Cleveland-Lorain Conference 2017

Position Papers for:

The Economic and Social Council

Position Papers, Economic and Social Council, Cleveland-Autumn Conference 2017

Delegation from: Australia Represented by: Lara Decastecker and Rachel Zhou, Solon High School

Position Paper for the Economic and Social Council

The issues before the Economic and Social Council are: Family Poverty and ; and Addressing the Social and Economic Consequences of . Australia is committed to increasing their collaboration with other member countries to work towards a positive outcome for those struggling to fit into society.

• Family Poverty and Social Exclusion The delegation of Australia is committed to confronting the components which lead to family poverty and combating the issue of social exclusion, two topics which in most cases directly correlate. Australia has established The National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling (NATSEM), a research center which has been one of Australia’s leading economic and social policy research institutes for the last 20 years. NATSEM and the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) have been documenting a great majority of the disadvantages that Australians are facing, so that in the future they combat these very issues. According to recent reports made by the ACOSS in October of 2016, poverty is still increasing in Australia, with an estimated 2.9 million people or 13.3% of all people living below the internationally accepted poverty line. Through all of Australia’s valiant efforts, family poverty and social exclusion are issues which have prevailed and need to be addressed in a more international level, as other countries are confronted with these problems as well.

Recently, in 2002, South Australia made a policy which aimed to increase the development of a more socially inclusive society with the establishment of the Social Inclusion Initiative, which was appointed to reducing the homeless, reducing the harm from illicit drug use, decreasing stigma; and improving school retention, increasing aboriginal health, mental health, suicide prevention.. With the recent increases in family poverty, Australia has been struggling to find solutions that help the children of poor income families raise their economic status. Unfortunately, Australia’s policies, such as the Social Inclusion Initiative, which were also aimed at increasing employment, are not working sufficiently, Consequently, Australia is in a dire need to change their strategies to those which have more promising results.

The delegation of Australia desires a further decrease in family poverty and social exclusion on an international level by a collaboration of UN countries to find strategies that effectively combat these issues. The next steps the committee should take in combating global poverty is to address the issues worldwide, including the least developed countries which have the most to gain from the fixing of these problems. Australia would like for countries to recognize the importance in increasing employment and its effects on poverty. Also, providing education on basic social conduct to children in school may in the future help decrease social exclusion. The issue of social exclusion is important in the fight against poverty worldwide because the status of being poor can contribute to social exclusion. Furthermore, poverty should not only be regarded in solely in economic terms since there are many different issues which contribute to the status of being poor. To decrease social exclusion, the UN nations should have an open-minded approach to different strategies, including educating their citizens on within society. With this

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education, against those below the poverty line will decrease. The Economic and Social Council should address the issue of children remaining in the same economic situation as their parents by increasing the rate of employment and offering more paths of education and job possibilities. Therefore, children of low income families will be given a greater chance to rise from their poor economic status.

• Addressing the Social and Economic Consequences of Religious Intolerance In the past year, hate crimes against religious minorities have risen substantially; an increase of 86 percent globally between May 2016 and May 2017. According to the Social Progress Index report, personal rights have declined in more countries than countries that have improved (since 2014). Despite continuing rise of GDP, countries are lacking the initiative to improve social equality for all people. Countries that are religiously tolerant, however, have seen a trend of increasing wealth. Businesses in tolerant and peaceful regions are more appealing to foreign investors, and countries with are more likely to attract tourists. Discrimination due to religious intolerance can lead to decreased economic output, and hurts the GDP of a country. Understanding the consequences of discrimination, Australia is working towards creating a better community for people of all , and hopes to increase its economic output by adopting inclusive resolutions.

Section 116 of Australia’s constitution clearly prohibits the government from making laws to establish a , impose a religion on its people or prohibit the free exercise of religion. Despite this law, Australia ranks a 54 for religious tolerance according to the Social Progress Index. Australia is a Christian-dominated country, but the Islamic community is the second most prominent religious community. In 2001, The Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001 was passed to work against , and has been criticised for “restriction of freedom of speech”. Since 2001, Australia has not put out legislation to combat religious intolerance. Much of the religious intolerance in Australia is towards Muslims, with fears from the public of terrorist attacks. However, Australia has embraced muslim tourists entering into the country and has funded projects to combat extremism. Australia expects to see increases in spending by Muslim tourists, and hopes that this inclusion will help its economy grow.

Australia hopes to take further steps towards inclusion in its own country. Australia believes that the committee should work towards creating inclusive environments worldwide, as to benefit the international economic community. More inclusive businesses are seeing a trend of more growth, including the growing and flourishing tourism industry. Australia suggests that the committee focus on relations between countries, allowing people from Muslim-majority nations to enter countries without facing great scrutiny. Australia also recommends that the committee suggest other member countries to create education programs that help enlighten the public on truths of religion rather than fallacy. By creating programs like this that integrate open interreligious dialogue with regular informative education, member countries can work towards better business environments. Another factor to consider is the effect of discrimination on oppressed people’s mental health. Australia suggests that comprehensive education on mental health and how to cope with stress can help all people feel secure regardless of religion. Lastly, protecting places of religious worship can help to alleviate fear that people within these places may feel. To protect against hate crimes, setting up a hotline or working with local government officers may help to create a safer community.

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Delegation from: Chile Submitted by: St. Ed’s High School

The issues put forth to the Environmental and Social Council (ECOSOC) are: Family Poverty and Social Exclusion and Addressing the Social and Economic Consequences of Religious Intolerance. The delegation of Chile believes in communication and cooperation between member states to solve these current issues.

I. Addressing the Social and Economic Consequences of Religious Intolerance

Religious intolerance has encountered pure and discrimination against other indigenous groups. 2016, the republic of Chile encountered a massive, wave and riots over Christian churches. This act of hate was manifested from indigenous, religious groups and originated under the countries of Eduardo Frei. Chile has noticed that religious intolerance against Christianity has continued and manifested itself, causing a prolonged fear within the country’s society. Although the country supports tourism and is open and willing for states to visit, recently, the country has noticed a decrease in the country’s economy due to this rise and increase of terrorism. Economic inflation is a current, ongoing problem within the country due to religious intolerance and terrorism. In Chile has struggled with the prevention against religious intolerance. However, this baseless hate which has caused destruction, terrorism, and an economic loss, with the efficient cooperation within the counsel, will be subdued and solved. The country of Chile understands this issue and supports resolutions that seek to promote social cooperation between states, in its effort to combat this current, continuous issue. The country acknowledges this economic and social issue, as stated in the Chile 2013 International Religious Freedom Report. In this document, the country of Chile works to protect religious intolerance and the economic and social consequences that this issue would impose. The country has shown its support for this matter, as seen from article 19, which calls out against the stigmatism of , violence, and the social and economic effects of religious intolerance. The country of Chile understands this issue at front, and asks member states to too acknowledge and work together against the effects of this issue. In its understanding of this issue, the country of Pakistan believes in the implementation of policies rather, quickly. Religious discrimination is an ongoing problem that needs to be addressed immediately between member states and non-member states. The country and its participants need to be educated on their surrounding religions to further progress the nations’ understanding and tolerance.

