UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)
Keren Rohe, Director
Class Year: 2013
Concentration: Social Studies
Hometown: Freedom, NY (near Buffalo)
Favorite Place: any place with beautiful mountains
Favorite Food: lasagna and bubble tea
Favorite MUN Moment: when one of the delegates was arguing his case and said, “It is well known that starving people often try to eat other starving people.”
Why did you choose these topics? I chose these topics because I feel like they’re happening right now, and I think it’s important to know what’s going on in our world and to see what problems our leaders are dealing with.
HMUN is the best because…unlike school, you’re allowed–even encouraged–to pass notes during committee.
Other thoughts? I’m so excited to meet all of you next year, and I look forward to another great year of HMUN!
Topics
Topic A: Water Accessibility
Water is a limited resource that is necessary for human life on earth. With the increase of population in Asia, access to clean water for all people is becoming more and more of a problem. Even areas with large amounts of rain are in danger of water deficiency, due to the need for water in both households and agriculture, and due to the dangers of contaminated water. Over 1.2 billion people, or about one-fifth of the world’s population, do not have regular access to clean water. With its overpopulation problems and poverty, Asia is especially in danger of water scarcity.
A lack of action has left hundreds of millions in Asia disconnected from water sources, forcing them into a state of human insecurity. ESCAP must adopt a development agenda that places water security at its center to accelerate the attainment of a basic right–the human right to life. ESCAP must find eco-efficient ways to provide clean, reliable water sources to every citizen of every country, and this must be done quickly. What sorts of issues must ESCAP address in order to create appropriate, efficient water-resource programs?
Topic B: Urban Development
Currently, 1.6 billion people and 40 percent of Asians live in urban areas. By 2030, 2.7 billion people (a majority) will live in cities and towns. With this rapid demographic shift happening in Asia, much of the world’s future will depend on how well Asian cities function. Even though Asian cities and towns are economic and cultural centers, producing over 80 percent of the region’s GDP, over 40 percent of Asia’s urban residents live in slums, without shelter or basic services.
Asia’s cities are at a turning point in their development, and the opportunity to make them inclusive and sustainable will not last forever. Inaction would lead to an urbanization of poverty, causing social instability and environmental degradation for years to come. In order to meet these challenges, ESCAP must focus on creating policies to alleviate urban poverty, improve the urban environment, and deal with the effects of climate change in urban centers. How should ESCAP proceed in creating programs to address these problems?