Topic A: Implementation of rehabilitation prisons over punishment prison.
In the world, there are two kinds of prisons, ones with the intention of rehabilitating prisoners and those with the purpose of punishing prisoners. The former was created to reform the prisoners and re-introduce them to society as new people. The latter was created with the purpose of teaching prisoners consequences and the impact of their actions, asking them to “pay” for what they have done. Both of these types of prisons have their own positives and negatives. Delegates will need to discuss and compare the two, figuring out which one would satisfy moral and ethical concerns as well as which version is more sustainable in the long run. (Being versatile enough to suit various prison-population sizes and accommodations different countries may have) |
Topic B: Is using prison labor ethical?
Prison labor is seen as a method of punishment and sustenance in prisons. It sustains the inmates capabilities to contribute when they are later thrust back into society. It also ensures them somewhat minimum wage (the hourly pay differing from country to country with varying prices), this allows them to continue earning money while incarcerated. However, for prisoners sentenced with life-time sentences, they are worked with no real end-goal. Even death row inmates are required to work in even worse and unethical ways, for example they receive less options for jobs than most other prisoners even those who have been given life without parole. They are also forced to work by themselves in a small, confined space with more limited access to recreation to relax after this work. Prisoners are also not able form labor unions giving them no protection from any changes in their rights. |
Topic A:Implementations of nation-wide punishments as a result of the actions of one specific group or person are unethical.
When faced with problematic situations and groups, corporations and companies have resorted to regional and nation-wide punishments. Examples can be the banning of certain region accounts from accessing services. This can be considered unethical due to it’s negative impact on citizens and the countries economy. When used as a form of punishment for the actions of one specific group, these can cause the deterioration of countries and increase fatalities, lower and quality of life. For example in the case of Samar Badawi who was imprisoned by the Saudi government against the wishes of the Canadian government. This resulted in the ambassador of Canada to Saudi Arabia being declared persona non grata and the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Canada being withdrawn, along with all foreign trade and business with Canada being removed, not allowing any flights from Saudi Arabia to even enter Canadian airspace, and finally ordering all students studying in Canada under a Saudi scholarship being 16,000 students of all levels to relocate to another country or risk losing their financial assistance. |
Topic B: Should the Declaration of Human Rights be revisited or stay the same.
As technology and society evolves, so does what is considered a basic human right. Decades ago, the internet had not yet existed and cars were a commodity only the most wealthy could afford (besides the military). However, in this day in age, those two are basic requirements that are needed to lead a regular life and not having access to those two has heavy negative implications and effects on one's life. However, with acknowledgment that human rights are a universal thing, allowing them to remain timeless by not adapting them to our current societal standards allows them to obtain and hold a certain amount of power and importance. Delegates will discuss whether or not timeless documents should be altered to suit our modern-day, and if so, the importance of such changes as well as possible modifications. |
Topic A: Increased levels of sargassum seaweed on American beaches results in heavily decreased tourism levels and possible health risks.
Because of the rise in water temperatures as well as increased CO2 levels, the growth and development of Sargassum seaweed has increased. This causes an increase in the amount of seaweed which is washed ashore. While regular levels of the seaweed have no negative effects on humans and are a positive influence and component of most ecosystems within the ocean, when there is an increase in the seaweed it can have negative effects. The most prevalent - and the main focus of this topic - being its effect on the beaches and the tourism they previously inspired. These being Miami, Cancun, Puerto Rico, and Dominican Republic (To name a few). These beaches have seen an increase in seaweed. Tourists have begun avoiding these beaches because of the odor of the decomposing seaweed, the other more harmful bacteria that are prompted to grow and develop by the seaweed, as well as the health risks that may arise due to the large amounts of seaweed. This can heavily impact a country's economy, especially one that is dependent on the money tourism generates. |
Topic B: Working towards protecting critically endangered rainforest wildlife
Rainforest wildlife makes up over fifty percent of all diversity in the world. With the current rate of one acre of rainforest being lost every three seconds, this diversity is vital to the existence of many different species, delegates in this council will decide how to protect wildlife and help preserve these animals. |
Topic A: Reevaluating the foster care system for underprivileged and orphan children.
The foster care system that is used to protect orphan children or children whose family is unsuitable to care for them is a system where these children are left in a group home with multiple other children and is taken care of by a certified caregiver. This caregiver is always checked by the government to make sure that they are suitable for taking care of children. However there are many drawbacks in this system including that children in this system are seven times as likely to experience depression, five times as likely to feel anxiety, three times as likely to have ADHD, hearing impairments, and vision issues. Along with many other issues even after already finding a private foster family including that children in foster homes are 28 times more likely to be abused, and one third of all foster children report abuse from a foster parent. This does not include all the other forms of abuse that children in foster homes receive and all the unreported cases of abuse.Delegates will be tasked with creating safer and more effective forms of foster care for orphaned or neglected children. |
Topic B: Combating the abduction of orphans and children of low income families for the use of organ, drug, and human trafficking.
In the United States alone about 840,000 children go missing every year. Of all these children a majority of them come from low income families who sometimes sell their children to human traffickers or orphaned children who have no one to protect them. These children normally have three main things that happen to them, their organs are harvested and sold on the black market while the criminals who did it dispose of the body, or they are sold to buyers who use them for physical labor or other services that the buyer requires, or finally they are used to smuggle drugs into other countries. These children are usually taken from low income families or are taken as orphans since they are much easier to abduct, and they will not arouse much suspicion from authorities or their parents. Delegates will be asked to attempt to combat this issue and attempt to find solutions to protect these children. |
Topic A: The oligopoly of the pharmaceutical industry
Since the beginning of the creation of the pharmaceutical industry there has always been a huge demand for their products. Everyone in the world needs medicine, albeit it for a small headache or to treat a massive infection, however currently only a few large companies have all the influence and the materials to sell and conduct research to develop new medicines and mass produce enough to sell worldwide. These companies have formed an oligopoly where they have complete control over which medicine is released and the price for their products. This leads to their products having high prices that most people can not afford with incredibly high profits by exploiting this fact. It also leads to higher barriers of entry for other companies who wish to enter the market which only helps secure and protect the current system in the pharmaceutical industry. Delegates will come up with resolutions to combat the longevity of this oligopoly and to help people receive the medicine they need easier and more efficiently. |
Topic B: Comparing patented price of medication in contrast to its retail price.
