Message from the Executive Board Members:

Greetings Honorable Delegates,

Hope you are all safe and sound as we move through a global crisis. It is of utmost pleasure
for the Executive Board to welcome you all for the UVMUN 2020.

In such a challenging time, you are assigned to a committee with a very crucial agenda that
can truly help us overcome the post-pandemic economic situation. We all hope this
committee will be full of heated debate, great discussion and amazing diplomacy. We also
expect the committee to come up with a successful Draft Resolution that can truly make an
impact on the ongoing crisis.

Buckle up, research well and prepare yourself to face the issue and come to a positive
conclusion. The dais panel wishes you all the best for the conference!

Sincerely,

Sazid Rehman Aubhik, Chairperson

Mohtasim Bin Habib, Co-Vice Chairperson
Mosarrat Mahjabeen Meem, Co-Vice Chairperson
Mohammad Imdad, Director
 I. Committee Introduction

On November 22, 1965, two organizations merged and the world was forever changed. The
Expanded Program of Technical Assistance (EPTA) and the United Nations Special Fund
combined to form the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in order to more
effectively coordinate development efforts while avoiding unnecessary redundancy.

Since then UNDP continues to work, there are a few milestones it achieved over time:

1970: UNDP's first global project: UNDP launches its first-ever worldwide project, "Global
One", to develop high-protein maize at an agricultural research center in Mexico.
1986: UNDP moves gender to the center of its work, by launching the Women in
Development Division, and by starting a productive partnership with UNIFEM, making
grants to women’s rights projects around the world.
1988: UNDP and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development launch
EMPRETEC, a training program for entrepreneurs worldwide.
1996​: UNDP expands its work fighting HIV by taking a leadership role in the formation of
the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
2000: United Nations approves a set of eight Millennium Development Goals to achieve by
2015. As the UN's lead agency on development, UNDP plays a vital role in the UN's work on
the Goals.
2002: UNDP founded the Equator Initiative, a program that recognizes locally sustainable
development solutions for people, nature, and resilient communities.
2010: UNDP partners with the UN Foundation, the 92nd Street Y, and Mashable to organize
the first annual Social Good Summit (SGS).
2015: At the UN, leaders from 189 countries and territories approve the new Sustainable
Development Goals or SDGs. The SDGs recognize the need to balance economic growth,
social growth, and environmental protection in promoting sustainable development.
Partners of UNDP:

UNDP works with the following partners and affiliations:

● Governments of member states

● International Financial Institutions
● United Nations Systems: UN Sustainable Development Group, DESA, FAO, ILO,
UNDP, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UN Women, WFP, WHO, and the rotating
chairs of the Regional Economic Commissions.

UNDP has formal agreements with some IFIs (the World Bank, the African Development
Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank), and is
working on additional agreements.
 ● Private Sector
● Global and local Foundations
● Civil Society Organizations
● Goodwill Ambassadors and Advocates

UNDP has long enlisted the voluntary services and support of prominent figures as Goodwill
Ambassadors and Advocates to shine a spotlight on important issues affecting our planet and
its people.

II. A brief discussion on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

What is the 2030 Agenda?

This Agenda is a plan of action for people, planet, peace, partnership, and prosperity. It also
seeks to strengthen universal peace in larger freedom. We recognize that eradicating poverty
in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge
and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development. All countries and all
stakeholders, acting in collaborative partnerships, will implement this plan. We are resolved
to free the human race from the tyranny of poverty and want and to heal and secure our
planet. We are determined to take the bold and transformative steps which are urgently
needed to shift the world onto a sustainable and resilient path. As we embark on this
collective journey, we pledge that no one will be left behind. The 17 Sustainable
Development Goals and 169 targets demonstrate the scale and ambition of this new universal
Agenda. They are integrated and indivisible and balance the three dimensions of sustainable
development: economic, social, and environmental.

