View AU Topics

A Bloc is a group of countries that form together to work toward a common goal, whether economic, political, or otherwise. Most countries are in more than one bloc. Depending on current politics, some countries may drop out or abstain from participating in some blocs, while other countries simply remain as observers.

Blocs are unstructured and are allowed to form and grow on their own. This may be a frustrating process. A country must always keep its political stands and goals in its negotiations with other countries as it participates in bloc decisions. The view of a particular nation must always take precedence over a bloc’s views, unless the country feels it will receive some benefit from its continued adherence to a bloc’s views.

BLOC’s develop resolutions based on their respective committees purpose and shall remain together for the duration of the conference. The resolutions developed in these committees may be specific or broad in nature. BLOC’s operate under the Parliamentary Procedure Guidelines provided in the manual.

The conference has the following BLOC’s:
European Union (EU)
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
Organization of American States (OAS)
African Union (AU)
Arab League (AL)

back to top

Topic 1: Genocide and Warfare

Throughout the continent of Africa, genocide and warfare is an ongoing dilemma. In almost every African Nation there is some form of genocide, warfare, or problem. Sixty-five percent of African tribes combat other tribes on a daily basis. Recent day wars and genocides include the conflict in Darfur, Civil War in Congo, and the problem in Uganda. These two issues are only three of many problems in Africa. These issues do not only cause death and injuries in Africa, but also a lost sense of unity in the continent as a whole.

Genocide in Africa seems to originate under similar principles. In Africa, many wars have been fought simply because people who led such wars had a lust for power, and such wars resulted in genocide. Political differences also caused genocide in Africa. This is where people have differences in political affiliation. Poverty is also said to be another cause of genocide in Africa in that people have always fought in order to eliminate poverty, and such wars resulted in genocide. In Africa, poor government policies have also caused wars, which have led to genocide. Such policies include taxation, giving jobs to a particular tribe, and many others. Wars in Africa have also been fought because of foreign interference. Ethnic differences have also caused genocide in Africa. (Zusman). The recent problem in Darfur, Sudan combines all of these issues to result in 80,000 lives lost and 1.6 million people displaced as of January 24, 2005. (Mazrui)

In 1948, the United Nations defined genocide as the following: “For the purpose of this Statute, ‘genocide’ means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: Killing members of the group; Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; and Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.” (Brea) Former UN Ambassador Hassan stated he and other ambassadors believe this definition should be made clearer.
Genocide is a violation of International law. The problem is that there is no one to enforce the law. There should be a policing group who will make this practice end. If nations ignore the situation, it will continue for many generations to come. How many people will die? The world has witnessed the Armenian genocide in 1912, the holocaust during WWII, and the recent genocide in Rwanda. Lost families are the end result. People never see their loved ones again. Families are forever torn apart. This atrocity is felt for generations. It is a tragedy that must stop now.

Questions:

• What should the United Nations do in order to get peacekeeping troops into these different areas? What can the AU do?
• How can the UN provide necessary supplies to these wars?
• Should the United Nations declare these conflicts, if any, as genocide? Is this possible?
• What can the AU do to help diffuse these problems?
• Is the AU and United Nations at fault?

Works Cited:
Zusman, Perla. "Human Geography." In McColl, R. W., gen. ed. Encyclopedia of World Geography, vol. 2. New York: Facts On File, Inc. 2005. Facts On File, Inc. World Atlas. <www.fofweb.com>.

Mazrui, Ali A. The African Condition. New York, NY: Hamilton Printing Company, 2006.

Brea, Jennifer. "Genocide." About: World News. 1 Jan. 2007. Worldnews.about.com. 14 Apr. 2007 <http://worldnews.about.com/od/glossaryg/g/genocide.htm>.

back to Topics

Topic 2: Infectious Diseases

The continent of Africa is currently infested with disease. Not only is Africa filled with HIV/AIDS, but it is also filled with other prominent infectious diseases as well. Malaria, typhoid, and measles are among the most commonly found infectious diseases in the continent. Africa has the highest percentage of death caused by infectious diseases. It contains 77% of the World’s deaths for HIV/AIDS. (Wright) Not only are these diseases dampening the health of Africans, but it is also hurting the economy of each country.

Poverty is prevalent in Africa; therefore, disease runs more rampant in the continent than other places on Earth. There are over 40 African nations that fall below the poverty line in Africa. These countries provide little or no education for its citizens. Disease is more common in places stricken with poverty and provided with little education. For example, 44.3% of Malawians have contracted the HIV/AIDS virus while 88 % of the country lives below the poverty line. (Wright) Three in five African families are involved in the agricultural industry and live below the poverty line. Living conditions lead to more disease in agrarian areas. Farms lack adequate hygiene while germs infest the land. These farmers lack even the money for present-day affordable immunizations, assuming these vaccinations are available.

