Committee: Unicef
Topic: Preventing and Treating Malnutrition Among Children
Country: Russia
School: Hillcrest Highschool
Although coverage of Russia often dominates the American news cycle, people give
little attention to the prevalence of poverty in the country. Many Russians live in
unacceptably impoverished conditions and face food insecurity. Hunger in Russia is on a
downward trend and both NGOs and the government are undergoing concerted efforts to
address both poverty and food insecurity in the country. Poverty is the primary factor
behind hunger in Russia. Other than those living in dire poverty, most of the population
consumes over 2,1000 calories daily —well above the 1,900 calories a day guideline that the
Food and Agricultural Organizations of the United Nations (FAO) set. Those with higher
incomes in Russia ingest over 3,000 calories a day, like those living in developed nations.1
People with disabilities, older people with little sources of income, and families with children
are some of the populations who face the most food insecurity in Russia. Another population
that often faces food insecurity is people with HIV and those who inject drugs (PWIJ) and
these make up an estimated 2.3 percent of the population. The irregular schedule and often
low socioeconomic status of PWIJ means they often face hunger and malnutrition. 2 Due to
covid, the government was not able to properly provide nutrients to people that are less
fortunate because they were trying to slow the spread of Covid-19. Efforts to stop the spread
of COVID-19 have unfortunately seriously compromised that resilience and heightened the
existing global nutrition crisis. Containment measures have disrupted food systems, upended
nutrition services, and threatened food security for vulnerable children and their families.3
Families from third-world countries are going through a dangerous surge with a lack
of food. Malnutrition is a silent threat to millions of children. The damage it does can be
irreversible, robbing children of their mental and physical potential.4 Unicef works hard to
make sure malnourished children are provided with help all around the world.
Undernutrition is linked to nearly half of all deaths of children under age 5. And for millions
of children, chronic malnutrition will result in stunting — a largely irreversible condition
that stunts their physical and mental growth. It's expected that an additional 6.7 million
children will likely suffer from wasting due to COVID-19.5 Unicef paired up with Ready-touse to create packages of food ready to use for up to 2 years for children suffering from the
most severe cases of malnutrition as an effective tool to treat acute and severe acute
malnutrition. One carton of RUTF contains 150 packets, enough for one six- to eight-week
course of treatment to restore the health of a severely malnourished child. All parents have
to do is open the packet, give it to their children and watch them grow healthy and strong.
___________________________________
Work Cited
Kislitskyn. “Lunchless Russian Schoolchildren Fainting From Hunger, Ombudsman
Says.” Radio Free Europe, 23 January 2019, https://www.rferl.org/a/schoolchildrenfainting-from-hunger-more-frequently-russian-ombudsman-says/29726403.html.
Accessed 4 March 2022.
Pulley, Chace. “10 Facts About Hunger in Russia.” The Borgen Project, 20 November
2019, https://borgenproject.org/10-facts-about-hunger-in-russia/. Accessed 4 March
2022.
NHSMUN. “UNICEF.” IMUNA, https://imuna.org/wpcontent/uploads/2021/10/NHSMUN-2022-Background-Guide-UNICEF.pdf. Accessed 4
March 2022.
“2020 Global Nutrition Report.” Global Nutrition Report,
https://globalnutritionreport.org/reports/2020-global-nutrition-report/. Accessed 4 March
2022.
Committee: Unicef
Topic: Addressing & Preventing Child Marriage
Country: Russia
School: Hillcrest Highschool
Child and forced marriage is a human rights violation and a harmful practice that
disproportionately affects women and girls globally. Worldwide, more than 650 million
women alive today were married as children. Every year, at least 12 million girls are married
before they reach the age of 18. This is 28 girls every minute. Child marriage often
compromises a girl’s development by resulting in early pregnancy and social isolation,
interrupting her schooling, limiting her opportunities for career and vocational
advancement, and placing her at increased risk of domestic violence.1 Depending on the age
at marriage, child marriage increases total fertility for women by 17% to 26%. The literature
suggests that adolescent girls have in many countries a higher level of maternal morbidity
and mortality than women ages 20-24. At the same time, while avoiding pregnancy at a very
young age is essential, it does not follow that ending child marriage and thereby reducing
early childbirths would necessarily result in a decrease in maternal mortality ratios at the
national level.2 Besides child pregnancy & mortality rates, child marriage also has a negative
impact on one's education.