Relevant Sustainable Development Goals:

Goal 3: GOOD HEALTH AND WELL BEING

Good health is essential to sustainable development and the 2030 Agenda reflects the
complexity and interconnectedness of the two. It takes into account widening economic and
social inequalities, rapid urbanization, threats to the climate and the environment, the
continuing burden of HIV and other infectious diseases, and emerging challenges such as
non-communicable diseases. Universal health coverage will be integral to achieving SDG 3,
ending poverty, and reducing inequalities. Emerging global health priorities not explicitly
included in the SDGs, including antimicrobial resistance, also demand action. But while
some countries have made impressive gains, national averages hide that many are being left
behind. Multisectoral, rights-based and gender-sensitive approaches are essential to address
inequalities and to build good health for all.
Goal 8: DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH

Though the global economy continues to develop day by day, we are seeing slower growth,
widening inequalities, and not enough jobs to keep up with a growing labor force. According
to the International Labour Organization, more than 204 million people were unemployed in
2015. The SDGs promote sustained economic growth, higher levels of productivity, and
technological innovation. Encouraging entrepreneurship and job creation are key to this, as
are effective measures to eradicate forced labor, slavery, and human trafficking. With these
targets in mind, the goal is to achieve full and productive employment, and decent work, for
all women and men by 2030.

GOAL 9: INDUSTRY, INNOVATION, AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Investment in infrastructure and innovation are crucial drivers of economic growth and
development. With over half the world population now living in cities, mass transport and
renewable energy are becoming ever more important, as is the growth of new industries and
information and communication technologies. Technological progress is also key to finding
lasting solutions to both economic and environmental challenges, such as providing new jobs
and promoting energy efficiency. Promoting sustainable industries, and investing in scientific
research and innovation, are all important ways to facilitate sustainable development.

GOAL 11: SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES

The rapid growth of cities—a result of rising populations and increasing migration—has led
to a boom in mega-cities, especially in the developing world, and slums are becoming a more
significant feature of urban life. Making cities sustainable means creating career and business
opportunities, safe and affordable housing, and building resilient societies and economies. It
involves investment in public transport, creating green public spaces, and improving urban
planning and management in participatory and inclusive ways.

GOAL 17: PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS

The SDGs can only be realized with strong global partnerships and cooperation. While
humanitarian crises brought on by conflict or natural disasters continue to demand more
financial resources and aid. Many countries also require Official Development Assistance to
encourage growth and trade. The world is more interconnected than ever. Improving access
to technology and knowledge is an important way to share ideas and foster innovation.
Coordinating policies to help developing countries manage their debt, as well as promoting
investment for the least developed, is vital for sustainable growth and development.
Promoting international trade, and helping developing countries increase their exports is all
part of achieving a universal rules-based and equitable trading system that is fair and open
and benefits all.
 III. Agenda Breakdown

Pandemic outbreaks can lead to catastrophic loss of life, as well as sustained damage to the
economy, societal stability, and global security. The agenda that the UNDP will discuss
covers 3 specific areas. Discourse, discussion and solution are expected on these sub-topics:

● Overcoming Global Economic Recession

● Progressing towards SDG Goals
● Creating Economic Sustainability

Detailed research on each of these topics is required in order to grasp the true essence of the
agenda. These issues are all interlinked with each other. One directly affects the other.

Introduction to the Agenda

This year marks the beginning of the Decade of Action on the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals ( SDGs). The novel coronavirus Covid-19 is wreaking havoc, with more
than 10 million people worldwide infected and the loss of half a million lives so far. Poor
health care systems, poverty prevalence, lack of education, and sub-optimal global
cooperation have strengthened the urgent need for collective action to end hunger, save our
planet, and create a more prosperous world. The global pandemic problems will be
successfully addressed by adopting the SDGs, the universal blueprint for protecting our
precious earth.

The eurozone economies are predicted to contract significantly this year and grow next year
by 6 per cent. China should expect just 1 per cent this year and 8.2 per cent next year to
expand its economy. Subsequent global trade growth, however, is likely to meet the
organization's positive outlook of contraction of 9.13 per cent in 2020 against its pessimistic
32 per cent decline. It is the creation of a "silver lining" according to WTO.

