HFSMUN 2013 Study Guide
Dear delegates,
Model United Nations was created to educate students about international
affairs, debating and diplomacy. The prime objective of HFSMUN is to
develop open-minded students that are passionate about human rights,
globalization, and protection of the environment, economic and social
development, multilateral diplomacy and the requirement of international
peacekeeping bodies. MUN-ing may seem challenging at first, but it is going
to be a very interesting experience for each and every one of you.
Director:
MalavikaRangara
jan
Moderator:
Devika Sharma
Assistant
Director:
AdityaVerma
This year in the HFS MUN 2013 the first agenda which we are going to be
discussing in the ECOSOC committee is: Food crisis in East-Africa in 2011.
This topicholds extreme importance today and has been a major crisis for
many years. I am honored to introduce you to the ECOSOC Committee,
which we hope will be a great success and ofcourse, a memorable experience
for all you delegates.
Aditya Verma is the Assistant Director of ECOSOC. He is a true football fan
and an enthusiastic MUNner. Also, he is the “best friend” to a lot of girls.
Devika Sharma, the Moderator, is an exceptional delegate when it comes to
debating.Additionally, she is a brilliant artist and never fails to add a tinge of
fun to everything she does. I am Malavika Rangarajan. I truly enjoy every
part of MUN-ing and I’m very keen on making this committee an enjoyable,
as well as an inspirational one.
We are looking forward to see whether HFS’s ECOSOC can come to a
decision on an issue that has remained unresolved. The study guides below
may seem a little lengthy, but I would suggest you to read through the entire
guide as it is very informative and will be helpful while debating.
We are looking forward to see you all. Good luck, delegates!
Yours faithfully,
MalvikaRangrajan
HFSMUN 2013 Study Guide
FOOD CRISIS IN THE 2011 EAST AFRICAN
DROUGHT:
Overview:
Since mid-July 2011, a severe drought has been affecting the entire East Africa
region.Said to be "the worst in 60 years" The drought has caused a severe food crisis
across Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya that threatens the livelihood of 9.5 million
people.Many refugees from southern Somalis have fled to neighboring Kenya and
Ethiopia, where crowded, unsanitary conditions together with severe malnutrition have
led to a large number of deaths. Other countries in East Africa, including Sudan, South
Sudan and parts of Uganda, are also affected by a food crisis. It has been a matter of
grave concern in the past few years as this situation has not been completely resolved.
The implications have been extremely severe and have affected the progress of the
countries.
Impact:
The UN says East Africa is experiencing the worst drought in 60 years, with more than
10 million people threatened by starvation in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti.
It has been caused by the lack of rains and the failure of governments to adequately
finance agriculture and irrigation schemes.
Somalia is hit the hardest, with the UN declaring a famine in its Bakool and Lower
Shabelle regions. According to the UN, at least six out of 10,000 children are dying every
day in Somalia.
Underlying causes were equally to blame. Causes like chronic poverty, chronic
malnutrition: weak health systems, high food prices, poor vaccination coverage and a lack
of access to clean water all contribute to shockingly high levels of malnutrition in the
marginal, most difficult to access areas of East Africa.
In this part of the world, livestock are everything: they represent a family's entire assets,
capital, savings and income. When their cattle die, it frequently means the humans do as
HFSMUN 2013 Study Guide
well.
Infants - children aged five and under - are especially vulnerable to malnutrition and the
illnesses and diseases, which frequently accompany it, such as pneumonia and diarrhea.
With more than 1,000 refugees arriving every day, Dadaab is becoming overcrowded and
insanitary. Many of the new arrivals have walked for days or weeks to get there;
desperate to escape not only from the drought but in areas such as Somalia they migrate
to escape the endless civil war as well.
The children especially are malnourished and dehydrated when they finally get there. The
tragic irony is that some of them will die within a day or so of their arrival.
Al Qaeda in East Africa:
Al-Qaeda has had greater success in East Africa and the Horn than any other part of subSahara Africa. Relative proximity to the Middle East and a series of local factors account
for this situation.Al-Qaeda carried out the bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and
Tanzania in 1998 and bombed an Israeli-owned hotel in Kenya north of Mombasa in
2002. Local and international authorities foiled a number of other al-Qaeda plots in the
region. Osama bin Laden had his headquarters in Sudan from late 1991 until Sudan
forced him to leave in mid-1996. Subsequent al-Qaeda efforts, which were already well
advanced in Kenya and Somalia, tended to emanate from those two countries. But while
acknowledging there is a real al-Qaeda problem in the region, there is a tendency by the
US, a few countries in the region, and al-Qaeda itself to exaggerate its impact and
influence. This only plays into the hands of al-Qaeda and focuses scarce US resources
primarily on the short-term goal of tracking down al-Qaeda while reducing attention and
resources for dealing with the long-term reasons why al-Qaeda has been able to function
in the region. Eliminating al-Qaeda is important but it will not be accomplished solely by
military action against suspected al-Qaeda operatives
Why is Somalia worst affected?
Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen (HSMis the Somalia-based cell of the militant
Islamist group al-Qaeda, formally recognized in 2012. As of 2012, the outfit controls
large swathes of the southern parts of the country, where it is said to have imposed its
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own strict form of Sharia law. Al-Shabaab's troop strength as of May 2011 was
estimated at 14,426 militants.[7] In February 2012, Al-Shabaab leaders quarreled with AlQaeda over the union,[8] and quickly lost ground.[9]
Since its last national government collapsed in 1991, Somalia has become the classic
failed state.
