Delegates:AlvinTsangandDaleSchlacter

Delegation:CommonwealthofAustralia

PositionPaperforUnitedNationsChildrensFund(UNICEF)

TheissuesbeforeUNICEF:childrensrights,foodaccessibility,andhumandevelopmentofadolescents.Australia
seekstoachieveprogresstosupportthechildrenoftheworld,andlookforwardtoachievingglobalprogresswith
contributionsofeverymemberstate.

TopicI:ProtectingChildrensRightsAndAccessToFoodInDevelopingCountries

TheAustraliandelegationaffirmsthatpoorchildrensrightsandaccesstofoodisamajorprobleminmany
developingcountries.TheCommonwealthofAustralia,withtheworldssecondhighesthumandevelopmentindex,
ismostlyunaffectedbythisissue,butasamemberofthePacificIslandsForum1itiswellawareoftheimpactof
thisproblemondevelopingcountries.ManyneighboringnationswithwhomAustraliahavecloserelationssuffer
fromchronicfoodshortageleadingtochildstarvation.Inprimarilyagriculturalcountries,availablefoodoften
fluctuateswiththeoutputofasinglecroporfish.Goodyearsleadtoafoodsurplusandexports,whileinbadyears
thereareoftentoolittlesavingsavailabletofeedfamilies.Australiabelievesthatthekeytoimprovingchild
nutritionalintakeindevelopingcountriesistheimplementationofadiverseeconomicbase.Suchadiverse
economywouldhelpreduceuncertaintybyspreadingoutfoodincomerisk,andwhenfamiliesareconfidentintheir
foodincometheirchildrenaremorelikelytobefed.

Chronicfoodshortageisanissuethathasplaguedchildren(andmostadults)formostofhumanhistory.In
morerecenttimes,foodshortagesareoftencausedbymonocroppingandsolelyagriculturaleconomies.Without
economicdiversification,cropfailuresofasingletypecanplungeanentirecountryintopovertyuntilthenextcrop
cycle.Whilethisproblemistypicallyassociatedwithdevelopingnationsinafrica,pacificislandsfacesimilar
issues.IntheSolomonIslands,forexample,over60outofeverythousandlivebirthsdiebeforetheageoffive2,
oftenfromstarvationorstarvationrelatedcomplications.A2014UNICEFreportstatedthathouseholdsinpacific
islandcountrieswereinvolvedinacontinuousstruggletomeetessentialdailylivingexpensesandthattheyface
increasinghardshipduetosoaringpriceoffoodandfuelandtheincreasedpriceofimportedfoodandgoods 3.
WhiletheCommonwealthofAustraliahastakenactiontotryandresolvethisproblemwiththe
SavetheChildren
initiative,thisisaninternationalissueaffectingnumerousnations.AccordingtoUNICEFestimates,over700
millionpeoplelivewithunstablefoodsuppliesinthepacificislandsalone4.Nearlyhalfofthesearechildrenunder
18yearsofage.Thisproblemistoolargeforasinglenationtoaddresseffectively,sotheAustraliandelegation
believesthatthisisamatterbestbroughttotheUnitedNations.AccordingtotheUNICEFmissionstatement,the
survival,protectionanddevelopmentofchildrenareuniversaldevelopmentimperativesthatareintegraltohuman
progress.Withchildrenintheselessdevelopedcountrieslackingtherightstobasicnutrition,theprogressof
humanityasawholeundoubtedlysuffers.Onamorematerialpoint,unstableeconomiesandchronichungerinless
developedcountriesweakenstraderelationshipsandretardseconomicdevelopment.Thisdirectlyimpactspotential
tradingpartners.Withoutfoodsecurityforchildreninlessdevelopedcountries,humanprogressasawholesuffers.