Insulin is a medication that people with diabetes are reliant on in order to maintain stable blood sugar. The initial patent for insulin was 1$, with its creator acknowledging its importance as a medication as people require it in order to survive. Now in the USA, the prices of insulin are not regulated with them being thousands of dollars for a monthly dosage. |
Topic A: As a maintenance of culture, historical artifacts should be returned and further preserved in their countries of origin.
Britain has been one of the world's largest artifact-stealers. There are multiple museums containing multiple artifacts of various countries. One of the most notable examples being the Caryatid Pillars, pillars used in Ancient Greece to hold up the roofs of monuments. While five of them are still in Athens, one of them was taken by the British and is now in the British Museum. This is not a standalone case, but has occurred multiple times throughout history and will continue to happen. The five other Caryatids, in Greece, have undergone their restoration and are well-maintained, but with all of that being said the British still refuse to return the monument to its home of origin. (Please keep in mind that this is an example) |
Topic B: Countries should emphasize the importance of a scientific discovery in their education systems and include it with their regular curriculum.
Scientific discoveries can be traced back centuries to old islamic, Chinese, or Greek philosophers, mathematicians, and inventors. However, with the western influence a lot of those names have lost the recognition they deserve. Therefore, credit should be given at the same capacity as it does for art pieces and literature and should have the same emphasis. This does not end at non-European or non-American scientists. Even European scientists have missed out on their credit and acknowledged contributions, like when a Nobel prize was presented to two scientists instead of the teams which had done the actual experiments. This lack of credit in both academics and awards is a big issue when it comes to discoveries. |
Topic A:Countries impacted industrially and economically by colonization should be supported and further maintained by their previous settlers.
Colonization still has lingering impacts decades after the independence of said colonies. This can be seen in the hindered development of previously colonized countries. A prime example can be seen especially in Africa and the previous European colonies. Trading habits have been integrated into their economy and as a result they are unable to shake the exploitative systems they had previously been victims of. |
Topic B: Should countries who contribute more to climate change, bear the cost of the damages done to other countries.
Some of the largest contributors to climate change are countries who bear a fraction of the effects. Smaller, less developed and weaker countries are the ones who suffer more. For example, while the United States is the largest contributor to climate change, it is not as negatively affected by it as smaller countries in Africa and other parts of the world that end up suffering from droughts, severe weather, and pollution. |
Topic A: Combating the issue of unstable, unreliable, poor infrastructure.
In recent years, many countries (specifically America) have been witnessing a fall in their infrastructure’s stability. With one of the most recent events occurring in an apartment complex in which half of the building had collapsed due to faulty structural factors, and the overall placement of the building. Other examples are unstable roads, poor water transport impacting water quality, and electricity instability. Take for example, in the winter of 2021, the State of Texas had faced a huge power outage and crisis, resulting in the death of 57 people, and the injury of many others.This outage had been caused by a grid failure due to poor infrastructure. |
Topic B: Governments should provide equipment and further prepare cautions for extreme or unpredictable weather conditions.
Shelter is one of the declared human rights established by the United Nations, however with shelter comes the maintenance of shelter and ensuring it is continually legible to be lived in. This can be affected by an increase in temperature that occurs during summer, as well as unprecedented weather conditions like flooding, storms, and other natural disasters. In recent times this has been seen in Jordan and the United Kingdom, as houses are unprepared to account for the increase in temperature, the “heat waves” causing sickness and fatalities in said countries. The houses in these regions are built to withstand cold winters, and moderate summers. However as the temperature increases, these houses are no longer ideal, they are heavily insulated, with minimal air conditioning. Other examples can be seen in Korea, where the streets were flooded and as a result many people have lost their homes and living accommodations. In response, the government had set up a barely effective gym to house those who had lost their houses.Similar circumstances have occurred in Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan, all resulting in thousands of people being displaced and losing their houses. The delegates will have to find ways and draft resolutions to find a way to undermine this problem and ensure that the human right of shelter is well provided for even in the face of climate conditions and surprising weather. |
Topic A: Questioning the use of technology in agriculture and farming fields.
In recent years, the use of AI in agriculture has increased, with countries like India using IA in order to increase efficiency of agriculture, and other countries, especially in the EU, have begun suggesting the usage of block-chain technology in order to “increase transparency” however, as countries become more dependent on technology for agriculture, the job opportunities present in the fields would decrease and become dependent on technology. When that technology fails or sees malfunction, the entire system will collapse. The delegates will have to discuss and establish resolutions around the implementation of technology within agriculture, and reflect on whether it is a just, or long-term solution. |
Topic B: Access to healthy and sustainable food should become a requirement to define a country as having “food security”.
Due to its low price and easy-access, fast foods have become wildly popular amongst lower to middle income families. That being said, its long term effects and threats of malnutrition and negative health implications outweigh its affordability, furthermore, fast food has always prioritized industry over quality and that means that lower income households in what are considered “food secure” countries resort to fast food and result in health complications. Delegates of the FAO will find ways to improve food security in countries as well as question what the term ‘food security” really means. |