FORUM: Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) QUESTION OF: Protocol for Emergency Humanitarian Assistance MAIN SUBMITTER: People’s Republic of China COSUBMITTERS: Republic of India, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Norway SIGNATORIES: Philippines, Turkey, Somalia, Italy, South Korea, Germany THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, Noting with satisfaction the exponential increase in aid exchange and delivery between a growing number of donor and recipient countries over the past decade, Taking into account the significant steps that the existing United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has already made towards organizing and increasing the potency of emergency aid, Acknowledging the lack of trust between countries with different ideologies along with disputed past actions on the topic of emergency humanitarian assistance, Reaffirming the dire need to strengthen legitimacy between countries in regards to developing aid partnerships in order to maximize efficiency and simultaneously reduce political skepticism, Emphasizing the necessity to break the barriers between traditional donors on issues of commitment, contribution and coordination, Bearing in mind the intrinsic relationship between pollution and the frequency of natural disasters, Stressing the overwhelming importance of instituting longterm uses of emergency aid for both disaster prevention and preparation, as opposed to parochial uses alone, Recognising the Millennium Development Goals as an initiative to solve issues regarding the effectiveness of aid distribution to disaster stricken regions, especially those in developing countries, Welcoming all new potential donor bodies to the international stage of emergency humanitarian assistance with new framework for their assimilation; 1. Encourages the use of a casebycase tailored definition of ‘emergency’ in order to effectively organise the delivery of the types of aid needed to areas of crisis by: a. advocating for the formation of a panel of experts on natural disasters to assemble during times of natural disaster to decide on the best measures to alleviate the crisis, which:
i. requests for experts originating from different countries, thereby encouraging them to share their knowledge on difference natural disasters whilst notifying each other on the geographical and cultural particulars of each region, hence allowing emergency medical teams to swiftly rescue those in need without committing acts that are deemed culturally inappropriate in the region concerned, ii. works intrinsically with local and national officials within the region to assess the best methods forward after a disaster iii. implements a twothirds majority vote on the definition of ‘emergency’, should disagreements arise, b. enhancing the portfolio approach outlined in clause 3.a. so that all donor countries and recipient countries are aware of this definition in order to streamline the emergency humanitarian assistance process; 2. Stresses the importance of developing improved coordination and engagement with the private sector and potential new partners through methods, such as but not limited to: a. training and management, b. exchange programs where local and national humanitarians learn from the private sector in terms of risk management and logistics, c. the creation of an international platform through the control of OCHA whereby the gaps in private sector capacities are filled by public sector capacities and vice versa, d. the establishment of standardized certification systems for the private sector by which greater professionalization can be achieved, e. the extension and improvement of existing coordination mechanisms so that they are more inclusive and effective in bringing together these different groups; 3. Recommends the creation of a ‘portfolio approach’ policy overseen by OCHA that catalyzes the formation of multilateral aid relationships and establishes a testing ground for building cooperation capabilities and mutual trust, which: a. operates on a threelayer scale, looking at: i. type of humanitarian situation in order to minimize the potential for normative friction between donor countries, ii. type of disaster in order to facilitate the transfer of proper and appropriate technology and knowledge from the cooperating donor countries to the recipient country in response to the specific situation, iii. region of disaster in order to examine and evaluate the potential level of success should the donor countries in question choose to cooperate b. acts as a selection filter to maximize the success of all multilateral emergency aid relationship, c. encourages longterm joint initiatives between donors so that they can significantly expand their engagement in emergency humanitarian assistance in future exigency situations that may
arise; 4. Emphasizes the need to develop stronger legal framework at the national and regional levels of emergency humanitarian aid recipients, through the assistance of the United Nations, which essentially involves: a. a wider adoption of national disaster management laws, with clear frameworks governing international actors, b. the streamlining of domestic coordination structures, as well as improved interministerial cooperation and better legal education at all levels on existing rules and legislation, c. the empowering and increased role of regional mechanisms such as the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER); 5. Proposes the development of an OCHA subcommittee that specializes in the facilitation and exchange of technology and catastrophe prevention strategies to enhance disaster preparedness in developing countries by: a. inviting two representatives from each country to attend biannual meetings to share the latest advancements on natural disaster prevention, b. extending traditional humanitarian assistance platforms to expedite the structured and systematized sharing of technology with disasterstruck regions when necessary, 6. Calls for the ratification of a LongTerm Redevelopment Fund (LTRF) Treaty, whereby developed and developing countries agree to donate a negotiable 0.0005% of their GDP on an annual basis to an OCHAbased fund, which aims to: a. involve all countries in the longterm spectrum in regards to responding to crises that require monetary assistance, b. provide both monetary and substantive material aid essential to restructuring important public buildings and infrastructure in the affected country, c. provide medical aid for those directly or indirectly affected by the disaster; 7. Expresses its full support in the establishment of a Aggression Prevention Pact (APP) in order to protect the volunteers from rescue teams in case they perform acts that are deemed culturally unacceptable in the region of crisis by: a. suggesting that countries notify their rescue teams on the restricted ideologies surrounding the culture in order to prevent volunteers from aggravating local parties, b. informing local authorities of exactly which NGOs and parties will be sending assistance, so that local jurisdictions have foreknowledge of the situation; c. resolving potential disputes by engaging both the external organization in question and the local authorities in active communication so the ultimate decision is one of suitable compromise;
8. Recommends all countries to consider minimising their pollution levels by 1% per annum, to effectively take an active role in reducing the impacts of global warming and natural disasters, by methods such as but not limited to: a. implementing policies to restrain the number of private vehicles owned by each family, b. calling for countries to establish traffic policies, whereby vehicles with odd or even number licence plates drive on alternate days, thus minimising traffic on the roads while also reducing the amount of air pollution, c. encouraging countries to post more advertisements about greener lifestyles, thus encouraging the populace to make more use of the public transport and recycle more; 9. Mandates natural disaster prevention and preparedness programmes to be set up by at risk countries with the assistance of developed countries, which: a. introduce education services that teach the populace how to act during and after a disaster, as well as skills such as but not limited to: i. Methods of evacuating areas in times of crisis, ii. Basic first aid, iii. Survival procedures if one’s life is in danger, b. encourage countries to invite privately owned companies to donate funds or form joint building projects with the government to build disaster shelters and other required materials that can be used in times of crisis, c. incorporate earthquake resistant infrastructure where possible in new residential or public projects, in order to minimise the need for restructuring and reconstruction after the natural disaster; 10. Urges for a higher level of transparency between donor and recipient countries by, a. calling for an annual report from all member states on topics relating but not limited to: i. advancements in natural disaster detecting technology ii. discoveries on certain geographic structures, such as but not limited to: i) the movement of tectonic plates, ii) signs of volcanic eruption, iii. planned opportunities for countries to embark on joint disaster training or cooperative research projects, 11. Decides to remain actively seized on the matter.