|
Committees
World Health Organization (WHO) United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) European Council (EC) African Union (AU) North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) |
African Union (AU)Chairs: Lauren Fisher & Jonah Sohn
Email: laufis19@bergen.org Topic A: The Growing Influence of Terrorist Groups in Africa In modern times, foreign policy is mainly concerned with counterterrorism and policies that can be implemented to avoid potential attacks. Following 9/11, global policies were mostly focused on attacks coming out of the Middle East, however this has resulted in the threats within Africa being largely neglected and groups have taken advantage of this and have gained power within their regions. Terror groups like Boko Haram and Al Shabaab have developed under the radar and are now posing massive threats to the African continent. Political instability within African countries as well as widespread corruption and weak infrastructure have made it even more difficult to control the uprising of these groups. Between 2008 and 2012, the number of yearly terrorist attacks tripled from 400 to 1200 and the amount of related fatalities grew by 750%. The issue of terrorism within Africa is getting exponentially worse so this committee needs to find new solutions to combat this issue within individual countries, the continent, and the world Topic B: Economic Development and Stability Over the past 15 years, most countries in Africa experienced sustained economic growth, with growth rates often exceeding 5% per year. This has inspired much optimism about the region's prospects to finally leave poverty and under-development behind. However, the general economic context is now turning less favourable, with growth slowing down, especially in oil and mineral exporting countries. Sub- Saharan Africa remains unable to join the ranks of those developing countries that base their growth on the export of competitive manufactured products. Growth has been fast, but from a low base, and consequently Africa still has much to do to catch up with other regions of the world. Despite the excitement raised by the fast economic growth which inspires the belief that Africa could become the next Asia, African countries still trail behind other developing countries in terms of development pace. Economic stability is essential for African countries if they wish to continue developing and lessen the effects of political instability within the continent. 
| ||