Estimates for sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, the
Caribbean, and South Asia suggest a statistically significant impact of child marriage on
secondary school enrollment and completion.3 In a survey, parents were asked why children
in their households dropped out of school & many led back to child marriage. This is
confirmed by the fact that the option for (or given to) girls in many countries is often to either
be married or be in school, and once a girl is married, it is very rare that she is also in school.
Further, Child marriage may increase the risk of exposure to sexually transmitted infections,
including HIV/AIDS. It may also be associated with lower psychological well-being.
Programs aiming to empower girls are typically implemented together with efforts to engage
parents and communities so that an “enabling environment” is created and the stigma
associated with increasing marriage is reduced.4
Lowering the rates of child marriage is imperative to increasing the education rates
and success rates of young females. “COVID-19 has made an already difficult situation for
millions of girls even worse. Shuttered schools, isolation from friends and support networks,
and rising poverty have added fuel to a fire the world was already struggling to put out. But
we can and we must extinguish child marriage”, said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta
Fore.5 Pandemic-related travel restrictions and physical distancing make it difficult for girls
to access the health care, social services, and community support that protect them from
child marriage, unwanted pregnancy, and gender-based violence. In countries all over the
world where child marriage occurs such as Russia, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and India, they’ve
decided that by reopening schools, implementing effective laws and policies, ensuring access
to health and social services including sexual and reproductive health services, child
marriage will be reduced.6 With so Russia wants help from every country as a “union” to
create similar laws banning and putting a stop to child marriage. For programs to succeed,
everyone needs to work together to help transform harmful beliefs and practices.
Works Cited (Bibliography)
1. Kislitskyn. “Lunchless Russian Schoolchildren Fainting From Hunger, Ombudsman
Says.” Radio Free Europe, 23 January 2019, https://www.rferl.org/a/schoolchildrenfainting-from-hunger-more-frequently-russian-ombudsman-says/29726403.html.
Accessed 4 March 2022.
2. NHSMUN. “UNICEF.” IMUNA, https://imuna.org/wpcontent/uploads/2021/10/NHSMUN-2022-Background-Guide-UNICEF.pdf. Accessed 4
March 2022.
3. Pulley, Chace. “10 Facts About Hunger in Russia.” The Borgen Project, 20 November
2019, https://borgenproject.org/10-facts-about-hunger-in-russia/. Accessed 4 March
2022.
4. “10 million additional girls at risk of child marriage due to COVID-19 – UNICEF.”
5. 2020 Global Nutrition Report.” Global Nutrition Report,
6. https://globalnutritionreport.org/reports/2020-global-nutrition-report/. Accessed 4 March
2022.UNICEF, 8 March 2021, https://www.unicef.org/eap/press-releases/10-millionadditional-girls-risk-child-marriage-due-covid-19-unicef. Accessed 4 March 2022.
7. “UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to End Child Marriage.” UNICEF,
https://www.unicef.org/protection/unfpa-unicef-global-programme-end-child-marriage.
Accessed 4 March 2022.
8. Wodon, Quentin, and Ada Nayihouba. “GLOBAL SYNTHESIS REPORT.” Widows'
Rights International, 27 June 2017, https://www.icrw.org/wpcontent/uploads/2017/06/EICM-Global-Conference-Edition-June-27-FINAL.pdf.
Accessed 4 March 2022.
9. “Child marriage.” UNICEF, https://www.unicef.org/protection/child-marriage. Accessed
4 March 2022.