SPECPOL - World Model United Nations

country seeking to sell the mining rights, such as the
safety of its environment and people, as well as the
use of profits to develop the nation’s infrastructure,
might be subordinated to those of the companies
and foreign nations looking to invest.
Many countries have long histories of mining
that date back to the colonial era and even before.
during this time, the empires controlling the colonies
in Africa and Asia gave preferential treatment to
specific companies owned by Europeans, including
royal charters and virtually unchecked authority.
This fostered the development of a large and
powerful private mining sector that continued to
exert its influence long after the colonies received
independence. South Africa, long under British
rule, still struggles with finding a balance between
governmental oversight and the liberal mining
policies of previous decades. Worldwide, BHP Billiton,
Rio Tinto, and Vale represent three of the largest
companies in a US$1 trillion industry, each with its
own diversified interests on several continents.
The enormous influence of the private sector
can overshadow the ability of a nation to regulate
the mining development within its borders. Yet it
is also important to note that oftentimes, foreign
investment through these companies is crucial to
the development of the economies of these nations.
Mongolia serves as a perfect case study: finding
itself blessed with enormous mineral resources and
surrounded by wealthier, larger, and more powerful
countries, it is trying to develop a system that allows
it to balance its own growth with the desires of
various mining companies as well as nations such as
China and Russia, which seek to gain a foothold into
the country’s mining sector. The United Nations must
first decide what role it has to play in the arbitration
of such rights, if any, and then create framework that
can be used to mediate disputes over mining rights
as well as protect the interests of all parties involved
and ensure that no nation succumbs to pressure from
outside forces.
History of the Problem
The allure of mineral resources has been
simultaneously a constructive and destructive force
throughout history. The discovery of gold in Australia
and the United States led to the explosive growth
of the city of Melbourne and the admission of the
state of California, respectively, while in South Africa,
the Boer Wars began largely with disputes over the
British annexation of diamond mines. that these
resources have become scarcer in recent years has
only increased their pull. The global mining industry
is currently worth over US$1 trillion, with the top
three companies, BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, and Vale,
accounting for over $300 billion alone. The growth of
the mining industry has continued steadily, and with
it the power and influence of such companies. This
has led to a clash between the business interests of
the mining companies and the competing interests of
the state.
A Brief History of Mining
The world’s oldest mine is currently dated at
43,000 years old, and beyond that numerous findings
indicate that mining has been prevalent throughout
a large part of human history. Such is the importance
of these minerals that entire ages are named after
them: the Stone, Bronze, and Iron ages each mark
during which prehistoric humans used the respective
metal to create weapons and tools, and each
advance in material wrought a distinct change on the
course of human development. Evidence of mining
activity over thousands of years old has been found
on every continent except Antarctica, indicating
the importance of the activity and the minerals it
produces for even the earliest of civilizations.
in the past, great empires such as that of the
egyptians and the Romans engaged in mining
activity, searching for both precious metals such as
27
Melbourne Host Directorate PTY LTD | Office of Media and Design