Economic and Social Committee
For the purposes of the Emory Model United Nations Conference, this committee is a fusion of the General Assembly’s 2nd and 3rd Committees excluding issues of Human Rights. The breadth of topics addressed by these two committees is massive. The 2nd committee focuses on issues related to financial and economic affairs such as economic growth, sustainable development, international trade, and other important international economic factors. The 3rd committee discusses other important topics such as social development and humanitarian issues. In today’s state of affairs, the issues discussed by the 2nd and 3rd committees are extremely pertinent.
The Economic and Social Committee will consider the role of empowering women in the eradication of poverty and response efforts to armed conflicts and natural disasters. These topics are important considerations that have not been adequately reconciled in the United Nations and are of international concern.
Disaster response is an issue of global concern. The most prominent disaster in recent history is the tsunami affecting many nations in the southern portions of the Indian Ocean. On many fronts the United Nations was praised for its quick response to these events. However, one must consider the extent to which the survivors have benefited from the disaster relief efforts. Eighty percent of survivors are still living in temporary shelters. Other problems, such as the allocation of money and efforts have also been a problem in disaster-stricken areas. This conflict has major repercussions on civilian life, which must be addressed by the United Nations. These are problems that affect any sort of disaster relief effort implemented by the United Nations. However, different protocols may need to be taken to respond to situations resulting from military conflicts. It is clear that a comprehensive framework needs to be developed to strengthen disaster relief efforts while making them both more efficient and effective.
Empowering women is an undeniably necessary element in the eradication of poverty and sustainable development. Empowering women is the third goal in the Millennium Development Goals, which involves the promotion of women's education, increasing AIDS awareness and improving reproductive health, gender equality, participation in local governments, health programs, and crisis or disaster response, among other programs, in order to attain social and economic development. Although much advancement has been made in the past decade, in many regions, birthrates remain alarmingly high, health and education programs sparse, as well as gender and social equality programs and female representation in local municipalities or governments is virtually nonexistent. Empowering women supports local and national economies, decreases birthrates and infant mortality rates, and improves quality of life for all genders. One of the most important obstacles in tackling this issue, however, is overcoming cultural and social regulations in order to empower women in such ways.
It is important for the Economic and Social committee to discuss and cooperate to solve these critical issues. We look forward to inventive and original solutions regarding the issues of disaster relief and empowering women.
Ross Freidman Committee Director |
Curtis Aria |