Model United Nations of Baden-Baden
GA 2 (Economic and Financial)
THE ROLE OF THE UN IN PROMOTING DEVELOPMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF
GLOBALIZATION AND INTERDEPENDENCE IN LDC´s AND LEDC´s
LDC
Least developed countries (LDCs) are low-income countries confronting severe structural
impediments to sustainable development. They are highly vulnerable to economic and
environmental shocks and have low levels of human assets.
There are currently 48 countries on the list of LDCs which is reviewed every three years by
the Committee for Development (CDP).
LDCs have exclusive access to certain international support measures in particular in the
areas of development assistance and trade.
LEDC
LEDC is an abbreviation for Less Economically Developed Country or we may know it as a
developing country. Countries that are claimed to LEDCs are relatively poor countries. Many
LEDC countries are the countries that produce most of the raw materials for the world. The
raw materials created by the LEDCs are sold to MEDCs (more economically developed
countries) in cheap prices. After all the basic resources and parts that MEDCs needs for its
factories are sent, rich people or company owners that produce products will find a LEDC
that will accept to make a factory or a sweatshop to make their products. Most LEDCs would
accept the request because the owner of the sweatshop will get some income when he had
none before the company of a MEDC shows up. Therefore, the company will provide the
factory with the cheap raw materials they were able to get from LEDCs. Then, after the
wanted product is produced from the sweatshop, the company will bring all the products
back to another country where everything gets assembled together. However products such
as clothes already gets fully created in the sweatshop so there is no need for it to travel to
another destination, but things such as soccer balls may need to travel to one or two places
to create the whole thing. Once a certain amount of product is finished creating, it gets sent
back to the home country of the company. Then when the finalized products reach to the
home country, it gets exported to all the countries that the company globalized to. However,
the obvious but peculiar part at this stage is the price of the products. MEDCs have already
bought raw materials in a very cheap price and then used those cheap raw materials to
make civilians in a poor country work in a factory for about 20 hours a day, 7 days a week
and get paid 1 or 2 dollars a week. Lastly, all the hard effort and the endless sweat of the
workers result in having the price of about 30 dollars which costs 30 times more than what
the people that actually make it get.
Model United Nations of Baden-Baden
GA 2 (Economic and Financial)
Measures:
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the United Nations' global
development network.
Headquartered in New York City, UNDP advocates for change and connects countries to
knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. It provides expert
advice, training and grants support to developing countries, with increasing emphasis on
assistance to the least developed countries.
The status of UNDP is that of an executive board within the United Nations General
Assembly. The UNDP Administrator is the third highest-ranking official of the United Nations
after the United Nations Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General.
To accomplish the MDGs and encourage global development, UNDP focuses on poverty
reduction, HIV/AIDS, democratic governance, energy and environment, social development,
and crisis prevention and recovery. UNDP also encourages the protection of human rights
and the empowerment of women in all of its programmes. The UNDP Human Development
Report Office also publishes an annual Human Development Report (since 1990) to measure
and analyse developmental progress. In addition to a global Report, UNDP publishes
regional, national, and local Human Development Reports.
UNDP is funded entirely by voluntary contributions from member nations. The organization
operates in 177 countries, where it works with local governments to meet development
challenges and develop local capacity. Additionally, the UNDP works internationally to help
countries achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Currently, the UNDP is one of
the main UN agencies involved in the development of the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
UNDP works with nations on their own solutions to global and national development
challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and its wide
range of partners.
The SDGs came into effect in January 2016, and they will continue guide UNDP policy and
funding for the next 15 years. As the lead UN development agency, UNDP is uniquely placed
to help implement the Goals through our work in some 170 countries and territories.
Our strategic plan focuses on key areas including poverty alleviation, democratic governance
and peacebuilding, climate change and disaster risk, and economic inequality. UNDP
provides support to governments to integrate the SDGs into their national development
plans and policies. This work is already underway, as we support many countries in
accelerating progress already achieved under the Millennium Development Goals.
Model United Nations of Baden-Baden
GA 2 (Economic and Financial)
Our track record working across multiple goals provides us with a valuable experience and
proven policy expertise to ensure we all reach the targets set out in the SDGs by 2030. But
we cannot do this alone.
Achieving the SDGs requires the partnership of governments, private sector, civil society and
citizens alike to make sure we leave a better planet for future generations.
What are the Sustainable Development Goals?
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), otherwise known as the Global Goals, are a
universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy
peace and prosperity.
These 17 Goals build on the successes of the Millennium Development Goals, while including
new areas such as climate change, economic inequality, innovation, sustainable
consumption, peace and justice, among other priorities. The goals are interconnected –
often the key to success on one will involve tackling issues more commonly associated with
another.
The SDGs work in the spirit of partnership and pragmatism to make the right choices now to
improve life, in a sustainable way, for future generations. They provide clear guidelines and
targets for all countries to adopt in accordance with their own priorities and the
environmental challenges of the world at large. The SDGs are an inclusive agenda. They
tackle the root causes of poverty and unite us together to make a positive change for both
people and planet. “Supporting the 2030 Agenda is a top priority for UNDP,” said UNDP
Administrator Helen Clark. “The SDGs provide us with a common plan and agenda to tackle
some of the pressing challenges facing our world such as poverty, climate change and
conflict. UNDP has the experience and expertise to drive progress and help support
countries on the path to sustainable development.”
Further information:
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http://unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/ldc2016_en.pdf