Current Economic Scenario

In the midst of the global pandemic caused due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the world now
looks like some form of dystopian film with empty highways, hundreds of millions of people
locked up, manufacturing facilities shut down, shops shut down, aircraft at abandoned
airports,
bleak prospects for the global economy have become even darker. It is expected that during
the Great Depression (1929-33), the global economy would be in worse condition than it was
in, and the loss of production would dwarf that which occurred in the 2007-08 Global
Financial Crisis.
Over the years 2020 and 2021 the cumulative loss to the global economy could be US$9.0
trillion in terms of output (GDP). According to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) the
overall global trade would shrink between 13 to 32 percent in this year. The Asian
Development Bank (ADB) predicts global losses from $77 billion to $347 billion. UNCTAD
calculates the missed production to be around $1 trillion. Bloomberg predicts a $2.7 trillion
worth of this. According to ILO, the International Labour Office, currently 81 percent of the
global workforce of 3.3 billion is affected by the full or partial workplace closures.

The economic fallout due to the COVID-19 crisis would turn out in ways that are tough to
predict. Hard and fast regulations must be adopted right away if the world wants to lessen the
damage and impact of the economic downturn.

Road to Global Development

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) defined steps to be taken in developing

countries, and with the help of developed countries, the SDGs recast progress as a joint,
universal undertaking. The SDGs aim to encourage action to tackle common challenges and it
is hoped that all countries will determine how the SDGs might be applied within their
national context. An essential consequence of this new approach is that the SDGs have
framed development "beyond assistance" and beyond a North-South transfer-based aid
industry, which suggests new collaboration strategies and the weakening of conventional
donor-recipient relationships. There are also consequences for the development agencies.
Public-private collaborations are launched at any scale in the aid world: business growth has
become a skill sought after. Fundraising strategies focused on emphasizing the insecurity of
poor people like child sponsorship have become less successful.

The Poverty-Environment Programme, jointly carried out by the United Nations

Development Program (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), and
the 'One Health' strategy implemented by organizations including the World Health
Organization (WHO) and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
brings together doctors, ecologists and veterinarians to work together to tackle risks to public
health.

The IAEG-SDGs (Inter-Agency Expert Group on SDG Indicators) has been participating in a
project to develop indicators for the 169 SDG targets. The indicators were numbered 229 at
the final count and more are on the way. Even after all these, the final challenge remains a
question of monitoring and control for all the countries worldwide.
 IV. Events due to the Pandemic

“The pandemic threatens not just to put the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development on
hold, but to reverse the progress that has already been made”, Secretary-General António
Guterres said.

Following are the events happened due to pandemic:

• People are affected

• Society is unprepared
• Governments are unprepared
• Private sector enterprises are unprepared
• Medical institutions and medical support systems will be impacted,
• Economic sectors worldwide will be impacted
• Social behavior will find significant degradation.

Impact of Business (all forms of Private Enterprise)

• Reduction in workforce which will lead to decreasing output capacity

• Reduction in consumption as people staying at home leads to reduction in demand
• Reduction in revenue leading to less profit, leading to fewer taxes being paid
• Lack of consumption demands leading to employees being cut off;
• Reduction in disposable income leads to further consumption declines and
consumption focused on necessities

Medical Support Systems (all medically related endeavors)

• Doctors in demand for patient diagnosis

• Hospitals overwhelmed with patients
• Hospitals and pharmacies must increase their security for safe medications.
• Limited supplies of medication (no vaccine for 6-9 mos.)
• Patients must be isolated, from traditional patient care, isolation supplies become
limited, if available at all

Lack of Investment

• National disposable income declines

• Substantial drop in revenues (tax base drops)
• Quarantine and isolation requirements will use most of the government asset, limited
ability to provide traditional support services
 V. Future Implications of the Pandemic

Geopolitical Implications:

1. US-China trade war​: Rather than encouraging cooperation, COVID-19 has fueled
mutual criticism between the US and China. The sharp slowdown in China’s economy
also makes it unlikely that China this year will meet its commitment, under the trade
agreement it signed with the US in January, to dramatically increase imports from the
US.

2. EU cohesion: COVID-19 will cut the economic growth in Europe in 2020 (by
around 0.2%). Italy is likely to insist on economic support from the bloc. Nativist
political movements with irregular migrant crisis may view COVID-19 as a populist
argument against immigration and for stronger borders. A pandemic triggering
national containment measures would disrupt freedom of movement.

3. Oil exporters: This pandemic has tanked global oil markets, largely a consequence of
falling demand in China. The failure of OPEC and Russia to agree on the continuation
of production cuts has compounded downward pressure on oil prices. Low oil prices
will pose financial challenges for a number of oils producing economies such as Iran,
Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and even Saudi Arabia which require significantly higher oil
prices to balance their current budgetary expenditures.

