HMUN Journal 1

Research, Research and Research! Phew!

We had to use the background guide and our research to prepare out position paper. I had to look into Belgium's country policy, Enemies and Allies, about ATS and its policies. The following is a copy of my position paper:

Position papers

Committee: Antarctic Treaty Secretariat

Topic : Securing the Future of Antarctica

Country: Belgium

School: The Indian Public School

A. Antarctica is the only piece of land on Earth which is pristine, untouched and unmodified by humans. This natural laboratory have intrigued people for generations, and around 30,000 tourists visit the Antarctic each year to see the Earth’s last great wilderness.

However, Antarctica is fragile and increasingly vulnerable. This poses a great threat to human society as it is the key to understanding how our world works, and our impact upon it's rich resources. According to the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat, which was ratified in 1959 , Antarctica should be used only for scientific and peaceful purposes but with increasing number of countries and researchers showing interest in this land, land disputes have become an indispensable issue to be resolved. Furthermore, the human footprint on Antarctica is increasing exponentially leading to various issues including the rise of sea level through glacier melting and ocean warming along with changes in ecosystem structure and breakdown in food web productivity. Additionally, the Antarctic resources are being exploited by increased illegal fishing, mineral exploitation and loss of keystone species. If not managed, irreversible damage of giant proportions will arise.

B. Being one of the 12 countries that initially negotiated and signed the Antarctic Treaty, Belgium has constantly worked towards a rationalized management of Antarctica’s environment and natural resources.

Belgium strongly believes that Antarctica should be used only for scientific purposes without any disputes and hindrance, thereby reinforcing the Antarctic Treaty System. Belgium has been dedicatedly working towards reducing human footprint on the Antarctic oceans and ecosystems. The station named Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, located on Utsteinen Nunatak in Queen Maud Land, is the only station with zero emissions which is powered by wind and solar energy hence having no negative impact on the atmosphere of Antarctica. Belgium has been doing extensive research in the field of Marine biology, biogeochemistry, Glaciology and climatology, therefore it's contribution in the development of Antarctic Environmental Portal plays a major role.

C. Belgium believes there is a high need for safe eco-tourism in Antarctica with no impact on the natural wilderness. It urges the UN to consider the following points. Firstly, fixing a cap on the maximum number of tourists allowed per country per year would make monitoring environmental effects more feasible. Secondly, tourism can be limited to certain areas leaving out vulnerable areas like Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPA) and Antarctic Specially Managed Areas (ASMA) as these regions deserve urgent attention. Thirdly, tourism must be controlled during breeding seasons of indegenious animal species like penguins,Ross and Antarctic fur seals. Strict action must be taken against violators to the extent that they must be banned from further visits and fined before immediate deportation. Active awareness campaigns should be the crux of all UN verified tourism guides to make sure that all visitors are well aware of the potential danger they could pose and thereby take preventive actions.

Belgium also believes that Antarctica is a land for all; no claims should be accepted, and contribution from all nations towards its betterment and research should be mandatory since it is a global treasure. For maintaining peace, it should be governed by ATS only. Furthermore Belgium strongly recommends the ATS to deploy UN forces and take complete access on the region irrespective of all existing land claims. It should immediately allot a regiment on mineral exploitation, illegal mining and general peacekeeping.

Then I researched about the guiding questions present in the guide and read some more official UN documents.

Duration: 10 hours