Resolutions from Voting Committee 2
Hannah Henry
Over the past two days, I’ve heard a number of resolutions from the countries in Voting Committee Two, covering topics ranging from Australia’s deforestation problem to Ireland’s rainwater harvesting initiative, and the Russian justification of the annexation of Crimea.
In Resolution 18, Russia proposed to be allowed to officially annex the Crimean Peninsula. In their opening statements, Russia talked about how 89% of the residents of Crimea voted to join Russia, how the annexation of Crimea did not break any UN laws and that the annexation would lead to great economic growth, both for Crimea and Russia. During the non-debatable technical questions, the Russian delegation was asked questions like how they would benefit from the acquisition of Crimea (asked by the UK), how this annexation would benefit the global community (asked by Nigeria), and how this would affect Ukraine’s resources (asked by Canada). In response, Russia talked about how they’d benefit because they’d have access to Crimea’s coastline, therefore allowing Russia to expand economically through more trading and to expand their navy. In response to Nigeria, Russia talked about the tension that this annexation has put on the international community. If other countries were to allow this annexation, tensions would be eased.
During pro/con debate, three countries spoke. Some concerns that were raised by Turkey and the UK were that Russia was using Crimea as a land grab to gain power and that the Russians would have no real benefit from the acquisition of Crimea. The UK also mentioned that strengthening Russia’s navy could lead to an international issue. The Holy See spoke in favor of Russia’s resolution, saying that the annexation would remove tariffs placed on Russia, which coincided with their own resolution. In closing, the Russian delegation defended themselves by reinforcing that they truly had Crimea’s best interests in mind. They talked about how they had already donated billions to the Crimeans, which was more than Ukraine had done. In the end, the resolution was defeated.
Another resolution that was presented was Ireland’s rainwater harvesting initiative. In their opening remarks, they talked about their plan to implement rainwater harvesting on all homes, beginning with Dublin, Ireland. They said that they were asking for $1 billion dollars, funded by the UN and given to private companies that would implement this WHO-approved rainwater collection system on homes. Their hope was that eventually, these rainwater harvesting systems were to be implemented across the globe. During the technical questions, Nigeria asked how the resolution sponsors came to the conclusion of $1 billion dollars. In response, Ireland said that it was based on implementation costs, as well as wages for WHO personnel to inspect and approve each system. During the pro/con debate, some serious concerns were brought to light.
An ambassador from Italy mentioned that if the water storage isn’t done correctly, it could lead to an outbreak of mosquito-borne illnesses. A member of the Turkish delegation believed that it was a waste of money and should be started in a country with more need and Nigeria talked about how this program doesn’t take other, less wealthy countries’ infrastructure into account because not all countries have access to private companies to install these collection systems on national scales. However, many countries were also in support of this resolution. Candidates Jadyn Bell and Olivia Walton both agreed that water is one of the most important resources we have and that it is a right, not a privilege. Walton also mentioned how an E. Coli outbreak has ruined much of Ireland’s water supply and how this is a great solution to that problem. Members from the Vatican also agreed that rainwater is a gift from God, and should not be wasted. In conclusion, Ireland refuted a few of the cons by talking about how Ireland does in fact experience a lot of rainfall, so this would be beneficial. They also talked about how they believed that the large amount of money that they were asking for shouldn’t matter since water is essential to life on earth.
In the end, this resolution was defeated, but who knows? Maybe this resolution will inspire someone else!
After spectating the conversations of Voting Committee Two, I found that there were a lot of great ideas circulating around. Some of the best resolutions were defeated just due to circumstance. At the end of the day, these ideas are what inspires change in our world. Something that is merely a resolution today, could become a reality tomorrow.
