FINALIZED Wet Markets

BC High MUN 29 China’s Wet Markets Chair: Conor Patten Co-Chair: Trent St. Mary BC High MUN 29 Table of Contents 1. Letter from the Chair: 2 2. Introduction to the Committee: 4 3. Historical Context: 5 4. The Issue: 8 5. Country Positions: 11 6. Bibliography: 13 1 BC High MUN 29 Letter From the Chair Dear Delegates, Welcome to Boston College High School’s 29th Model United Nations Conference. My name is Conor Patten, and this is my third year with BC High’s Model UN. I initially came because I enjoy debate, but since then, I have realized that Model UN entails much more. Last year, I had the opportunity of traveling to the college of William and Mary for their conference. It was a great experience, and I encourage you all to travel out of state for Model UN if you can. It was interesting to see many different perspectives that delegates from all over the country possessed. Outside of Model UN, I am the president of the Investment Club and the Quiz Bowl team. I also enjoy Fantasy Football and learning about Economics and the stock market. If you would like to be considered for an award, please email me or my co-chair your position papers prior to the start of the committee. See you soon, Conor Patten ‘21 Director of External Affairs [email protected] 2 BC High MUN 29 Letter From the Co-Chair My name is Trent St. Mary and I am your Co-Chair for this committee. I am looking forward to co-moderating this committee and excited to talk about wet markets and their impacts. I am currently a senior at Boston College High school in which I have attended since Freshman year. I have also been a part of Model UN for four years and have attended multiple local conferences and a few national ones as well. This will be my third and final year being a Co-Chair for this conference and hoping it will be the best one yet. Although we will not be able to speak with each other in person, I know it will still be great, especially since our topic is something that has to do with COVID, something everyone is familiar with. It should be fun discussing this topic and I'm excited to be your Co-Chair for it. Sincerely, Trent St. Mary’21 3 BC High MUN 29 Introduction to the Committee This committee is a general assembly. In the UN, this is the largest committee encompassing all 193 members. This committee will be having 30 delegates representing various country positions. Standard Model UN procedure will be followed starting with the opening of the Speaker’s List. The debate will be centered around Moderated Caucuses, where the topic and speaking time is determined by a delegate. Additionally, delegates can propose Unmoderated Caucuses, where they are allowed to leave their seats and gather to discuss the conflict. Towards the end of the committee, delegates may propose draft resolutions once approved by the chair. These must contain sponsors, signatories, and a description of the desired actions. (Above) UN General Assembly 4 BC High MUN 29 Historical Information The term “wet market” originates in Singapore. In the 1970s, it was used to differentiate traditional markets from “supermarkets”, which were increasing in popularity. A wet market is a marketplace for selling fish, meat, produce, and other perishable goods. In order to preserve these goods, vendors had to use a large amount of ice. When this ice melted throughout the day, the floors of the marketplace would become wet, hence, the name wet market. This is not to be confused with dry markets, where goods like electronics and fabrics are sold. Although the term came to be relatively recently, wet markets have played an active role in Chinese society for centuries. For many Chinese citizens, especially members of the large lower class, trips to a wet market are a daily occurrence. Wet markets provide an opportunity for vendors to make a living selling their goods. It also serves as a cheaper alternative to supermarkets for many 5 BC High MUN 29 low-income families. In fact, a recent food security study has described wet markets as being “critical for ensuring urban food security”, more specifically in Chinese cities. Food security refers to the availability of food and individuals’ ability to access it. The term “wet market” is perhaps a bit too broad, as there are many different types of wet markets that exist in China. Markets can be grouped by ownership, as they are either privately-owned, state-owned, or community-owned. In addition to this, they are further subdivided by scale, where the markets are either retail (smaller) or wholesale (larger). Markets can also be categorized based on the type of produce sold, which is usually fruits, vegetables, fresh meat, and live animals. There is some overlap here, where some markets might only sell fresh meat, and others may sell everything. Finally, wet markets can be separated by whether the meat sold originates from domesticated or wild animals. This is important because the meat of wild animals has been linked to the spread of infectious disease if proper safety measures aren’t taken. 6 BC High MUN 29 7 BC High MUN 29 The Issue With the widespread use of wet markets in China comes a host of safety concerns. These markets are often unregulated, and when sanitation standards are neglected, the transmission of infectious diseases becomes a major threat. Although not all wet markets exchange wildlife, those that do are at an especially high risk of transmitting zoonoses. A zoonosis is an infectious disease caused by a pathogen that has jumped from a non-human animal to a human. As a result of the open-aired nature of wet markets, exotic animals may come in contact with butchers, clerks, customers, and other animals that they might never interact with outside of the wet market. The origin of infectious diseases like H5N1, SARS, and COVID-19 have all been linked back to keeping wild animals in unsanitary wet markets where the risk for zoonotic transmission is greatly increased. In fact, it was reported that two-thirds of initial COVID-19 cases had direct contact with the Human Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China. It is for this reason that critics have labeled Chinese wet markets as a significant global health hazard that has devastating implications beyond just the country of origin. Opponents to these critics would argue that too many people rely on these wet markets in their day to day lives, and that to shut them down would cause more harm than good. 8 BC High MUN 29 Questions to Consider 1 How important are wet markets in China’s economy? What role do they play for the lower class? 9 BC High MUN 29 2. Is a complete shutdown of wet markets the answer? 3. Could improved sanitation prevent the spread of infectious disease? Is there an inherent issue with wet markets? 4. Should China be punished for starting COVID-19? Does it matter whether the wet markets are privately-owned or state-owned? 5. What are some alternatives to wet markets that China could employ if they decide to do away with wet markets altogether? 10 BC High MUN 29 Country Positions Supporting wet markets: ● China ● Japan ● Malaysia ● Singapore ● Philippines ● Vietnam ● Thailand ● Indonesia ● India ● Democratic Republic of Congo ● Ghana ● Brazil ● Mexico ● Columbia ● Nigeria Opposing wet markets: ● UK ● Germany ● France ● Russia ● Spain ● Italy ● Portugal ● USA ● Morocco ● Canada 11 BC High MUN 29 ● Sweden ● Norway ● Ireland ● Australia ● New Zealand 12 BC High MUN 29 Works Cited Aditi. “[Commentary] Crackdown on Wet Markets and Illegal Wildlife Trade Could Prevent the next Pandemic.” Mongabay-India, 25 Mar. 2020 Beaubien, Jason. “Why They’re Called ‘Wet Markets’ — And What Health Risks They Might Pose.” NPR, NPR, 31 Jan. 2020 Johnson, James. “What Are China’s Wet Markets?” World Economic Forum, 18 Apr. 2020 Pti. “Wet Markets Important Risk Factor for Disease Spread: UN Biodiversity Chief.” The Economic Times Retamal, Photograph by Hector. “'Wet Markets' Likely Launched the Coronavirus. Here's What You Need to Know.” 'Wet Markets' Launched the Coronavirus. Here's What You Need to Know., 20 July 2020 Woodward, Aylin. “China Just Banned the Trade and Consumption of Wild Animals. Experts Think the Coronavirus Jumped from Live Animals to People at a Market.” Business Insider Nederland, 25 Feb. 2020 13.

Load more