II. Family Poverty and Social Exclusion

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The Republic of Chile has encountered poverty, throughout its history and understands this issue. In the 1970’s and the 1980’s, Chile had experienced significant expropriations, price controls, protectionism, and high taxation which in turn led to increased poverty and a hyperinflation of 150%. This reality damaged the country’s social and economic society. However, despite these unfortunate circumstances, Chile has become an extremely stable democracy, and today is one of the safest countries in South America. Over a gradual period, Chile has achieved an economic miracle, which has lifted millions of people out of poverty throughout and after the military regime from 1973-1990. Leading up to 1988, Chile experienced an increase in poverty, an all-time high, with 48% of citizens below the national poverty line. Continuous economic protectionism and hyperinflation played a significant role causing this issue. The population of impoverished individuals, however, decreased between 1988 and 2015, that only 11.7% of the country was living under the national poverty line. Due to this economic flourishment, Chile was appointed to ECOSOC in 2016. The Republic of Chile has continuously supported resolutions and endeavors that work to decrease poverty. For example, as seen the country’s support and promotion of General Assembly resolution, 67/164, Chile firmly understands that this the eradication of poverty is needed to be addressed. On another note, the country actively calls out against poverty in all countries, as stated in country depicted support for the General Assembly Resolution 60/251. The Republic of Chile, as seen from their unyielding support believes, in the collaboration with other states, to improve the international economy and restricted money to lower-base families. The Republic of Chile calls for countries to improve industrial growth for all social classes using several specific methods which have worked to decrease the poverty of Chile. One of these recommended methods is creating social programs to help the poorest 5% handle their economic situation and be further included into society, like the Chile Solidario program which started in 2002. The country also calls for a better environment for startups, which would lead to more employment, and ultimately reduced poverty. This is because new startups would lead to more employment, which ultimately leads to reduced poverty. This approach has had a tremendously positive effect on the economy and poverty of Chile. The creation of a good economic environment for startups was implemented by reducing expropriations, price controls, taxation, and most importantly, protectionism, which were all put in place by governmental regulations. Due to a reduction of tariffs being one of the main factors to economic flourishing in Chile, the republic also calls for countries to reduce tariffs, as part of their supposed programs for reducing economic protectionism. In short, Chile calls for increased economic collaboration between countries, and a balance between the socialist and capitalist economic systems, such as the Chile Solidario and decrease of governmental intervention, respectively. The Republic of Chile firmly believes that this approach will result in a great reduction of poverty in all countries.

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Delegation from: Represented by: Orange High School

Position Paper for the Economic and Social Council

The issues presented before the Economic and Social Council are: The Social and Economic Consequences of Religious Intolerance and Family Poverty and Social Exclusion. Estonia, recognizing the significance of these two topics in relation to its own and the rest of the world, looks forward to working with its fellow delegations to find lasting solutions.

I. Family Poverty and Social Exclusion

Family poverty and social exclusion are crucially important factors in both economic growth and social equality. Low rates of family poverty signify the economic prosperity of a given country, affecting rates of spending, saving, property ownership, and government dependence. Vital to a country's overall success as low rates of family poverty is a minimal level of social exclusion. When groups are ostracized from society based on religion, race or citizenship, being denied the various privileges, resources and opportunities allocated to the rest of the population, discrimination and social inequality rates tremendously increase.

In recent years, Estonia has been a leader in the European Union in decreasing rates of both family poverty and social exclusion, however, the leadership of Estonia still recognizes issues within the country regarding both of these aspects of social well being. Slightly over a fifth of Estonians live in poverty, as 21.9% of families earn income under the poverty line. Estonia considers this issue one of its highest priorities, and has been determined to lift this fifth out of poverty by passing new legislation designed to benefit those living under the poverty line. Among this legislation has been substantial increases in the minimum wage and unemployment allowance. Minimum wage growth has exceeded the average of the other countries within the European Union, and has helped lift families across the nation out of poverty. Levels of social exclusion in Estonia are comparable to the European Union average. Social exclusion based on ethnicity and religion is virtually nonexistent, as the Estonian population consists of a multitude of various religions and countries of origin. The Estonian government has not established any religion with ties to the state, and has been a fierce advocate of religious and racial tolerance, which has led to the low rates of social exclusion based on these two identity factors. The primary source of social exclusion in Estonia is based on educational inequality and status of citizenship. Consistently, Estonians who have not had sufficient levels of education have been blocked from certain jobs and opportunities to which the more highly educated Estonians have had clear access. Another area of social exclusion prevalent in Estonia is gender inequality, as the pay gap between males and females in Estonia soars above the European average (16.3%) at 26.9%.

Estonia advocates for the continued decrease of family poverty and social exclusion rates within its own borders and for every nation around the globe. In order to conquer the world wide dilemma of social exclusion, Estonia encourages nations to accept a policy of religious and racial tolerance, and propose policy in favor of gender equality. For decreasing poverty rates, Estonia

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recommends nations propose increasingly higher minimum wages, in order to support the that is most likely to fall into poverty. Estonia also defends other preventative measures proposed to avoid high rates of poverty, such as increased governmental spending on economic “safety nets,” including work benefits and social protection for the elderly. Following these conditions, both poverty and social exclusion rates may be decreased, leading to a higher levels of economic and social prosperity around the world.

II. The Social and Economic Consequences of Religious Intolerance

Religious intolerance has many links to social and economic consequences. Diversity and religious tolerance in nations allows for higher tourism rates, which accounts for greater economic growth. Greater diversity and religious reputation can also allow for a greater number of immigrants moving into that nation, which is a social benefit. On a smaller scale, diverse stores, businesses, organizations, and corporations reflect greater profit and business compared to more religiously restricting places.

Estonia is known as one of the least religious countries in the world. Only 14% of Estonians consider religion a significant factor in their lives. Largely a Lutheran Protestant Christian nation, Estonians still practice religion but not nearly at an enormous amount. Out of 1.3 million citizens (July 2016), 29% practice a religion, 54% do not practice a religion, and 17% chose not to respond. However, even with this lack of religious practice, Estonia is a major advocate of religious tolerance. Estonia doesn’t experience a large amount of anti-semitism, religiously affiliated crimes, or religious discrimination. In fact, there are no religious restrictions in the country, and there is no Church affiliated with the State. Estonia is a largely ethnically and religiously diverse nation, with religions such as different types of Christianity being practiced as well as some Jewish and Muslim groups. There is no hatred between different religious groups, but the fact that Estonia doesn’t focus on religion could be a contributor to this. Because of Estonia’s religious diversity and tolerance, Estonia has had an average of over 3 million tourists (2015) stay in its establishments and accommodations per year, which is increasing rapidly with greater religious unrest in neighboring nations. As for immigration, the rate of immigrating is greater than the rate of emigrating, meaning Estonia can be utilized as a new home or a safe haven because of its diverse appeal.

Under these terms, Estonia suggests that nations with few religious issues encourage other nations to separate Church and State (without imposing on national sovereignty), meaning to not politically endorse a religion or force its population to practice a certain religion. This is the basis of major aspects of religious intolerance, which further restricts any economic and social benefit for that particular country. Additionally, Estonia suggests that nations also encourage other nations to prevent religious hatred within its individuals, by creating religious safety based organizations, where people can report if they or someone they know has been threatened based on their religious practice or beliefs. With a safe religious foundation, countries will economically and socially benefit if there is religious peace and tolerance. With these solutions executed, social and economic consequences of religious intolerance will improve as religious tolerance is implemented.

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Delegation from: The French Republic Represented by: Jonathan Hubbard and Michael Nagy, Solon High School Position Paper for the United Nations Economic and Social Council The issue placed before the Economic and Social Council is Social and Economic Consequences of Religious Intolerance. The French Republic strongly believes that failure to oppose religious intolerance will ultimately result in an economic decline as the growth of businesses and companies rely on peaceful relations between countries of different ethnic and religious backgrounds and will also result in more discrimination as a result of the differences between these businesses.The French Republic denounces any member-state that refuses to recognize the existence or magnitude of an issue this truly is.

