World+Bank+Group

2010 ST. BONAVENTURE UNIVERSITY MODEL UNITED NATIONS CONFRENCE World Bank Group

Hello! My name is Chaz James and I have the honor of being your Chair for the 2010. I am from Scio, NY just 45 minutes from campus. This is my first year in Model United Nations, but none the less, at my first major conference, LEIMUN, I was chosen as a delegate of excellence by the chair of the IAEA. I have been privileged to have worked for the New York State Senate since my sophomore year of high school. I am a huge sports fan, Yankees, Sabres and the Bills and I love to sing! I look forward to watching you all work together to make great strides throughout the duration of the conference. I welcome all of you to the World Bank Group and I am very excited for what is sure to be a great conference. Hello, my name is Melvin Cheng and I will be your Co-Chair for this conference. I’m a Freshman Political Science major from Manhattan. This is my first year in Model UN with my first major conference being LEIMUN. I hope that this conference will help me gain experience in how chairing works as well as gaining experience in general for Model UN. In my free time I lounge around, and enjoy ridiculous trivia games in which I get overly excited when I know the answer. Although I come off as a quiet person, you will find me to be eccentric at times. I am excited for this conference and hope to see some good results. Good Luck to you all in your research and I look forward to seeing you in the World Bank Group! **__Research for Mining Safety __** Since the recent mining accident in Chile, the long time question of how to make mining safer has become a focus point for many studies and research projects. Although these efforts are being made, the safety of our world’s brave men and women who venture into the deep layers of the earth will never be good enough. The Chilean miners were some of the few who got very lucky and made it out of a mine that had failed, typically when a mine of that magnitude fails the miners don’t make it back to the surface. The help that the World Bank Group could offer to the mining industry could result in great strides in the safety and precautionary measures that are taken every time a miner is lowered deep into the earth. By taking these steps toward safety and rescue procedures, the mining industry could decrease the number of deaths they have each year. The safety that could be achieved by adding these funds could allow for greater depths of the earth to be reached and for some assurance that the miners of the world can be safe. The World Bank Group could go about this in many different ways. Allocating funds for research is a possible first step in the right direction. After the funds are allocated and possible committees or sub-committees are formed to begin an extensive research project on this matter how could the World Bank Group continue to help on this issue and keep it alive. Should this mining fund go hand and hand with a new renewable energy research project? __As you think about his topic here are some helpful websites: __ [|http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTOGMC/0,,contentMDK:20220915~menuPK:509392~pagePK:148956~piPK:216618~theSitePK:336930,00.html]  []  []  [] **__Sudan __**  Much of what is heard about Sudan is about the region of Darfur, human rights violations, and their President, Omar al-Bashir. Yet, we fail to hear about the immense problems this causes to the country’s infrastructure and about what is done to aid these people. Sudan is considered a Least Developed Country (LDC) by the United Nations. As such, it is a <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">low-income country which faces severe structural handicaps to its growth. = <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;"> The World Bank has been actively involved in Sudan since September 1960. Projects in the country aimed at development, education, gender, health, transportation, and rehabilitation. In August, the World Bank began the Blue Nile Start-up Emergency Project Additional Financing. Costing three million dollars in United States dollars, this initiative aims at conflict prevention and post-conflict reconstruction as well as improving rural services and infrastructure. In 2005, Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) opened an unprecedented window of opportunity to turn the devastation of years of war, displacement, and underdevelopment into a new era of peace and prosperity. This allowed the World Bank to aid Sudan on a greater scale. = <span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> The work of the World Bank in Sudan is closely tied to the Millennium Development Goals that are to be accomplished by 2015. Large strides have been made with goals 4, 7, and 8, reduce child mortality, ensure environmental sustainability, and develop a global partnership for development, respectively. However, more steps can be taken with the remaining five goals as well as improving the country’s infrastructure, emergency planning, and capacity building. <span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> Remember that what we address in debate should not focus on the war, possible human rights violations, or the legitimacy of the Sudanese president. Rather, our concerns should be development and changes that we can implement for the Sudanese people. In your research and debate, you may want to consider your country’s ties to Sudan. What other projects are in place? What areas should the World Bank focus on? What other types of programs could be implemented? __<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">As you think about his topic here are some helpful websites: __ = <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;">[|http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/AFRICAEXT/SUDANEXTN/0,,menuPK:375428~pagePK:141159~piPK:141110~theSitePK:375422,00.html] = = <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;"> [] = = <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;"> [] = = <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;"> [] =

**__<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">World Bank Group and Afghanistan __** <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Since emerging onto the world stage in 2002, Afghanistan has been undergoing an enormous political, economical, and social transformation. Although progress has been made in Afghanistan, there are still challenges ahead. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> With the help of other countries and funds such as the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF), Afghanistan is undergoing significant improvements. Currently, the World Bank Group's engagement in Afghanistan is determined by the Interims Strategy Note (ISN) for Afghanistan. The ISN is aligned with the government’s Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS). The World Bank has also been supporting Afghan programs that have and continue to improve the lives of the citizens of Afghanistan. The Interim Strategy Note (ISN) for Afghanistan covers the ** 2009 - 2011 ** period and foresees a grant program of around $600 million. In 2008, the World Bank has made a 5 year pledge to donate $1.1 billion as long as the country performs better than other post-conflict countries. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> Afghanistan is currently dealing with low life expectancy, health situations, illiteracy, and low GDP per capita. Currently, there are four programs that are improving living conditions in Afghanistan: The Power Rehabilitation Project, The Horticulture Component of the Horticulture and Livestock Project, The ** Animal Health Component of the Horticulture and Livestock Project, and The Irrigation Rehabilitation Project. ** In 2008, from 2006, the child mortality rate decreased, the child immunization rates increased, and prenatal care for pregnant women increased. While steps have been taken, more can still be done. Our aim is to continue the progress that has been made throughout Afghanistan. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> When doing your research, you may want to look at the groups, other than the World Bank, that are involved with development in Afghanistan. What are your country’s ties to Afghanistan? What progress has Afghanistan made in regards to the Millennium Development Goals? What other programs can be implemented? <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Research links: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">[|http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/SOUTHASIAEXT/AFGHANISTANEXTN/0,,contentMDK:20152008~pagePK:141137~piPK:217854~theSitePK:305985,00.html] <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">[] = <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;">[] = = <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;">[] =