Africans that contract infectious diseases of this sort have changed their every day lives forever. These people do not have proper education for understanding the effects of the diseases. Since the United States has taught sex education at schools, the rate of sexually transmitted diseases through sexual activity has decreased from 80% to 45% of sexually active teens. While the population has increased 10% in the last 15 years, there has been little progress with preventing the spread of STDs. (Wright) Education of these diseases, their effects, and how to prevent them would decrease the rate of Africans contracting these diseases.

The remote villages in Africa are very difficult to communicate with. Only 101,847 Ugandans own landline telephones. This small percentage hardly covers the current 25,632,794 population of Uganda. (Nolen) There are many people in African that cannot be reached due to the communication barrier. Lack of technology only hinders the spread of disease.

The vicious cycle of spreading disease will continue endlessly unless there is a plan of attack. The United Nations and African Union must work together to attack the problem that is occurring in Africa. The task is great since Africa is an enormous continent. Presently, the rate of malaria in Africa has decreased due to help from George W. Bush. The rate of the distribution of HIV/AIDS vaccinations has increased 55% in the last 10 years. (Brooks) Africa needs wealthier, more established countries to help this ongoing spread of infectious disease.

Questions:

• How can political leaders of wealthier nations provide aid to poor African nations?
• Will education help prevent the spread of infectious diseases? How can Africa improve its education standards to achieve that?
• How can African nations improve communication with the outside world?
• How can African nations receive more affordable vaccinations for the people of its countries?

Works Cited:
Wright, John W., ed. The New York Times 2007 Almanac. New York, NY: Penguin Reference, 2007.

Brooks, Hugh C., ed. Lands and Peoples. Connecticut, CT: Scholastic Library/Publishing Inc., 2005.

Nolen, Barbara. Africa Is People. New York, MA: E.P. Dutton, and Co. Inc, 1992.

back to Topics

Topic 3: Poverty/Third World Economy

It is no secret that Africa houses some of the poorest countries in the world. In fact, 16 African nations placed in the bottom 20 countries in terms of wealth. (Kerby) In addition, the majority of the United Nations’ Least Developed (Fourth World) Countries reside in Africa. These countries have me the three criteria of low income, weakness in human resources, and economic vulnerability.

The unstable economy causes a low standard of living and a poor quality of life. Within the United Nations’ Human Development Index 2006, 28 of the African Union’s members were identified in the list of the Least Livable Countries, a record consisting of only 30 nations. Not one of the 53 members of the AU placed in the list of Most Livable Countries. (Brooks) Extreme and widespread poverty contributes to starvation, illegal activity, illiteracy, belligerence, and the spread of disease—some of the predominating issues currently plaguing Africa.

Like the wealth of African nations, the percentage below the national poverty line fluctuates. Somalia and Sierra Leone are considered the poorest, each with a per capita GDP of US $500 while Mauritius is considered the richest with $11,400, followed closely by South Africa with $10,700. (Kerby) Eighty percent of the people in Liberia are estimated to be beneath the national poverty line, while Mauritius, again, reigns with a much smaller ten percent. However, it is difficult to compare these numbers considering that the distinctive line varies between each country. Every nation in the AU must contend with destitute citizens, no matter its own wealth; fifty percent of the people within South Africa, the second richest nation in the continent, are below the poverty line.

Africa is not without its wealth in natural resources. It is endowed with an enormous potential in minerals and petroleum. However, many countries have yet to exploit these reserves, which could aid in industrialization and sustained growth. This is a situation of poverty in the midst of abundance. Africa is the least industrialized continent in the world; almost all of its natural resources are exported for secondary refinement and manufacturing.

The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) was created in 2001 to help address some of the continent’s more pressing concerns. Its aims are to accelerate economic growth, improve governance, and strengthen respect for human rights and democracy. Although NEPAD has made great strides towards its goals, it is difficult to measure its progress due to its recent formation.

Africa’s financial state is not progressing; it remains stagnant or even regresses. The continent is riddled with problems and crises, many of which cannot begin to be resolved until the economy is stabilized.

Questions:

• What can be done to further industrialize Africa?
• How can the African Union exploit some of the overlooked natural resources?
• How should the African Union define the poverty line in order to assess each country’s level of involvement?
• What can be done to improve the African economy in order to elevate the quality of life?
• How can we combat the large numbers of unemployment?

Works Cited:
Kerby, Rob. "Third World." In McColl, R. W., gen. ed. Encyclopedia of World Geography, vol. 3. New York: Facts On File, Inc. 2005. Facts On File, Inc. World Atlas. <www.fofweb.com>.

Brooks, Hugh C., ed. Lands and Peoples. Connecticut, CT: Scholastic Library/Publishing Inc., 2005.

"Debt Crisis ."1 Jan. 2007. Data.org. 14 Apr. 2007 <http://www.data.org/issues/debt.html>.

back to Topics