I. Social and Economic Consequences of Religious Intolerance France, as an economic powerhouse and a democracy that prides on religious tolerance believes that the ECOSOC should tackle the issue of religious intolerance across borders quickly and effectively. France, being a member of the UN that is actively putting in effort to fight against religious intolerance in our world is set on reducing and even ending the amounts of religious intolerance in order to fix the issues among nation's’ borders. France, having one of the largest populations of muslim migrants, has experienced a large spike of hate crimes and religious intolerance, with police having to guard now over 40% of France’s mosques and anti-muslim immigration protests in Corsica, France on the eve of 2016. Surprisingly, France with its high population of muslim migrants has seen higher rates of unemployment when compared to other developed countries. These 2 factors ultimately leave millions of muslim migrants being discriminated against and unemployed, impacting the economy. Ultimately, with the situation at hand France chooses to work towards a way to bring attention to the given issue and to resolve it.

After the French law on banning conspicuous religious symbols (Law 2004-228 of 15 March 2004) and the multiple attacks by ISIS including the 11/13 attacks to the country, religious tensions are at an all time high. France, as an economic power and as a secular government therefore thinks itself a perfect fit for spearheading a change in religious discrimination. Since the start of recent terror attacks in the region, France has seen much more intolerance and hatred in its borders. France would like to combat this with integration methods between cultures to help intolerance wither.

France believes that the elimination all forms of intolerance and discrimination based on religious practice is the key to resolving this issue. The Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief (A RES 36 55) officially states officially states that no one should be subject to coercion based on their religious practices and that everyone should have the freedom to practice their religion. The solution lies in the across the globe to enforce integration methods that will provide stability for migrants across the world.

The issue placed before the Economic and Social Council is Family Poverty and Social Exclusion. The French Republic strongly believes that failing to address and decimate the vicious cycle of poverty levels and social exclusion poses a threat to all those impoverished and will lead to a “de facto

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” between the rich and the poor across the globe, Furthermore, the French Republic denounces any member-state that refuses to recognize the existence or magnitude of an issue this truly is.

II. Family Poverty and Social Exclusion The French Republic as a member of the ECOSOC and a frontrunner in economy throughout the world, holding the 6th largest economy (nominally) believes that the ECOSOC cannot ignore this issue. France, a member that works closely in international policy in the UN and across the world, is set on working to improve the conditions of those impoverished and socially excluded. With one of the largest population of migrants, France has started to see higher rates of unemployment in France relative to other developed countries. This unemployment leads to a cycle of poverty and social exclusion of millions. France chooses to use its power as a major factor in this issue to shed light on said issue and resolve it.

With France presenting and passing The Guiding Principles on Extreme Poverty and in the UN and being involved in the Poverty Eradication Resolution(E/RES/2012/9), France champions itself as a figurehead to eradicating family poverty and social exclusion. On Social Exclusion, France finds itself with one of the largest muslim immigration totals with 7.8% population being made up by the group; these immigrants often find themselves unable to find work due to discrimination having an over 16% unemployment rate foreign born people living in france. France has been working diligently to resolve these issues. Since the PER, France has found itself with a low rate of poverty compared to other countries in the EU and works to end any and all discrimination in not just France but everywhere.

France believes a solution to the poverty and social exclusion crisis is an approach to providing education to those affected. For the impoverished and included, they most often have access to education among other basic needs. The solution lies in the governments across the globe, providing programs and laws to integrate and educate those impoverished into society.

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Delegation from: The Republic of Ghana Represented by: Vermilion High School

Position Paper for the Economic and Social Council

The issue before the Economic Social Council are: Family Poverty and Social Exclusion; and Addressing the Social and Economic Consequences of Religious Intolerance.

I. Family Poverty and Social Exclusion

Global poverty has been a problem for the United Nations for a long time due to issues in health and economic development to name a couple. Poverty mainly starts in the family though and not the country itself and it can often lead to social exclusion. Poor education is also believed to have a great deal in causing poverty among the people of a country. Another issue is that if a child is born into a family suffering from poverty there is a 94.4 percent chance that the child will find themselves in the same situation.

The Republic of Ghana has a big issue with Family Poverty and Social Exclusion within it’s borders, 24.2 percent of our population suffers from poverty. The country of Ghana is doing everything they can to terminate the problem, by strengthening social protection programs and by looking to improve the education system. The Education Act 778 is something that provides knowledge, skills, and values for education. The Republic of Ghana realizes how big of a problem this is because of how much their people suffer from it. We believe that anything that can be done to prevent this should be done.

To end poverty worldwide the Republic of Ghana believes that education should be strengthened. When the education is of a low quality then when the children grow up they most likely can only get mediocre and low paying jobs, by increasing the educational opportunities of an area it is linked to higher wages and improvement of an area economically. It is therefore our stance that the United Nations should put together funding and a plan to implement a stronger educational program worldwide, with the primary focus on improving education in the more underdeveloped nations.

II. Addressing the Social and Economic Consequences of Religious Intolerance

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The Republic of Ghana has experienced very slight Religious intolerance. It is very important for people and countries to support religious tolerance. Religious tolerance benefits the international community and it builds stronger societies. Religious tolerance had a positive effect on business. Religious tolerance has positive effects on many things and religious intolerance need to stop because of how it is negatively effecting our world.

The republic of Ghana is very tolerant of other religions. According to the 2000 government census 69 percent of the population is Christian, 15.6 percent is Muslim, and 15.4 percent believe in other religions and faiths. Ghanaian people let religion influence almost everything in their lives. In Ghana people are judged based on their and what religion they choose to believe. In the Republic of Ghana there is no significant tension between religions. There still were slight cases of religious intolerance. Some were slight like parents denying medical attention for their children based on their religious beliefs.

Ghana is one of the most tolerant countries. Ghana’s constitution and other laws protect religious freedom and practice. In Ghana there is no government force that regulates religious affairs and there is no report of the government every denying registration to any group. The government has steps to promoting interfaith understanding. Ghana also has religious tolerance in schools. Schools in Ghana allow prayer to be practiced simultaneously or they alternate days for prayer of a certain religion. The Republic can act as an example for religious tolerance in other countries and hopes the UN will support the work of Ghana as a nation and help to implement their success on a world level.

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Delegation from: India Represented by: St. Vincent-St. Mary High School

Position Paper for the Economic and Social Council

The topics before the Economic and Social Council are as follows: Family Poverty and Social Exclusion, and Addressing the Social and Economic Consequences of Religious Intolerance. India is determined to continue working in unison with the international community as we strive to improve economic and social conditions in all nations.

I. Family Poverty and Social Exclusion

India is committed to working both locally and internationally to solve issues related to family poverty and social exclusion. The elimination of poverty is number 1 on the list of UN’s sustainable development goals for good reason. 700+ million people around the world currently live below the poverty line and millions more are barely above it. Poverty often results in families or individuals being unable to afford even their most basic needs for survival. Homelessness, starvation, malnutrition, disease, and death are what many people endure on a daily basis. This is unacceptable, and the international community has taken extensive action to combat these issues. In recent years, global poverty has been cut in half, five years earlier than expected. This was accomplished in large part due to the effective programs implemented in southeastern Asian nations, particularly India and . Since then, aggressive goals have been set for 2030 such as eliminating extreme poverty as defined by those living on less than $1.25 a day. Even though much progress in poverty reduction has taken place, the results have not been universal. Sub-Saharan African populations continues to suffer greatly and urgent attention is required from the international community to respond to their needs. Overall, great strides have been made towards reducing poverty, yet much more is required from us.

Throughout the years, India has worked both locally and internationally to reduce poverty. India wholeheartedly adopted the sustainable development goals which have propelled millions of individuals out from under the grasp of poverty. India considers eliminating poverty a core national priority. We have implemented some of the most aggressive and effective national programs to combat poverty, such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and the National Social Assistance Programme. In addition to these, India has worked closely with the international community and several NGOs to combat poverty resulting from family poverty and/or social exclusion both at home and abroad. This has been demonstrated by our commitment to fulfilling Sustainable Development Goals and through our support for several UN resolutions relating to poverty issues such as A/RES/62/205 and A/RES/55/2. India remains devoted to the advancement of programs directed at eradicating poverty and reducing social exclusion.

