Delegation from Represented by

Ukraine Issaquah High School

Position Paper for the General Assembly Second Committee

The General Assembly Second Committee (GA2), or the Economic and Finance Committee, is committed
to reaching agreements on economic growth and sustainable development and for all states to achieve
economic prosperity. In taking steps to realize its goals the GA2 are considering the topics of: I.
Agriculture development, food security and nutrition and II. Unilateral economic measures as a means of
political and economic coercion against developing countries. Ukraine is eager to find viable solutions to
the problems presented to this committee.

I. Agriculture development, food security and nutrition

Access to nutritious food is a fundamental human right, and has a multitude of benefits that contribute to a
country's development including direct health benefits and economic benefits such as raised incomes, low
income job creation, and increased trade opportunities in the private sector. Despite the right of people to
acquire adequate food, 821 million people (1 in 9) were undernourished in 2018, an increase from 2017,
according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Food is often used as leverage in war, with
armed groups destroying or poisoning food supplies, harming vulnerable groups such as children. 45% of
all children who die under the age of 5 (35 million children) are due to malnutrition. Nutrition and food
security are directly correlated to social demographics such as age and gender; for example women are
more likely than men to be food insecure according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Chapter I of the Charter of the United Nations declares inadequate access to food as a fundamental
threat to global peace, international security, and the principles of the United Nations (UN). Later the
General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, enshrining universal access to an
adequate standard of living, well-being, and food as a fundamental human right. In 1945 the General
Assembly created the FAO with objectives to eliminate hunger, improve nutrition, and improve standard of
living by increasing agricultural productivity. The General Assembly and FAO later created the World
Food Programme (WFP) in 1961 to respond to food emergencies and combat worldwide hunger. The
General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration on the Eradication of Hunger and Malnutrition in
1974, recognizing that food crisis affect developing countries disproportionately, and all states, regardless
of developmental position, must work to ensure society’s capacity to feed all people. Recently,
international efforts such as the High-Level Task Force on the Global Food Security Crisis in 2008 and
the Zero Hunger Challenge in 2015 have worked to attain Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG2).

Ukraine is ranked at the bottom of the Global Hunger Index as 1 of 17 countries with a Global Hunger
Index (GHI) score below 5, signaling low levels of hunger. Undernourishment has dropped since 2000,
from 5% of the population to 3% (in 2016). The availability of fruit and vegetables has also increased from
365g (in 2000) to 617g (in 2013). Despite Ukraine’s lack of undernourishment, there is a significant
problem with malnourishment. Ukraine is off-course to meet global targets for anaemia in women of
reproductive age, low birth weight, male and female diabetes, and male and female obesity. Obesity
remains rampant, and one of Ukraine’s biggest nutrition related problems, with 53% of Ukrainians
considered overweight and 20% considered obese. Ukraine has recently attempted to combat
malnutrition by increasing the level of accurate information to the public, passing “On Information For
Food Products Consumers” in 2018 that brings food business operators in line with the requirements set
out by the the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement such as: prohibiting businesses from using information
to mislead consumers about food, among others.

Ukraine emphasizes the need to combat malnourishment and establish safe, reliable, and nutritious food
sources in regions afflicted by combat. Ukraine desires a 5% increase in every member states
1
contribution to the UN. 4% of this increase would go towards a UN Fighting Hunger Fund (FHF). This FHF
would be given to countries for the desire to feed their malnourished population. The FHF would be under
the management of the FAO. 50% of the FHF would go directly towards the countries with the 5 lowest
Global Hunger Index scores. 25% of the FHF would go directly towards countries whose Global Hunger
Index scores rank serious, alarming, or seriously alarming and are not among the 5 lowest scores. All
member states will be required to report all necessary information to the Global Hunger Index, and the
Index will report all scores to the GA2 yearly for the correct allotment of funds from the FHF. The last 25%
of the FHF would go towards funding an Emergency Hunger Fund (EHF). This will go towards any region
of the world that has a sudden and immediate military conflict, natural disaster, or other unforeseen event
that would not factor into the yearly Global Hunger Index scores. The GA2 will vote on the use of these
funds to help various regions, as well as deciding whether UN peacekeepers will be necessary to facilitate
the use of these funds to combat hunger among the population. The EHF will be used in coordination with
the WFP. Ukraine observes the need for long term solutions towards global hunger, and seeks a UN
hunger research team to find long term solutions for countries that consistently rank in the bottom 5% of
the Global Hunger Index.

