the reasons for the riots are inequality, stereotypes and injustice, and even though the USA is a developed country, the people living there are negatively affected by the partiality. The USA was the country most affected by the most recent black lives matter movement, especially because the initial incidents and most discrimination began from there and thats where some rules have leniency such as ownership of guns. Due to the circumstances this year and the events leading up to it in the past years, it is known that the unemployment rate has increased and may have a correlation with criminal activity. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Property crimes (such as burglaries, thefts and larceny) were significantly higher than violent crimes (such as robbery and assault) with theft and larceny were reported at 1549.5 per 100000 people, whereas crimes such as aggravated assault were 250.2 per 100000 people (NW, Suite 800Washington and Inquiries, 2020). This could be linked to the increase in unemployment due to weaker financial conditions of firms and organizations, that people would have to commit theft to earn money.