Contact: pc[at]bermun.de

Political Committee

Dear Delegates of the Political Committee,
it is our pleasure to welcome you to the 18th Berlin Model United Nations. We are Jens Koschel and Clara Schroeder, and it is our honor to serve as this year’s Chairs of the Political Committee.

This year’s topics in the Political Committee are the ‘Establishing humane and economically viable guidelines concerning labor transit, the issuance of visas and work permits’ and the ‘Production and trade in narcotics as an economic resource and the source of political and social instability’.

We are not only there to guide and assist you during the conference but also to assist you in case you need any help researching the topics. Good research is necessary for you to be well prepared for the conference and to have a fruitful debate. So please do not hesitate to ask us any questions.

Good luck with your research and please also make use of the Forum in order to exchange thoughts and research tips with your fellow delegates.

Looking forward to seeing you in November,
Clara Schroeder and Jens Koschel
Chairs of the Political Committee

The problem of the ‘Production and trade in narcotics as an economic resource and the source of political and social instability’ is an extremely complex one and has to be approached in different ways and on different levels. Over the past century, the way of production, trade and the influence of narcotics on society has changed rapidly and we need to find always new ways in order to fight them. The illicit trafficking of narcotics is often linked to the illicit trafficking of people, arms and migrants. Even though the problem of the drugs affects all kind of societies and people all over the world, whether rich or poor, beautiful or marginalized, it often shows its effects worse in lesser developed countries with instable political or economical situations. In order to put an end to international organized crime and fight drugs all nations need to cooperate and work together, because they are not only a threat to lives, but also the independence of States, democracy, the stability of Nations and to the structure of societies of all kinds.

The common definition is that narcotic is a drug, other than alcohol or tobacco, that dulls senses, relieves pain, lulls and induces profound sleep but can also cause stupor and coma. The World Drug Report 2009 states that in 2008 we saw a decrease in the production of heroin and cocaine. Surveys show that opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan was reduced by 19 % and the coca cultivation in Colombia by 18 %. However, both countries are still the major producers of the respective drug and trends in other production countries are mixed. Other surveys show, that the world’s biggest markets for cannabis, cocaine and opiates are shrinking as well. In order to fight and control the production and trade in drugs the United Nations established the Commission on Narcotic Drugs of the United Nations as well as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Research Links

• Reports submitted by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs
• The World Drug Report 209 by the UNODC
• GA resolutions focusing on the problem of narcotics

Establishing humane and economically viable guidelines concerning labor transit, the issuance of visas and work permits

Before anybody can establish guidelines one must ask oneself: Why do migrants leave their homes? Migration is essentially a way of coping with conflicts, unemployment, natural or man made disasters, a mechanism for people to try and improve their social standing, a mechanism for building up social insurance, or a combination of all of these. Of course they flee from poverty, social difficulties, or civil wars, but mainly employment is a big pull factor for those people. Looking for better jobs, for a higher standard of living, and simply more money, millions of people leave their homes. In 2000, there were about 85 million female migrants and 90 million male migrants, altogether more than 170 million migrants worldwide.

Different experts state that immigration is necessary for the economies of the receiving countries. For them, migrant workers represent an economic interest and sought after labor, particularly in employment areas which the national workforce is not interested in occupying. The lower payment for specific jobs is causing a huge demand for a cheaper work force. While inhabitants are reluctant to accept low-wage jobs, an immigrant is more likely to be content with such low salaries. Without immigration, companies would need to pay more, resulting in being less competitive. Thus immigration, legal and illegal is important for western industries.

The big problem is that international regulations must not contradict with nation’s migration policies, which are as diverse as one could hardly guess. From allowing immigrants to enter the country to toleration of illegal immigrants with the knowledge that it would be bad for the economy to close borders instantly, everything is represented. If we install guidelines they must be implementable for the majority of the nations of the world. Mistakes would enforce economical crisis and high unemployment rates.