TheAustraliandelegationproposestheimplementationofaneconomicdiversificationprogramtoreduce
childhunger.Suchaprogramwouldmakeuseofselectivemicroloans,tradeincentives,anddirectinvestmentto
1

"PacificIslands."SavetheChildren.SavetheChildrenAustralia,n.d.Web.23Oct.2015.
P
acificIslands."SavetheChildren.SavetheChildrenAustralia,n.d.Web.23Oct.2015.

2
3

"Children'sIssues."UNICEFPacificIslandCountries.UNICEF,n.d.Web.23Oct.2015.

"Children'sIssues."UNICEFPacificIslandCountries.UNICEF,n.d.Web.23Oct.2015.

encouragegrowthinmultipleeconomicsectors.Asthetargetnationseconomybeginstodiversify,Australia
believesthattheincreasedeconomicactivityandspreadingofriskwillleadtoamorestablefoodsupply.Inthis
waychildrencanbecomesecureintheirrighttonutrition.TheCommonwealthofAustraliahasalready
implementedsmallscalemicroloanandtradeinitiativestothiseffect,butwithUnitedNationsinvolvement
largescaleprogramscanbeeffected.Australiaishopefulthatbybuildingconsensusaroundthisapproachthe
formidableresourcesoftheUnitedNationscancreatelongstanding,progressivepoliciestomitigatethisproblem
onaworldwidescale.

Delegates:AlvinTsangandDaleSchlacter
Delegation:CommonwealthofAustralia
Committee:UnitedNationsChildrensFund(UNICEF)

TopicII:AdvancingHumanDevelopmentforAdolescents

TheAustraliandelegationrecognizesthestemmingissueofthelackofclarificationandlegislation
emphasisthatisgearedtowardstheagegroupbetweenchildandadult,theadolescent.Thisissueisofgreat
importance,andrequiresfurtherattentiononaglobalscale.Onadomesticstandpoint,Australialikemanyother
developedcountries,containpopulationswithadolescentsstrugglingtowardsabusiveactivitiessuchasdrugsand
alcohol.AnoticabletrendthatpersistsinAustraliaisthegrowingproblemofmentalillnesses,especiallyin
adolescents.OneinsixyoungAustralianscurrentlyhaveananxietycondition.5Additionally,suicidestemstobethe
biggestcauseofdeathamongyoungAustralians,evensurpassingcaraccidents.6Theissueisnotuniqueto
developedcountrieshowever,adolescentsindevelopingcountriesfacealargerdisparityofconflicts.Developing
countriestendtohaveissuesofearlypregnancy,HIV,andlackinghumanlivingconditions.7Withthesedramatic
effectsarisingthroughouttheworlditisperplexingastowhyfurtheremphasisofthehumandevelopmentof
adolescentsisnotprominentlyexecuted.AustraliabelievesthatUNICEFalongwithotherelementsoftheUnited
Nationscanimplementseveralpoliciesinordertofurtherhumandevelopmentforadolescents.

UNICEFhasbeenaprimaryglobalinstitutioninassistingthedevelopmentofchildren,howeveronly
recentlyhastheemphasisoftheneedtocreategreaterawarenessinthedevelopmentforadolescentshassurfaced.
Thislackofrecognitionaswellasthenatureofassistingadolescentshasbeenadifficultissuehoweveritstemsto
beaglobalissuethatneedtobeacknowledgedandprogressed.Australiasadolescentscurrentlyfacemanyissues
rangingfromdrugandalcoholabusetoatrendinmentalillnesses.UNICEFbeingdedicatedasachildrens
organizationmustalsofocusonadolescents,eventhoughtheneedsanddemandspersisttobedifferentaswellas
difficult.TheWHOhasstatedthat1.3millionadolescentsdiedin2012,mostlyfrompreventableortreatable
causesaswellashalfofallmentalhealthdisordersinadulthoodappeartostartbyage14,butmostcasesare
undetectedanduntreated8.Adolescentsaccountfor16%oftheworldpopulation,withsuchalargepercentageof
thedemographic,itisimperativetocontrolandassistthedevelopmentofadolescents.TheWorldProgrammeof
ActionforYouth(WPAY)9isagreatbeginningtowardsincreasingtheawarenessofthisissue,howeverithasnot
becomeanissueofglobalimportancethatitshouldbecome.Australiarecognizesthesegrowingproblemsandhas
severalgovernmentinstitutionsthathaveeffectivelyeducatedandassistedsuchastheChildFamilyCommunity
Australia(CFCA)10.Despitetheuseofthevariousinstitutions,nospecificlegislationisdonecriticallytohelpthe
specificdemographic,especiallyofthoseindevelopedcountries.Asaresult,Australiabelievesitiscriticalto
increaseawareness,specificallyofaglobalscale,aswellasdiscussvarioussolutionstoaidinginthedevelopment
ofadolescentswhilepreservingculturalsensitivities.