If we, as an international community, are to achieve the aggressive goals set for 2030, additional targeted projects are required. Even though goals for 2020 were achieved 5 years early, less developed nations in Sub-Saharan Africa have seen little change in poverty levels. In part, this is due to the severe lack of effective local programs aimed at alleviating poverty in these nations. Clearly, international organizations must work closely with local governments to address these

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situations. A simple resolution encouraging the reduction of poverty will not achieve our goals. India advocates for sincere cooperation between local governments and the United Nations to end poverty around the world.

II. Addressing the Social and Economic Consequences of Religious Intolerance

Religious intolerance is a vital issue and is contributing to conflict in an alarming number of countries. Some nations are not giving their citizens the right or ability to openly express their religion. The UN has always said that everyone should be given the freedom to express one’s religion all around the world. Still, some countries are completely ignoring that right and not treating their citizens as they should.

India is one of the countries that have abided by UN rights and have allowed for religious freedom and have condemned religious intolerance among their population. India is filled with diverse religions and belief because of this. We believe there is no true correlation between discrimination of religions and economic consequences in our country specifically, but it is evident that such issues do exist in other nations. India encourages the individuality of each citizen and respect their beliefs. We believe it would be inhumane for a country to force someone that was born into their country to worship and follow the laws of a given religion. Our determination to combat religious intolerance can be seen through our enforcement of local laws and also our firm support for former UN resolutions such as A/HRC/RES/16/18 which aims to combat religious intolerance along with other things. India will continue its efforts to address issues related to religious intolerance and its many consequences.

India intends to, with the help of the international community, stray certain governments away from imposing a and/or punishing certain worship. From an economic standpoint, we allow everybody to maintain an equal opportunity for all jobs and to earn wages affordable enough for proper living standards, regardless of their religion. It is our true hope that all countries view this religious conflict as we do. That is that all citizens should be allowed to worship and practice their religion as they please according to their individual rights. It must be made clear that severely punishing a person possibly up to death for stating their beliefs is absolutely appalling. By conquering like mindsets among all nations facing this issue, many more citizens will be comfortable in their own country which will yield positive effects in relation to every nation’s economy and social well-being.

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Delegation from: Republic of Iraq Represented by: Westlake High School

Position Paper for Economic and Social Council

The issues before the Economic and Social Council are: Family Poverty and Addressing the Social and Economic Consequences of Religious Intolerance. The Republic of Iraq does its best to provide basic amenities like drinking water and electricity for its people. The Republic of Iraq also enforces the idea of separate religions and tolerates all kinds of religions.

I. Family Poverty and Social Exclusion

Family poverty exists everywhere in the world, of course, the extent to which this is the case varies place by place. The Iraqi Ministry of Planning has noted that recently the rate of poverty in Iraq has decreased to about 11% , however the World Bank’s statistics display that approximately 28% of all families in Iraq live below the poverty line. That discrepancy is a significant one, however to be expected considering the currently unstable state of the nation. Since the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the Civil War, the amount of armed violence in the country increased, the infrastructure in Iraq crumbled, and the education system, one which was lauded in the 90’s, is defunct. All of this led to a decreased quality of life in this country since it is much more difficult to distribute essentials like food and energy, and caused for such a high poverty rate as seen from an outside lens. In order to give the country a sense of consistency and give the people a sense of security, the nation must find a sense of stability and make sure the council discusses bringing a sense of stability to every nation and all people in the world.

Iraq has one of the largest reserves of oil in the world. The nation gets much of its revenue from the oil and that has helped the reconstruction within the country. Slowly but steadily, the country is rebuilding itself and thus stabilizing more, and with this increased sense of stability the poverty. Recently poverty levels have become lower, with food, energy, and clean water becoming more readily available to the people.The oil reserves are a treasure that have only helped the country come out of tumultuous times, and thus helped with the poverty. Oil production helps Iraq’s economy and people and thus must be preserved as a part of trade.

The delegation of Iraq believes that oil production can only be a good thing since it helps the economy and the people who live with that economy. It is a force of good in the world and helps people tremendously.

II. Social and Economic Consequences of Religious Intolerance

The Republic of Iraq believes in in Iraq. Iraq has multiple religions, the official religion being . Iraq has had previous mishaps on the idea of religious intolerance, with the main conflict being the Shia Islam versus the Sunni Islam. The Republic of Iraq believes the idea of Religious Intolerance to be reprehensible and that socially all should be allowed to

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respect their own beliefs. Economically, they believe in an official religion of Islam, and all other religions to be accepted so long as they do not rebel against the established regime.

The Republic of Islam has religious affairs but still supports the idea of religious tolerance from the display of multiple religions allowed in the country; from Christianity to Zoroastrianism. After the previous regime was disbanded under Saddam Hussein, the New Republic has allowed the freedom of religion with an official religion of Islam. Iraq has gone through several reforms and conflicts for religious intolerance, many casualties ending in bloodshed. Iraq emerged from a tyranny into a republic supporting the practice of all types of Religions, just so long they support the new Republic.

The support and tolerance of new Religion is supported by the Republic of Iraq. The Republic of Iraq would like the committee to see all nations comply with the idea of religious tolerance. All religion is excluded from the ideas of state, and therefore the Republic of Iraq urges others and itself to make a policy change of religious freedom and support and in a direction away from politics. A main religion is still supported though, but it should be kept out of policy issues and further discussions for world wide benefit.

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Delegation from Italy Represented by Orange High School

Position Paper for the Economic and Social Council The issues before the Economic and Social Council are Family Poverty and Social Exclusion and Addressing the Social and Economic Consequences of Religious Intolerance. Italy remains vigilant in ameliorating these prevalent issues and looks forward to cooperating with other nations in ensuring lasting solutions.

I. Family Poverty and Social Exclusion Throughout the world, family poverty remains a pressing issue that plagues this vulnerable sector of society. Poverty has been defined by the Joint report by the Commission and the Council on social inclusion as having “ income and resources [...] so inadequate as to preclude [people] from having a standard of living considered acceptable in the society in which they live. Because of their poverty they may experience multiple disadvantage through unemployment, low income, poor housing, inadequate health care and barriers to lifelong learning, culture, sport and recreation.” Poverty, especially concerning families, is caused by a variety of factors. However, there are also a variety of effects that go along with it. Social exclusion is both a cause and effect of poverty. When neighborhoods lack the infrastructure to support their youth, those children growing up in low income households are rarely given the same opportunities for success. Therefore, Italy has a profound understanding of the consequences of family poverty. According to the ISTAT statistical agency, there is a significant increase in relative and absolute poverty levels in large Italian families. For instance, having three or more minor children increased the relative and absolute poverty rates by 16.2 and 9.3% respectively when compared to all Italian households. Though Italy has utilized many ineffective means of eradicating poverty in the past, Italy remains vigilant in its efforts to eradicate poverty and its resulting social consequences in its own country and in others. In fact, Rome houses the headquarters for the International Fund for Agricultural Development, which focuses its efforts on eradicating poverty in rural areas through promoting effective use of resources and sustainable farming practices. This is relevant for the country’s southern region that experiences the most poverty. In Italy’s more developed regions in the north, poverty is no where near as prevalent as its less developed southern regions. Sicily, an island off of the main coast of Italy, experiences the social exclusion of having a different region. Young people there are especially vulnerable to this poverty, as around 40% of young people were unemployed and not being educated. This all stems from the family poverty they experience while growing up that decreases their chances of getting a good education. In 2014, Italy adopted the The Italian Partnership Agreement for the years 2014-2020 that would allocate funds to “increasing labour market participation, promoting social inclusion and improving the quality of human capital.” Italy will continue to use programs such as the

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International Federation for Family Development in its own country to ensure that families receive the assistance they need to break the cycle of poverty.

