Singapore Position Paper

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Topic: Eradicate Hunger and Poverty

Country: Singapore
Delegate: Pipatsorn Cheewachatchawarn
School: Mahidol University International Demonstration School
As far as the United Nation is concerned, hunger and poverty is a problem that
requires the worlds attention. Hunger and poverty problem has been recognized by the
United Nation since 1990. However, the problem persists to last until this very day. It is
especially severe in undeveloped and developing countries. According to the United Nation
Millennium Development Goals Report 2014 (UN, 2014), 18% of world population lives on
less than $1.25 a day.
Poverty in different regions has different causes. The main causes of poverty around
the world are history, war and political instability, national debt, discrimination and social
inequality, and natural disasters (The Borgen Project, 2013.) Countries that were once
colonies tend to be poor since all the lucrative resources were suck out to feed their respective
empires. Colonialism involved war and political instability, but in order for a country to
develop economic growth and prosperity, the country must be in a peaceful and stable state.
Countries with war or political instability have their focus on peace not economy. When these
countries are back to their peaceful state, they will shift their focus on country development.
However, to run a country, money is necessary. To gain money, these countries would get a
loan from wealthier countries causing international debt. Like mentioned above, one of the
causes is discrimination and social inequality. Groups of people with lower social status are
prohibited from access of tools, resources, foods, and necessities keeping them live in
poverty. Occasionally, some countries face poverty because of natural disaster. Natural
disaster is severe. It destroys households and properties forcing people to lose all the things
they have. As a result, people have to live in poverty.
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As the United Nation General Assembly has declared in the year 2000 (UNGA,
2000), We resolve therefore to create an environment at the national and global levels
alike which is conducive to development and to the elimination of poverty. The United
Nation has started campaign all over the world. The United Nation starts campaign to raise
the employment rates and income. They distribute food, encourage sending children to
school, and train people to survive. For example, the United Nation trains people to do winter
cropping so people will not starve during winter. Despite the United Nations effort, hunger
and poverty is still a problem these days. People are still poor and many are still unemployed.
People starve, and they dont get enough nutrients. According to United Nation Sustainable
Development Goals website (UN, n.d.), 836 million people all over the world still live in
extreme poverty.
Singapore, one of the wealthiest countries, has also been facing this problem.
Singapore does not follow the standard of having poverty line. Singapores Ministry of Social
and Family Development believes that identifying the poor with poverty line is onedimensional (MSF, n.d.). Singapore prefers to identify the people case by case with different
criterias. It is believed to be more flexible and effective way. This way allows the Ministrys
staffs to provide different supports for different needs. Singapore determines the poor people
by determining the working poor. The working poor is the citizens who earn less than half of
the average monthly wages of all Singaporeans. With the working poor as poverty line, the
poverty line in Singapore is currently less than $1250 per month per household which means
105,000 households are considered poor and are living in poverty (The Borgen Project,
2015.)
Singapore has proposed many solutions and policies for the problems. The
Singaporean government has been providing supports to its citizens. The government
provides cheap accommodation for rent and job search service. The government also provides
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food, and financial supports such as lower education and medical fee. Singaporean
government puts effort to narrow the gap of income inequality in the country. Singapore
believes that it has been making a good progress by decreasing the rate of poverty from 15.2
% of the population in 1996 to 9% of the population in 2010.
Singapore would like to encourage the United Nations to continue giving knowledge
like winter cropping to the poor people (UN, 2013.) This solution takes time, but as a longterm result, the poor will be independent and they will be able to live by themselves without
the supports of the United Nations. Though the rate of poverty will slowly decrease, but, in
normal circumstances, it will no longer increase. Singapore would also encourage the United
Nations to adopt Singapores policy on fixing the problem case by case since its more
flexible and effective. Even within one household, different people have different needs then
different areas would have different problems. Fixing the root of the problems with the
solution especially made for that problem is more effective than fixing the problems created
the solution created from overall situation. The poor needs the United Nations helps.
Singapore is willingly to co-operate with the United Nations on eradicating hunger
and poverty. It is willingly to share its knowledge necessary for the solution. Singapore would
like to be part of creating the environment that poverty does not exist. By continue putting the
United Nations existing efforts and more efforts in the future, Singapore believes that the
world would make a great progress at eradicating hunger and poverty. Singapore appreciate
the United Nations effort, and is willing to supports the United Nations.
Reference:
UN. (2014). The Millenium Developement Goals Report 2014. Retrieved February 10,
2016.
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The Borgen Project. (2013). Top 5 Causes of Poverty - The Borgen Project. Retrieved
March 09, 2016, from http://borgenproject.org/what-causes-global-poverty/
UNGA. (2000). Resolution adopted by the General Assembly. Retrieved March 09, 2016.
UN. (n.d.). Poverty - United Nations Sustainable Development. Retrieved March 09, 2016,
from http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/poverty/
MSF. (n.d.). Poverty Line in Singapore. Retrieved March 10, 2016, from
http://app.msf.gov.sg/Press-Room/Poverty-Line-in-Singapore
The Borgen Project. (2015). Poverty in Singapore - The Borgen Project. Retrieved March
10, 2016, from http://borgenproject.org/poverty-singapore/
The Heart Truths. (2013). Poverty in Singapore Grew from 16% in 2002 to 28% in 2013.
Retrieved March 10, 2016, from http://thehearttruths.com/2013/10/28/poverty-insingapore-grew-from-16-in-2002-to-28-in-2013/
UN. (2013). We Can End Poverty : Millenium Development Goals and Beyond 2015.
Retrieved March 10, 2016 from
http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/Goal_1_fs.pdf.

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Topic: Eradicate Hunger and Poverty

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