ThedelegatesofAustraliaproposethatwhatmustfirstbeaccomplishedisundoubtedlyspreadof
awarenessoftheissue.AllcountriesinattendanceattheUNICEFconferencemustagreethatthedevelopmentof
adolescentsisanissuethatmustberecognizedasaglobalissue.Oncethisorderhasbeencompletedthedelegation
ofAustraliaproposesthatdevelopedcountriesalongwithNGOsandothervariouscharityorganizationsexpandand

"StatsandFacts."StatsandFacts.YouthBeyondBlue,n.d.Web.24Oct.2015.
"
StatsandFacts."StatsandFacts.YouthBeyondBlue,n.d.Web.24Oct.2015.
7
"
StatsandFacts."StatsandFacts.YouthBeyondBlue,n.d.Web.24Oct.2015.
8
"
Adolescents:HealthRisksandSolutions."WHO.WorldHealthOrganization,May2014.Web.24Oct.2015.
9
"
WorldProgrammeofActionforYouth."WorldProgrammeofActionforYouth.YouthSocialPolicyandDevelopmentDivision,n.d.Web.
5
6

24Oct.2015.
10

"ChildFamilyCommunityAustralia."AustralianInstituteofFamilyStudies.AustralianInstituteofFamilyStudies,2015.Web.23Oct.2015.

educatethepersistingproblemsthatareuniquetoadolescents.Thevariousgroupsmentionedwillworkwiththe
governmentsthatwouldstruggleinfinanciallyfundingvariouseducationandsupportprogramsthatwouldbe
implementedforthetargeteddemographic.Australiacanprovidevariousamountsofresources,suchasintroducing
andsuggestingpastsuccessfullegislation,educationabilitiesofgovernmentandnongovernmentgroups,aswellas
educatedofficialsthatcanhelpdevelopingcountries.However,Australiacannotcarryalltheweightandhopesto
seekoutvariousotherassistancefromothercountrieswhohavetheabilitytoprovidevariousresourcestoassistin
theglobalproblem.

WorksCited

"Adolescents:HealthRisksandSolutions."
WHO
.WorldHealthOrganization,May2014.Web.
24Oct.2015.
"ChildFamilyCommunityAustralia."
AustralianInstituteofFamilyStudies
.AustralianInstitute
ofFamilyStudies,2015.Web.23Oct.2015.
"Children'sIssues."
UNICEFPacificIslandCountries
.UNICEF,n.d.Web.23Oct.2015.
"PacificIslands."
SavetheChildren
.SavetheChildrenAustralia,n.d.Web.23Oct.2015.
"StatsandFacts."
StatsandFacts
.YouthBeyondBlue,n.d.Web.24Oct.2015.
"UNICEF'sMissionStatement."
UNICEF
.UNICEF,25Apr.2003.Web.24Oct.2015.
"WorldProgrammeofActionforYouth."
WorldProgrammeofActionforYouth
.YouthSocial
PolicyandDevelopmentDivision,n.d.Web.24Oct.2015.