Italy believes that countries, through establishing better infrastructure that could provide education to young people in families experiencing poverty and by creating benefits and recognition of poverty laden neighborhoods, family poverty can be ameliorated.

II. Addressing the Social and Economic Consequences of Religious Intolerance

Religious Intolerance in countries affects all subsections of life within that country. To understand how religious intolerance has social and economic consequences, first it must be understood what creates religious intolerance within a nation. There are two major factors that have proven to hold the most weight; the actions of the government and the actions of the already dominant religion within the country. Both of these two institutions, when have a unified goal of religious freedom, can create a pluralistic society and tolerant society. Italy is a predominantly Roman Catholic nation. As a nation, Italy has a relatively moderate tolerance of religions. The government does not generally uphold any anti-blasphemy laws. Although the government and are separated, Catholics are reported to have easier access to privileges, benefits, and financial support, than other religions in the minority. Another reported issue is that Muslims are having a difficult time getting permits to construct mosques. There are an estimated 400 incidents of religious discrimination each year. In some regions Anti- Semitic and Anti- Muslim sentiment still resides, even though the government has prosecuted those who make religious intolerance remarks online and in public. The situation is dynamically complex, as in most nations. But government efforts have been striving for a religious tolerant and accepting society. This effort is supported by the Catholic Church, who also believe religious tolerance is the best course of action for the nation both economically, politically, and socially. However, with a new influx of refugees from predominantly Muslim countries, it is evermore imperative that Italy ensure the religious rights of these citizens. All religions should be involved in supporting one another’s communities; if there isn’t active support, then there must at least be acceptance. Italy believes that through proper media campaigns and legislative protection, the freedom of all people can be ensured. Italy is a strong proponent of secularity, but is hesitant about taking too much action. Italy believes that with the United Nations, there could be a good balance established in creating individualized legislation that could ensure this great facet of human rights. Italy hopes that hiring will be based on talent and competency as opposed to religious upbringing as well.

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Delegation from: Represented by: Western Reserve Academy

Position Paper for The General Assembly, First Committee The topic brought before the General Assembly, First Committee are: Improving Cooperation in Airline Safety Policies and The Impact of Climate Change on Global Security. Kazakhstan strongly supports International Civil Aviation Organization for safety concerning its own people and the people from other countries. Kazakhstan takes climate change threats seriously and believes in the necessity of world’s collective action to reduce greenhouse emissions.

I. Improving Cooperation in Airline Safety Policies Since its independence in 1991, Kazakhstan has been a big influence on the world, shaping its political, economic, and socials fronts. Kazakhstan’s election to the United Nations Security Council on June 28, 2016 has allowed it to be more involved in world affairs, and participate in the international airline safety. Kazakhstan air safety has been approved by the European Commission’s EU Air Safety List as of December 8th, 2016. The country meets the conditions required which allows it to operate over EU skies. The countries assessed by the Air Safety List are done by safety experts from the Member States, with the support of European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and standards promulgated by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Kazakhstan feels the need to ensure safe for the people of the world, as many global terrorist acts are having big effects on airways. Kazakhstan strongly disapproves of nuclear weapons and missile testing, which are big threats to airline safety. An unannounced missile test can cause a catastrophe on an ongoing flight, not because it targets the plane but accidentally hits it. One country that exemplifies such danger is with its accelerating missile tests. On July 28th, 2017, a North Korean missile narrowly missed an Air France Jet with 322 people on board. The people survived but the hypothetical idea of it destroying the plane would cause anger towards the people of the world. This shows how aviation threats can become a global problem, bringing terrorism or even war. Kazakhstan has disarmed each of these nuclear weapons it received upon gaining independence from the former in 1991 and looks to ensure safety control throughout . It is collaborating with regional countries to strengthen nuclear security, safety, non- proliferation, and prevention of nuclear terrorism. Such securities will reduce threats that may impend towards airlines. Kazakhstan is doing very well in being globally active, cooperating with countries within its region and organizations such as ICAO. It believes in broadening this range of communication to

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collectively reduce global threats to aviation. This can be done through safer and more secure far range communication that cannot be interrupted by terrorists, allowing countries to be aware of current situations.

II. The Impact of Climate Change on Global Security Kazakhstan understands the impending threat of climate change and believes on immediate world action to reduce greenhouse emissions. There are many consequences to what climate change can do, thus Kazakhstan would like to review the already occurring of its outcomes on the world today. Climate change has been the prime cause for sea level to rise. Global sea level has risen by about 8 inches since reliable record keeping began in 1880. It is projected to rise another 1 to 4 feet by 2100. This forces many inhabitants by the shore to take refuge inland which can lead to overpopulation in some regions, and makes it harder for people to live. Climate change also makes the environment hotter, making it not suitable for various crops to grow and mass migration of people getting away from the hot regions. Agricultural yields would decrease significantly, suspected to decline by 50% over the next 35 years. Many families would not be able to sustain themselves and violence would spread for the survival of everyone. Economy would also be unstable, and terrorism would take over, as seen in Syria today. This example truly illustrates a major effect of climate change; thus, it is important for the General Assembly to overview and come up with an efficient to be used worldwide. Kazakhstan strongly supports Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which provides an international goal for emission reduction. It also introduced the “Green Bridge” initiative at the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, and represented an innovative and practical framework for an international shift to a sustainable green energy economy. The initiative will help Kazakhstan accomplish its goal for 2050: have more than half of domestic energy consumption come from alternative and renewable energy sources. By 2020 Kazakhstan intends to reduce by GHG emissions by 15 percent, and 25 percent by 2050 – equal to 1992 emission levels. With such improvements, the country will alter the environment to the country and the region around it to be more suitable for economic improvements. The government’s duty becomes easier in controlling the safety of its own people, as well in aiding the global effort of relieving climate change.

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Delegation From: New Zealand Position Paper for ECOSOC Represented by: St. Edward High School

I. Family Poverty and Social Exclusion Poverty globally is one of the largest, if not the most important, global issues to this day. Whether it is caused by a failed financial system, , or societal stigma, the exclusion and thrust onto those who need aid from those more well off is a very real issue in the world, and New Zealand believes that removing the societal stigma on those who live below the poverty line and show the reality of poverty issues around the world will help foster the understanding of what those people live through every day. As a country, New Zealand has a poverty rate of less than ten percent as of 2011, and that is only those below the median average income. Due to this low poverty rate in New Zealand, we believe as a nation it is our duty to aid the rest of the world in diminishing and paring the high poverty rates in countries that need it most through social action, spreading awareness, and sending labor and aid to those who need it most. However, the ideal of aiding other countries can only come with the acceptance and aid from said country: New Zealand believes that the first step to helping the poor is accepting the poor need help, and calls for all countries to accept and take action against poverty.

New Zealand, under the aforementioned beliefs, calls for governments around the world to destigmatize, if not outlaw, social exclusion. Creating a culture where one can thrive under the failure of another is not a culture that will last, and New Zealand recognizes this. Being addressed to as one of the most tolerant countries in the world, New Zealand addresses the need for women to be equal, and have believed this for over a century. New Zealand was the first nation in the world to grant women’s , back in 1893. Additionally, women have been legally equal to men for almost 80 years now, and the gender ratio is skewed such that there are more women in New Zealand than men. Because of this, New Zealand can be a great role model for how developing nations to model in terms of women’s rights, as it is still not widely accepted that women and men are equal.

Through the progressive ideals previously established by New Zealand, the belief that as a nation we would be a good role model and aid to those developing or in need of international intervention, and implores all other developed nations to take the same stance. Plans of aiding nations who place stigmas on the poor or on women to change their view and help create a better life for all around the world can and should be established, but requires fellow nations to accept that pedagogy and act upon it in order to succeed and last.