II. Unilateral economic measures as a means of political and economic coercion against
developing countries

The UN definition of unilateral coercive measures is economic and political measures

imposed by individual states or groups of states to compel the target state to enact certain changes in its
policies, subverting the target’s sovereign rights; coercive measures are usually imposed upon weaker
countries by developed countries. Coercive measures have increased sharply since the 1990’s, proving
that actions taken to curtail this action have failed. About ⅓ of the world's population live in developing
countries that are especially susceptible to these measures. Measures, such as sanctions, can
dangerously damage local economies, decrease the standard of living, negatively affect the performance
of governments, and curtail the development of the targeted country. Some measures target specific
industries such as manufacturing, oil, or gas while others affect the entire economy. Despite running
contrary to the Charter of the United Nations and multiple UN declarations many member states view
coercive measures as an effective method to bend target countries economic and political agendas to
their will.

Coercive measures run contradictory to many UN declarations. The stability and self-determination of
member states, and the advancement of economic and social cooperation are stated in the Charter of the
United Nations (1945), the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (1966), and
the Declaration on the Right to Development (1986). The GA2 has continuously urged member states to
condemn economic measures that subvert these ideals, but due to its extensiveness and effectiveness
this message has been largely ignored. Effective and substantial guidelines to guide the scope of these
measures have failed to be adopted. The committee not only struggles to enact proper guidelines, but
how to properly condemn member states who enact coercive measures against developing states.

Ukraine has a recent history with embargoes. Following the hostile invasion and annexation of Crimea by
Russia in the Russo-Ukranian war, a number of countries including the United States, European Union,
and others enacted economic sanctions against Russia and Crimea. These sanctions damaged the
Russian economy, contributing to the collapse of the Ruble and the Russian financial crisis; by 2016 the
Russian economy had lost an estimated $170 billion due to financial sanctions and another $400 billion in
lost revenues to oil and gas. Sanctions against Russia are considered responsible for slowing Russian
military aggression against Ukraine. The sanctions also caused around €100 billion of economic damage
to various EU countries (as of 2015). Russia has also directly sanctioned Ukraine starting in 2013-2014,
originally banning foods such as sweets, cheese, and fruits and vegetables as well as steel. Recently,
Russia has banned oil and coal products from being exported to Ukraine. In response Ukraine has

2
enacted their own sanctions, starting with banning the imports of Russian chocolates, cheeses, and fish in
2014 and recently springs for wagons, electrical equipment and electrical conductors among others.

Ukraine recognizes the need for additional guidelines and restrictions in relation to unilateral coercive
measures, especially against developing countries. Ukraine is seeking an elimination of economic
sanctions, embargos, and bans against any economy with a UN Human Development Index (HDI) score
below 0.800. This allows for protection against the most vulnerable people, living in unstable economies
whilst allowing viable repercussions for superpowers who violate worldwide social cooperation. Ukraine
also desires an Economic Powers Committee (EPC) created inside the UN: each member state can send
one representative. This new EPC would rule on economic sanctions against countries with an HDI score
above 0.800 and decide whether to declare a denunciation of that sanction. The EPC would also hear
statements from countries who want to initiate coercive measures against countries with an HDI score
below 0.800, and rule on whether they want to allow it. EPC would have a non-partisan department in
charge of publishing yearly data on ongoing economic sanctions.