FAO

President: Cristina Camacho
Vice-president: Adrian Quiroga
Delegations:
-Islamic Republic of Pakistán: Carolina Quintana
-Canada: Paula Arango
- United Mexican States: Stephen Swain
- People’s Republic of China: Paola Ruiz
-French Republic: San Juan del Camino
-Russian Federation: Los Cerezos
-United Kingdom: Mauricio Neira
-United States of America: Andrés Naranjo
-Republic of Austria: Carly Smith
- State of Japan: Elisa Manrique
-Republic of Turkey: Sergio Álvarez
- Republic of Lebanon: La Colina
-People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria: Sebastián Yañez
-Arab Republic of Egypt: Nicole Doig
- Federal Republic of Nigeria: Moisés Arboleda
-Republic of India: Luiza Porfirio
-Argentine Republic: Daniel Fandiño
-Republic of Sudan: Juan Pablo Botero
-Republic of Colombia: Stephen Burgess
-Federative Republic of Brazil: Andres Yegüez

Delegates,
Welcome to the Food and Agriculture Organization, where you will be spending two days debating on policies to safeguard water resources around the globe, and the development of programs to combat deforestation in Africa. This year, the people in charge of the FAO commission will be Cristina Camacho (myself) as president, and Adrian Quiroga as vice president. We have been participating in MUNs for years now, taking part in different commissions, representing different countries and debating about different topics. Each time, we learn something new and become more interested in the problems currently affecting our world. We would like to share that experience with you, provide the opportunity for you to try new things and see situations from different perspectives. This will be my first year as president of a commission, even if I’ve already participated as vice president in our previous MUNs. For Adrian, this will be his first time taking charge of a commission, rather than being in the shoes of a delegate. We expect each of you to take this model seriously, to show eagerness, commitment and responsibility. Be open-minded and don’t take these two days for granted - make the most of it. If you have any doubts or questions, don’t hesitate in contacting me or Adrian. We are including some background information that may be helpful for you during your preparation:
The United Nations Organization was created in October, 1945 after the Second World War, and aims to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights and the achievement of world peace. Through this 3rd annual Colegio Gran Bretaña Model United Nations, different commissions will work in unison to come up with viable solutions to some of the most pressing matters around the world today. FAO is focused on the topics of policies to safeguard water resources and combating deforestation in Africa.
Every year, about 13 million hectares of the world’s forests are lost due to deforestation. Furthermore, deforestation is one of the greatest causes for global warming. Between 25 – 30 percent of the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere each year (approximately 1.6 billion tonnes) is caused by deforestation. Trees are 50% carbon, which means that when they are felled or burned, the carbon dioxide they store escapes back into the air. This issue is predominant in South America and Africa, and it is of vital importance to find a solution before it is too late. Your job is to present possible resolutions that state the problem and the best ways to eradicate it. Some useful links:
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000385/index.html
http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/OIS/PRESS_NE/PRESSENG/2001/pren0161.htm
http://www.fao.org/

According to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, we have reached a point where there is not enough water for all uses, whether agricultural, industrial or domestic. Only 4% of the entire world water supply can be used to sustain humans. With reasons such as population growth, expansion of business activity, rapid growth in urbanization, water pollution, war, unfair water supply distribution and climate change, fresh water is becoming scarcer. More and more countries around the world are reaching the point of “water stress”, where there is no longer enough water to meet the needs of everyone. 20% of the world’s population lacks access to safe drinking water and over 40% is without adequate sanitation. This situation is extremely time sensitive, and it is imperative to stop water shortage from growing now, so as to prevent an irreversible crisis in the near future. Links:
http://www.wbcsd.org/templates/TemplateWBCSD5/layout.asp?type=p&MenuId=ODI&doOpen=1&ClickMenu=LeftMenu
http://www.fao.org/nr/water/index.html
http://www.fao.org/climatechange/en/