II. Addressing the Social and Economic Consequences of Religious Intolerance Discrimination has been a global issue for thousands of years. Whether it be Christians in the Roman Empire, Jews during the Black Plague, Jews again during World War 2, or Muslims in the United States and Europe, religious intolerance has hampered societies and economies of the nations that are discriminating. This is especially noticeable today, as the world is more interconnected and thus there are more people of differing religions traveling the world. GA Resolution 50/183, Elimination of All Forms of Religious Intolerance, addresses that there is an issue on Religious intolerance, but there is no doctrine on the social and economic effects of intolerance. New Zealand sees the benefits of religious tolerance, as

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it has a very good GDP growth rate and a strong economy in general, so we believe that this would apply to all nations, and want all nations to end intolerance, and do national policies against discrimination in the workforce, toward tourists, and toward religious buildings. Also, New Zealand believes that by being harsh on nations with intolerance issues, that these social and economic consequences can be fixed, and the issue nations be dealt with accordingly. New Zealand follows every sanction that the UN imposes on nations.

New Zealand has trading relations with nations that have intolerance issues, such as Indonesia, trading 840m NZD of goods to Indonesia. New Zealand feels, at times, the economic consequences passed on by their trading partners. New Zealand is a very tolerant nation, as shown by 9 religious being more than 1% of the population. For example, in 2015, New Zealand made online religious intolerance a crime, with potential jail time or a fine up to $33,400 US dollars. New Zealand has supported every policy against religious intolerance.

New Zealand would like tougher stances on nations with religious intolerance, in order to create more tourism around the world. New Zealand would also like more protections for travellers and businessmen in countries with intolerance issues, and more protections on buildings of worship, with actual punishments for destroying these buildings. New Zealand would also prefer that a clause be added on addressing how children are taught, in terms of certain religions being evil. New Zealand would like a policy to fight for protections to tourists and businessmen who go to another country, who may be subject religious despite being a citizen to another nation. This is most applicable toward the conflict between USA/Europe and Muslim nations, and between Shia and Sunni muslims. New Zealand would like the committee to address the issue with a focus on economic issues, as most of the nations would agree that they put money first. However, if social consequences were to be fixed as a result of this, then that would be even better. However, this must first be addressed in economic terms,and in terms of foreigners in the nation.

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Delegation of: The Republic of Korea Represented by: Bay High School

Position paper on ECOSOC The issues before the commission are: Family poverty, Social Exclusion and Economic and Social Intolerance based on Religion. The Republic of Korea aims to improve the lives of its citizens and protect the rights of its Workers and People, may they be Korean, foreign born, Christian, or unaffiliated.

I. Family Poverty and Social Exclusion

The Republic of Korea aims to ensure that every citizen’s rights are protected under the law, ensuring that they are treated with respect and have as equal as an opportunity as anyone else. The Labor Standards Act of Korea, exists to protect workers by working hours and issuing a minimum wage for all workers. Social exclusion of migrant workers is rapidly gaining internally. Korean Workers and activists themselves look to solve these issues. In 1995 Nepalese industrial trainees brought together migrant workers, religious charities and human rights groups to form the first Joint Committee for Migrant Workers. The Migrant Trade Union was set up years later to help strengthen and give a voice the Migrant workers within Korea. As a developing market. The growing poverty issue within Korea won't be solved without continued action, so the Republic of Korea wishes for a resolution to help the struggling people around the globe to help combat this issue.

II. Addressing the Social and Economic Consequences of Religious Intolerance

The Republic of Korea, being an open , wishes to ensure that every its people have the right to believe in what they wish, without consequence. There is neither an official religion nor state in the Republic of Korea. However, this does not mean that citizens take it into their own hands to help or harm any religion. This can mean violent outbursts against certain religious groups causing social gaps in The Republic of Korea. Religious intolerance can also cause a citizen to be distrustful of their government and its ability to protect themselves and their families. For example, although the South Korean government claims to be 100% secular, it provides no exemption or alternative civilian service for those who have a religious objection to service in the armed forces. This causes men who refuse to join the armed forces because of their religion to be sentenced, or put on trial. Economically, violent acts can take a huge toll on a country’s economy. If one religious group decides to bomb another, the government has to take responsibility to deal with the damage. The Republic of Korea hopes to protect everyone’s right to worship however they wish.

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Delegation from: Rwanda Represented by: Vermilion High School

Position Paper for the United Nations Economic and Social Council

The matters being addressed by the United Nations Economic and Social Council are: Family Poverty and Social Exclusion; and Addressing the Social and Economic Consequences of Religious Intolerance. After experiencing a devastating in 1994, Rwanda is determined to create reforms with other countries in order to convalesce from these issues and discover methods to prevent them.

I. Family Poverty and Social Exclusion

The Nation of Rwanda first hand has had to deal with family poverty as well as social exclusion. It is due to this that we strongly support acts or resolutions that aid in reducing family poverty and social exclusion amongst a nation's population. The results of the genocide have taken a toll on Rwanda as a nation; we are seeking prevention plans to sure other countries will not have to suffer the consequences of that Rwanda has experienced. Therefore, as the representatives of Rwanda, we would like to work with any willing country that has witnessed and helped resolve social exclusion and family poverty, or is currently dealing with family poverty and social exclusion and would like to achieve a resolution.

Family poverty and social exclusion are both crucial topics to Rwanda because of the genocide in 1994. One factor that has contributed to current family poverty in Rwanda were the 250,000 to 500,000 women that were raped during the genocide. Around 2,000 to 5,000 children were born as a result of the rapings. Rwandans were not in a steady enough state to take care of these children after they were born; this led to an increase in poverty due to the fact that the parents of the children had to supply for more than themselves. Social exclusion is also a conundrum in Rwanda because of the two different ethnic groups, the Hutus and the Tutsis. The Hutus excluded the Tutsis by marking them as outcasts and treating them as inferiors compared to Hutus. This was ultimately the foundation of the genocide. The exclusion was so extreme that almost one million people were murdered in the genocide.

Rwanda is currently in the process of brainstorming resolutions on human rights for the underprivileged and mechanisms to stop social exclusion. Medica Mondiale, a women’s rights and aiding program, has been working with the Rwandan organization SEVOTA to carry out advocacy work for the survivors and their children. Additionally, there has been efforts to refine and improve the justice system to help victims who have been deeply affected by the genocide and injustice. Rwanda is currently encouraging resolutions to carry out justice for social exclusion, and solutions for family poverty. As both of these problems have been witnessed in Rwanda, it is also necessary to construct a universal act to prevent any other circumstances that would result in further social exclusion, as well as preventing potentially more poverty for families not only within Rwanda, but all nations that struggle with the similar problems.

II. Addressing the Social and Economic Consequences of Religious Intolerance

Rwanda’s religion is primarily dominated by Roman Catholics, providing 65% of the Rwandan population. Other religions include Protestant constituting 9% of the population, and about 1% is Muslim. After the genocide in Rwanda, many of the Christian churches experienced much detestation and

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criticism. Even though the genocide was due to the discrepancy between the Hutus and the Tutsi, not religion, many scholars and other people of high status have held the Christian churches accountable for not stepping in and relieving the pains of the genocide. This did not escalate any further than a slightly bad reputation at the time. That has changed and today the Catholic Church is well represented in Rwanda.

