World Trade Organization - Harvard Model United Nations

World Trade Organization
Developing Countries
Developing countries often oppose developed
countries in trade and environment negotiations as many
are experiencing tremendous economic growth, often at
the expense of the environment. They are concerned
of unilateral use of trade measures for environmental
purposes (as the US often did in the 1980s and the
1990s). During the Doha Rounds, they were resistant
to the discussion of environmental negotiations in
the WTO and eventually reluctantly accepted the
WTO environmental agenda. Due to their inability to
prevent the discussion totally, they have been pushing
for narrower interpretations of the Doha environmental
mandate. 86
European Community
The European community has been an innovator in
reconciling conflicts between trade and environmental
policy. Ever since the 1987 Single European Act, the
European Community has worked to adapt regulations
to meet environmental goals as well as to eliminate
the remaining barriers to trade within the European
Community. The Act stated that the European Union
has power to make environmental laws when it would
be more effective than any individual country action
in meeting environmental goals. This theme of unity
extends to product regulations and standards as well. The
EU has been working to harmonize technical regulations
to production processes because differences in production
processes could result in technical barriers to trade. 87
Suggestions for Future Research
The sources I found most helpful were the United
Nations Environment Program’s “Environment and
Trade: A Handbook,” documents on the OECD website,
as well as law review articles that explained the legal
nuances of the environment and trade debate. The
sources definitely had some technical and legal jargon but
they did do a great job of looking at the problem from
all angles. These are just suggestions. Feel free to explore
topics mentioned in more detail if you are interested and
to explore other topics mentioned only in briefing. Don’t
hesitate to reach out to me if necessary!
POSITION PAPERS
Position papers are a crucial part of a Model United
Nations committee, as they serve two very important
purposes. Firstly, writing the position paper is very
helpful for you as it will promote your understanding of
the main policies of the country that you are representing,
including where your country stands on the issue, what
actions it has taken in the past, and what it hopes to
achieve in the conference. Secondly, the position papers
that are written by each delegation can prove to be very
useful for other delegates as well; they enable delegates
to find out more about the specific details of different
countries’ policies regarding the topic of discussion,
and will thus promote better debate in committee. You
should take care in writing these position papers, making
sure that they are clear and concise, and that they include
the necessary information stipulated below.
Position papers should include a header with your full
name, the topic area of the position paper, the country
that you are representing, and the high school you are
from. They should be single-spaced, in Times New
Roman size 12 font, and should be organized into three
main parts. The first part should include a statement
of the problem and what your country sees as the most
important aspects of the topic. You should demonstrate
how the problem relates specifically to your country and
why it is something that you are hoping to talk about.
The second part should describe your country’s policies
on the issue and what action it has taken in the past, and
the third section should delineate potential solutions
to the problem that your country would support. In
certain cases, it’s possible that you may not be able to
find specific information regarding what future solutions
your country will support. If that is the case, the best
approach would be to research the broader policies of
your country and try to think of solutions of your own
that you think are relevant.
CLOSING REMARKS
Model United Nations was developed to provide
young individuals with knowledge about international
relations and global issues, while at the same time offering
experience with diplomacy. The Harvard Model United
Nations conference targets a large group of high school
students and successfully accomplishes these goals with
a high level of organization, a devoted dais staff, and an
outstanding secretariat. Most importantly however, the
success of HMUN depends highly on you, the delegates.
Your passion and interest about the topics that
are discussed in committee are what stimulate the
dynamic debate, promote the instructive atmosphere,
and produce the thoughtful resolutions that will come
out of this experience. The dedication and knowledge
that you bring to the conference and the time that you
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Specialized General Assembly Agencies