4. Global governance: Global governance remains fraught as a result of trade wars,

intractable conflicts, and inaction on climate change. However, coordinated response
to COVID-19 – if it holds – could replenish trust in international institutions (like the
WHO) as well as temper tensions between geopolitical rivals.

Economic Implications:

1. The predicted slump for Asia: ​On 15 April, the IMF warned economies in Asia
would see no growth this year, for the first time in 60 years, with the service sector
particularly under pressure. National lockdown across the region along with airlines,
factories, shops, and restaurants have suffered the greatest economic shocks.

2. Monetary policy: To combat the economic fallout, the US Federal Reserve on 15

March cut its key interest rate to near zero. The US central bank has expanded its
corporate lending program to include some classes of debt. Meanwhile, the European
Central Bank (ECB) also took action of a €750 billion Pandemic Emergency Purchase
Programme that is expected to last until the end of this year.
 3. Fiscal response: The United Kingdom announced radical fiscal spending measures to
counter the economic impact of a worsening crisis and the UK government promised
to pay up to 80% of the wages of employees across the country unable to work. The
European Union has implemented fiscal measures to shore up the economy which was
worth more than €3 trillion. Meanwhile, the US government passed an unprecedented
$2 trillion stimulus package including direct payouts to millions of Americans.

4. Impact on employment: 2.9 million Americans filed for unemployment in the week
ending 9 May, according to data released by the US Labor Department on 14 May,
bringing the total jobless more than 36 million over two-month. Meanwhile, India's
lockdown resulted in 122 million job losses in April alone, according to the Centre for
Monitoring the Indian Economy. Around half of the jobs in Africa are at risk as a
result of the outbreak, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for
Africa. And the International Labor Organization has warned that nearly half of the
global workforce is at risk of losing their livelihoods.

Not only is COVID-19 a global pandemic and public health crisis; it has also adversely
impacted the global economy and financial markets. Significant reductions in income, a rise
in unemployment, and disruption in the transportation, utility, and manufacturing sectors are
among the effects of the disease control measures introduced in many countries. It has
become apparent that most governments across the world understated the risks of rapid
spread of COVID-19 and were largely reactive in their response to the crisis. Because disease
outbreaks are unlikely to disappear in the near future, concerted international action is needed
not only to save lives but also to protect the economy.
Research Guideline:

After you finish reading the study guide you must start your own individual research which is
the most important part of the preparation for the conference. Following are some of the
information that the delegates should look into:

● Your assigned member state

● Research your committee
● Your role in the committee
● Your agenda topic and concerned key issues
● Possible solutions and implementation plan
● Barriers and challenges in solving the issue
● Steps taken by the UN and other international agencies so far

Questions A Resolution must answer (QARMA):

1. How do you plan to achieve the 2030 agenda amidst the halt in development due to
the pandemic?
2. What sort of regulations should be set to tackle the economic downturn?
3. Can work from home be the new normal to mitigate the unemployment issues raised
by the pandemic?
4. Should the world economy choose the fiscal policy over monetary policy to tackle the
financial damage?
5. What can be done to create affordable housing to build sustainable cities for forming
an inclusive society?
6. What are the ways to ensure proper utilization and monitoring of funds for the health
sector?
7. How do you plan to collaborate with regional and International bodies along with
UNDP to counteract the post pandemic effects?
Research Materials:

1. https://www.unsceb.org/content/undp
2. https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/executive-board/documents-for-ses
sions.html
3. https://documents.un.org/prod/ods.nsf/home.xsp
4. https://www.esri.ie/system/files/publications/SUSTAT94_3.pdf
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7162753/
6. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s40258-020-00580-x.pdf
7. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00241/full
8. http://17goals.org/

Bibliography:

1. https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/07/1067522
2. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/european-journal-of-risk-regulation/ar
ticle/implications-of-the-covid19-pandemic-on-trade/83A8C947A5774E50C4C66
3C398996400
3. https://sdgs.un.org/goals
4. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/02/coronavirus-economic-effects-global-e
conomy-trade-travel
5. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10784-016-9323-z

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