Despite this one religious incident, Rwanda has not experienced any other religious intolerance seeing that the majority of the population shares the same religion and beliefs. Instead, Rwanda has struggled with ethnic intolerance in the . The Tutsi and Hutu are two different ethnic groups who fought for power. The Tutsi were the lower, impoverished group, while the Hutu were the prominent group, causing social exclusion for the Tutsi. The Hutu ruled the country, killing about almost one million Tutsi. Since the genocide, Rwanda has tried to achieve reconciliation and relieve the repercussions. One strategy is addressing all people of Rwanda as “Rwandan” and not labeling them as either Tutsi or Hutu. Rwanda has also established Umuganda where on the last Saturday of every month all of the inhabitants in Rwanda unify to participate in community work. Many organizations to promote reconciliation and unity have blossomed since the genocide.

Rwanda acknowledges the topic of religious intolerance, however, since we lack that intolerance we can only aid other countries suffering with religious intolerance by promoting the methods we have used to reduce ethnic intolerance after the genocide. Rwanda is still struggling to rebuild the Tutsi population, so reform has been difficult to obtain. Consequences of the genocide include and ethnocentrism, as well as economic downfalls. Today, one-fourth of the Rwandan population is in poverty due to the genocide. Rwanda is still in the process of mending the effects of the genocide, including the establishing of the Rwanda Revenue Authority. This organization is fabricated to help increase government revenue and non-traditional exports, in order to reducing the need to rely on foreign funds. The current President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, has made great efforts in rebuilding the economy, with an economic expanding rate of 8% in 2012. We have also worked with the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, to ensure the prevention of future genocides. Rwanda is eager to discover more methods to help recover from our genocide, as well as share our strategies that have succeeded in our struggle with ethnic intolerance. The advances that Rwanda has made to decrease ethnic intolerance can be transformed to aid countries in their struggle with religious intolerance. Rwanda is asking cooperation with the UN to help use Rwanda’s techniques to the advantages of other nations.

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Delegation From: The Republic of Turkey Represented by: Beachwood High School

Position Paper for Economic and Social Council The issues before the Economic and Social Council are: Family Poverty and Social Exclusion; and Addressing the Social and Economic Consequences of Religious Intolerance. Turkey is committed to improving the standard of living for all and resolving the various social and economic issues people around the world face. We hope to contribute to advancements to the multifaceted, multinational dilemmas surrounding the issues at hand and creating an integral solution for all.

I. Family Poverty and Social Exclusion Major world issues include Family Poverty and Social Exclusion. These issues are intrinsically linked, and cyclical family poverty often causes social exclusion, and vice versa. Global statistics show that presently, at least 767 million people globally live earning less than $1.90 per day. Low education is also shown as a cause of family poverty and social exclusion because of the high costs and sacrifices made to attend school; these losses cause psychological and hormonal imbalances among people. Furthermore, it has been shown that inequality has increased by 11% between 1990 and 2010 in developing nations. This alone offers a glimpse into how poverty in families can lead to future generations also facing social exclusion and unemployment.

Through the course of the past decade, Turkey’s GDP has nearly tripled, as recorded by the United Nations’ Human Development Report. Though Turkey has seen rapid growth and development, we continue to see the issue of poverty among citizens. The growth we see is not reaching the extent of people necessary to resolve the issue. In Turkey, 22.4% of households, nearly a quarter of the total population, live below the poverty line. Often times, children born into poverty inherit the poverty. In fact, as many as 90% of children remain with the same economic status, especially due to lack of education, lack of accessibility to schooling, and income inequality. The top 20% of Turkish families hold over 45% of the nation’s GDP, while the bottom 20% hold only 6% of the GDP. Turkey recognizes the scope and severity of poverty, and carefully considers all facets of the issue. Turkey has attempted to use various assistance schemes, organizations, and plans to assist the poor. Turkey has requested the help of the Solidarity Fund, the Directorate of Turkey, and others in an attempt to offer protection to children in need, the elderly, the disabled, and women exposed to violence. We attempt to provide child care, fostering and adoption services, counseling, and rehabilitation as resources for those excluded by society. However, these programs and foundations alone are not enough to attack social exclusion and familial poverty to the fullest extent, and actions on a larger, global, more cohesive scale are necessary.

While Turkey has made improvements, family poverty and social exclusion are global crises and thus must be countered with global initiatives. Family poverty tends to be alarmingly generational and cyclical, so we must tackle this problem at the root of the cause. We believe that some of the most important aspects of familial poverty and social exclusion that we must encourage include pay equity, the creation of vocational schools, increased healthcare and schooling provisions from schools, and more interactions between schools and the direct workforce.

I. Addressing the Social and Economic Consequences of Religious Intolerance

In a world with nearly 8 billion people and 4200 religions, religious intolerance is becoming a great deciding factor on a nation’s prosperity and social representation. Morally speaking, it is well known that any religion should be accepted anywhere on the globe. As Ban-ki Moon, the past Secretary General of

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UN said, “whoever and whichever country or wherever leaders may be, is clear that , discrimination against any people regardless of their ethnicities and race and religious belief or gender, is unacceptable in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights”. However, many nations have continued to neglect specific religions due to their different understandings of faith, including India, Syria, North Korea, Iran, China and others. Economically, while countries with religious intolerance would profit over $192 billion in 2020 from Muslim tourists, those who do not have greatly struggled financially. Socially, the religiously intolerant countries are looked down upon and feared by other countries. From these examples, it is clearly seen that religious intolerance greatly affects any countries.

Turkey has a population of 99.8% Muslims and is part of the religiously intolerant countries. However, while most religiously intolerant countries discriminate against Muslims, Turkey is against religions such as Christianity and Judaism. In fact, the freedom of expressing religions is near felony in the country. Turkey is afraid of the effect that religious pluralism will bring on their sacred religion. The effects of religious intolerance is huge in our country, and thus our economy has been staying the same or worsening compared to other countries. Japan, Germany and United Kingdom have all known to be religiously tolerant and rank 3rd, 4th, 5th in the international Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ranking. Despite our abundant earthly resources, Turkey was ranked only 17th. We understand that religious intolerance is a great factor bringing us down. In the social side of our country, the growing xenophobia in Turkey in the recent years also concerns us greatly. Studies show our citizens hold very negative views on others, especially Jews and Christians mainly due to our harsh government and our forcible propaganda. Evidently, Turkey is in a critical situation, needing both economic help and social improvements.

Turkey understands that further implications of religious intolerance will worsen our national conflicts. We desire a series of plans to expose its country to religions outside of Islam. They are: to promote religious diversity among countries, educate citizens on accepting religions and pass regulations on prohibiting religious intolerance. Promotion of religious tolerance will be significantly held through social media since Turkey has a moderate usage of mobile phones and television. Examples of promotions would include popular posts and videos. Education on respecting other religions will be required to students from 6 to 18 receiving basic and secondary education. Students above the age of 18 learning their higher education studies will also be educated on this topic. Laws will be created on behalf of the UN, and will be enforced strictly through military. With these plans, we hope to increase religious tolerance in our country to enrich our economy and society.

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Delegation of: The United Kingdom Represented by: Bay High School

Position Paper for The Security Council

The issues before the Security Council are: Maintaining Stability in the Korean Peninsula; and Combatting Terrorism in Africa. The United Kingdom is set in not allowing to spread and keep South Korea a democracy. The United Kingdom in trying to have an influence and power in Africa in order to have access to raw materials.

I. Maintaining Stability in the Korean Peninsula

The United Kingdom has long been a proponent of peace and stability throughout the free world. In today’s modern society, the world is faced with new and evolving threats never before seen on a world stage. North Korea, a dictatorship run by Kim Jong-Un and South Korea, a democracy, are in the United Kingdom’s sphere of influence. Tensions between North and South Korea have only intensified since 2010 when North Korea launched an unofficial attack on South Korea, the first since the end of the Korean War in 1953. The United Kingdom would like to keep peace amongst the two countries in order to maintain its power status in the region, and is willing to work with allies of South Korea to protect them using supplies and military action.

