Environmental+Program

2010 ST. BONAVENTURE UNIVERSITY MODEL UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE

Environmental Program

**__ Ensuring Global Environmental Sustainability __** Over the past few years, there has been an increase in environmental problems. Natural disasters have become more frequent and more intense and there have been manmade disasters that have left harmful impacts on the earth. Look at the recent devastating effects of the earthquake in Haiti, the Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajökull, and British Petrol’s oil spill along the coast of the United States. Environmental problems are also seen through deforestation and desertification. Endangered animals and the ozone layer suffer from these environmental problems. In 2000, the United Nations (UN) developed a series of eight goals to better the world by the year 2015. These Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) incorporate the work of both developed and developing countries to improve health care, human rights, and development. Of the eight, the seventh MG focuses on the environment: Ensure Environmental Sustainability. Within this goal, there are four targets that the UN has aimed to achieve: Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs and reverse the loss of environmental resources; Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss; Halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation, and; By 2020, to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers. In your research, you may want to consider the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development. This declaration was formed during a meeting of UN members in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992. The document details twenty-seven principles of sustainable development and of the twenty-seven, most, if not all can be used in regards to the seventh MDG. In looking at steps that have already been made, we can see a great deal of progress: since 1990, 1.6 billion people gained access to safe drinking water; there have been an increase in the development of clean energy technologies, and; countries have begun to incorporate environmental sustainability into their public policies. While there has been progress, there are still many things, like the ever increasing and the desire to bridge the gap between developed and developing nations that pose environmental problems. You may also want to consider how your country has contributed to ensuring global environmental stability. What other groups are playing a role in achieving this MDG, and how can this body work with those groups? What are the greatest hurdles that need to be overcome in order to achieve this goal? Can these four targets be achieved by 2015? __ Helpful Links: __ http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/MDG_FS_7_EN.pdf [] http://www.mdgmonitor.org/map.cfm?goal=6&indicator=0&cd__ = __ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11388779 **__ Mid-term Review of the UN’s Water for Life Decade __** The years 2005-2015 have been declared an International Decade for Action, designated the Water for Life Decade. The General Assembly, in its Resolution A/RES/58/217 established the Decade. Increased attention toward water related issues and cooperation at all levels, greater effort toward achieving international water-related targets and commitments, and agreement to engage women in development related to water were established as major aims of the decade. The primary purpose of the decade is to advance the progress of the international community toward success on water-related commitments by the conclusion of the decade. Achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation of the World Summit for Sustainable Development, and Agenda 21 are the foci for the work of the decade. Attainment of the goals set out in each of these documents would spell success for the decade as a whole. World Water Day 2005 marked the launch of the decade, and though the decade will conclude in 2015, the vision for its success includes long-term planning and implementation of structures and strategies that reach beyond the scope of the decade to address serious water related issues in the short and long term. The decade is envisioned to be a global effort, engaging partners at all levels including States, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) and United Nations agencies. UN-Water, an agency established to coordinate between UN groups is responsible for the coordination of the Decade, while the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) acts as a partner agency. Water resources management is a central focus of UNEP’s work, which includes water resource assessments and assistance in developing integrated water resource management systems in developing states, and awareness-building and support for governance structures that support sustainable water resource management. A host of time-sensitive and urgent issues are associated with the Water for Life Decade. Stakeholders focusing their efforts on attaining water-related goals for development are confronted by myriad challenges that must be accounted for so that initiatives may be successful. Among these challenges, as highlighted in the most recent United Nations Water Development Report are climate change, pollution, capacity and financing, extreme events, and corruption and mismanagement. In your research, you may want to look at how these time-sensitive issues impact your country. What could result from the challenges posed by the Water Development Report? What other agencies and NGOs could this committee work with to combat these challenges? What is your country's perspective toward the Water for Life Decade? What is your country's involvement with UN-Water? __ Helpful Links: __ [] http://www.unwater.org/flashindex.html http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/background.html [] **__Deforestation__** Trees and plants are critical parts of the planet’s ecosystem. Not only do they make oxygen for all organisms on Earth, forests provide habitats for 90% of the world’s animals, many of which are now threatened or endangered. Plants also use a significant amount of carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, decreasing greenhouse gases. About 30% of the Earth’s surface is covered in forests, though this number is decreasing as these forests are destroyed due to deforestation that contributes to the effects of global warming. Forests act as the Earth’s natural cooling belt as they take in about 283 Gigatonnes of the world’s carbon emissions annually. Annually, approximately 13 million hectares, about the size of Greece or Nicaragua, fall as a result of deforestation. This number is continually increasing. Deforestation is caused by overpopulation as we quest for more land on which to live and cultivate our agriculture, as well as for commercial reasons. The forest provides all sorts of resources from timber and fuel to food and medicines. Two-thirds of world’s forests are found in India, China, the Russian Federation, Indonesia, Australia, Canada, the United States, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Brazil and Peru. Brazil, once the largest contributor to the world’s emission of greenhouse gasses, was able to reduce deforestation by 14%. They accomplished this by increasing monitoring over their forests with the help of police control. Though there is still much work to be done, Brazil hopes to reduce deforestation by 5,000 sq km by 2017. Also, thanks to tree planting programs, 7 million hectares have been planted, creating new forests in countries such as Vietnam, China, India, and the United States. According to Eduardo Rojas, Assistant Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Forestry Department, “Not only have countries improved their forest policies and legislation, they have also allocated forests for use by local communities and indigenous peoples and for the conservation of biological diversity and other environmental functions.” When researching this topic think about the following questions: What does your country do in order to combat deforestation? What has your country done to prevent or stop illegal loggers from furthering deforestation? What non-governmental organizations work with this body to combat deforestation? __Helpful Links:__ [] [] [] []

Lebanon Resources http://geology.com/world/lebanon-satellite-image.shtml http://chronicle.com/article/In-the-Heart-of-Beirut-a/123866/ http://www.undp.org.lb/