The militant group, al-Shababthat has links to al-Qaeda, controls many southern and
central areas, including those where a famine has been declared.The UN-backed
government is only in charge of parts of the capital, Mogadishu.After two decades of
non-stop fighting, most of Somalia's people were already living close to the edge.
To make matters worse, al-Shabab forced most Western aid agencies out of the areas they
control in 2009, severely hampering the aid effort in much of Somalia.
How is the presence of the Al-Shabaab hindering the
organizations providing aids?
Fears of the Al-Shabaab insurgents, who control most of southern Somalia, continue to
hinder humanitarian operations in the region. "We need significantly better access than
we have at the moment to address an emergency of this scale." UN agencies are “in a
dialogue” with al-Shabaab about securing airstrips in areas under the insurgent group’s
control to deliver aid. In early July 2011, Al-Shabaab announced that it had withdrawn its
restrictions on international humanitarian workers, and that all aid organizations will be
allowed in.Al-Shabaab members have allegedly intimidated, kidnapped and killed some
aid workers, leading to a partial suspension of humanitarian operations in southern
Somalia.Somalia has faced years of civil war between the country's makeshift
government and Islamist fighters and Schuler said the instability in Somalia was making
it hard for the World Food Programme to deliver aid.
The al Qaeda-linked Al-Shabab group banned foreign aid organizations from operating in
the country in 2009, accusing them of being anti Muslim.
HFSMUN 2013 Study Guide
Could the situation improve?
Most of the affected people in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia are pastoralists and nomads.
Livestock is key to their livelihoods, but many of their animals - including droughtresistant camels - have died. This means they will take many years of good rains to
recover.
In Somalia's famine-hit areas, rains are only due in November. The people who have fled
the famine are unlikely to return any time soon to plant crops.
Can peace be restored to Somalia?
The lack of ways to earn a living and the absence of any government to enforce laws also
explain why so many young Somali men have taken to become pirates in the Indian
Ocean.
The country is riven not only by religious conflict but also by clan divisions.
Since Somalia descended into anarchy, there have been lots of peace talks but precious
little peace.
More than a dozen initiatives - spearheaded by the African Union, UN and regional
countries - have collapsed.Military intervention by foreign countries has also failed.After
the US experience, other Western nations became cautious.
About a decade later, Ethiopia - allied to the US - sent in troops because it was worried
about the rise of an Islamist movement.But they too were forced to withdraw, in the face
of constant attacks by the insurgents and a more radical group - al-Shabab - now controls
many areas.
Now there are African Union peacekeepers in Somalia, but only 9,000 troops of a
promised 20,000 have been deployed and they are confined to a small part of Mogadishu.
Al-Shabab controls the rest of the capital and most southern and central areas.
HFSMUN 2013 Study Guide
Agencies banned by al-Shabab
1. Care
2. International Medical Corps
3. UNDP
4. WFP
Is enough aid getting through?
It is very difficult to get aid to Somalia - even before al-Shabab banned aid groups,
gunmen looted most food deliveries and pirates held others for ransom.
Some aid agencies have been putting out appeals warning of a crisis for several months
but the effort has only really been ramped up recently, after television campaigns have
begun to motivate more people and governments to put their hands in their pockets.
However, the economic crisis may have left many donors and individuals feeling less
generous than they would normally be.Others may question whether their aid will
actually reach those in need and not al-Shabab or other gunmen.
Are talks taking place with al-Shabab?
The UN is involved in discussions with al-Shabab to give aid to famine victims.The
problem is that al-Shabab denies there is a famine.It also fears that Western aid workers
are linked to intelligence services.
So, their suspicions will have to be addressed.
For its part, the UN wants guarantees that its staff will be safe in areas controlled by alShabab.In the absence of an agreement, Somalis will keep fleeing to Kenya and Ethiopia.
Those countries are struggling to cope with their own food crisis - and are nervous about
the influx of Somalis.
HFSMUN 2013 Study Guide
They fear the refugees could threaten their stability, with al-Shabab fighters entering
under the guise of refugees.
What actions and programs have been launched?
Several organizations have worked to save the Africans by helping them in any possible
way. Some of the organizations include Action Aid, World Food Programme, United
Nations Development Programme, SavetheChildren, International Medical Corps, etc.
These organizations have provided vital supplies of food, water, and support for people's
livelihoods to hundreds of thousands of people. They bought ailing livestock for slaughter
from families for a decent price, rather than them being forced to sell at poor market
rates. And they provided families with new livestock to help replenish lost animals. They
are also supporting communities to become more resilient to future crisis by helping them
develop alternative livelihoods, and installing water structures that will help communities
withstand the impacts of future droughts. They are also working with children in the
Dadaab refugee camp who have been deeply affected by the ongoing civil war in
Somalia, to ensure the UN’s legacy in Kenya and across the region is more than simply
an emergency response.
Delegates, one can never research enough for a MUN. This study guide is no way
adequate research material for the ECOSOC Committee. It is just as the name suggests,
a study GUIDE. It is important that you
search and gather information from various
other sources. Feel free to use any other site that can help in your research. Make sure you
use Wikipedia for basic information. We are looking forward to an intense day at the
committee.
end