The United Kingdom, along with the United States and other countries, have an influence in South Korea. This provides the United Kingdom with the ability to offer defense and materials to the Southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. In the 1990s, Queen Elizabeth II traveled to South Korea during rough times in the country allowing for a positive relationship with England. Trade between the two countries consists of furniture, communication, non-alcoholic beverages, and transportation.The inflation rate between The United Kingdom and South Korea has risen an average of 2.58% per year since 1989. The food and health trade has a slower growth rate than expected for the 2017 year.

The United Kingdom supports the eight U.N. Resolutions which have been passed against North Korea. Resolutions 1718, 1874, 2087, 2094, 2270, 2321, 2371, and 2375 have condone North Korea for its provocative military action. In an effort to maintain a stable trading relationship with South Korea, the United Kingdom supports all U.N.Rresolutions which furthesr the goal of stabilizing the Korean Peninsula. Via through military action against North Korea or general support of South Korea.

II. Combatting Terrorism in Africa

The United Kingdom does not condone terrorism in its many ways, shapes, and forms. As a world superpower and one of the countries most affected by the modern incidents of terror, the

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United Kingdom is fully devoted to preventing the spread of terrorist organizations. The United Kingdom’s investment in the raw materials in Africa gives cause for concern and a desire to cease the terrorist activities which occur in Africa.

Currently, the United Kingdom imports 58% of raw materials from South Africa. As one of the five superpowers, it is important to the United Kingdom to have an influence in Africa. Africa’s terrorism has only increased in past years causing conflicts with the United Kingdom’s ability to obtain raw materials from Africa. The United Kingdom encourages its companies to invest in Africa, and provides them with the trade, investment, and tax policies which can be used to maximize British gains from Africa. The United Kingdom provides $134 billion dollars worth of support to Africa every year. As a result, the United Kingdom’s relationship to Africa has remained productive. This is a relationship England has an interest in maintaining, along with the protection of Africa’s oil, minerals, and natural gas resources. As a result, England is willing to provide support in the form of economic and possibly military aid in order to safeguard its interest in the African region.

The United Kingdom would like to stop and prevent acts of terrorism in Africa, not only for the safety of the people, but also for all of the countries involved in trade and business in different parts of Africa where terrorism is prominent. The United Kingdom reaffirms that every country has sovereignty over their natural resources, and supports U.N. Resolution 70/1 of 25 September 2015, which promotes the development agenda of countries such as Africa. Additionally, the United Kingdom affirms the principles of U.N. Resolution 1457, which condemns the plundering of natural resources. The English government supports the protection of natural resources in Africa.

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Delegation from: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Represented by: Westlake High School

Position Paper for the Economic and Social Council

The two issues facing the Economic and Social Council are: Family Poverty and Social Exclusion; and Addressing the Social and Economic Consequences of Religious Intolerance. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland remains committed to combatting and eliminating poverty as well as ensuring and promoting the and freedom of religious differences.

I. Family Poverty and Social Exclusion

As defined by the United Nations poverty is the inability of having choices or opportunities, the inability to participate effectively in society and the lacking of food, clothing, education, healthcare, jobs, clean water, sanitation, and the access of credit. People in poverty are often excluded from society and susceptible to violence.

Currently in the United Kingdom a third of all children lie below the poverty line, with sixty-six percent of them coming from working families. Poverty in the United Kingdom is most common in families that struggle to bring home a livable income. Long Term unemployment, falling relative value of state benefits, income inequality, and tax burdens on poorer populations are they key contributors to poverty in the United Kingdom. The UK ranks ninth in current income inequality with the top ten percent owning more than nine times the wealth of the bottom ten percent.

According to the United Nations currently around 767 million people live below the global poverty line of $1.90 per day, with most of them living in small, fragile, conflict-affected countries in sub-saharan africa, and southern asia. These countries which lack of accessibility to basic needs such as clean water are on the forefront of the fight against poverty.

Another issue with poverty, especially in developed nations, is how isolated the poor are from participating and being productive members of society. The poor are less likely to participate in government and are more likely to feel like they are being ignored by their communities. This causes a general sense of hopelessness that makes it difficult for change to happen.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland believes that by supporting political stability as well as encouraging political participation, building up infrastructure, and making basic necessities more easily accessible in developing nations that the global community can work together to help eradicate poverty. With these actions, as well as those made by individual countries to reduce internal income inequality, and tax burdens placed on the poor, less people will have to experience the pain and suffering of poverty in the future than those who currently do.

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II. Addressing the Social and Economic Consequences of Religious Intolerance

The government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland fully recognizes the right to , conscience and religion as established by Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1966 through resolution 2200A (XXI). As well as guaranteeing the freedom of religion, Article 18 also protects the right to atheistic and anti-clerical beliefs as resolved by the United Nations Human Rights Committee in 1993.

Ensuring religious freedom on a global scale, however, does not necessarily guarantee religious toleration. The world is becoming increasingly less tolerant of people with differing religious beliefs, as seen by the systematic persecution of christian communities in the middle east, and the exponential growth of anti-semitic and islamophobic actions in the United Kingdom as well as the rest of the world.

During the first six months of 2014 The Community Security Trust (CST), a Jewish organization that monitors anti-semitic incidents in the United Kingdom, recorded a thirty-six percent increase in anti- semitic hate crimes when compared to 2013, which then rose another eleven percent by 2016. These rates are constantly rising and are significantly higher than they were in the 1990s. The CST also estimates that almost two thirds of British Jews have questioned their future in the United Kingdom citing the rising anti-semitic atmosphere. Likewise islamophobic hate crimes have also seen a rise in frequency, as a result to the War on Terror in the middle east as well as an increase in terrorist attacks in Britain and the rest of Europe. Following the Brexit vote islamophobic incidents have increased at a rate of 326%, according to the anti-Muslim hate monitoring group Tell MAMA.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland remains keen on increasing tolerance for all different religions as a recent study shows that economic sustainability and global competitiveness is the strongest in countries that respect and protect religious differences. To do this the United Kingdom emphasizes the importance of communication between religious leaders, government leaders, and members of the community. Communication between differing groups is key to ultimately understanding one another. Another way to reduce intolerance is by guaranteeing and protecting and freedoms granted to citizens, such as freedom of speech, press, and assembly. Guaranteeing basic human rights is a crucial first step in ensuring religious toleration.

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Committee: Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

Topic: Family Poverty and Social Exclusion

Country: United States of America

ECOSOC/US - Position Paper

The economy of the United States is a highly developed mixed economy. It is the largest economy by nominal GDP and second largest by PPP (After China). Despite the setback in 2008, the US economy has experienced robust growth for the past two decades. The US GDP has grew by an average of 1.7% from 2000 to 2016 (Adjusted for Inflation). With the help of globalization and the digital revolution, the US has achieved unprecedented economic prosperity.

Globalization and technology does contribute to the advancement of overall international human condition, however, more wealth does not directly translate into more equality. The unprecedented economic success is, overall, not felt by the majority of the US citizens. Wealth

Inequality continues to worsen. In 2013, United States’s GINI index at is at 40.1 (compared to

34.6 in 1979), approaching a concerning level of inequality. In 2013, the wealthiest 1% of americans are already owning 43% of the country’s total wealth. According to Politifact and others, the 400 wealthiest American have more wealth than half of all americans combined in

2011. Having to balance between economic development and income parity, the United States is facing a difficult decision.

During his campaign, President Trump has placed job creation on the top of his agenda.

He has promised to repel harmful regulations and institute new ones that can improve the overall working standard. President Trump has also proposed a new tax plan that will relieve a considerable amount of tax burden from the working middle class. Besides changing domestic policy, the United States believe that multinational corporation conglomerate also has the

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obligation to improve the labor standard of American worker. President Trump has promised to renegotiate many trade agreement with countries like and China to bring more jobs back to the United States.

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