SPECPOL - World Model United Nations

to address how the united Nations might encourage
nations to follow this protocol, or discourage them
from not respecting these rights.
Proposed Solutions
It is useful to look at past solutions proposed and
utilized by other countries in order to help create a
successful and lasting solution to the mining problem
today. Nationalization, or the assumption of control
by the government, is one potential solution used
in China and Venezuela, and is being discussed as a
proposed solution elsewhere, such as South Africa
and Bolivia. In countries where all or part of the mining
industry is nationalized, governmental oversight
is undoubtedly easier. For instance, with respect
to China’s coal mining, the government owns the
Shenhua Group, the largest coal producer in the world.
the state manages the mines, the transportation of
the coal, and its use. The government operates this
company much like any other, using it to seek further
investment in mining opportunities abroad, which
sometimes attracts the scrutiny of other nations,
who are wary of letting another government directly
invest in developing their natural resources.
There are benefits and setbacks to this solution.
With a nationalized industry, the state can easily
regulate the use and development of the mining
industry within its borders, ensuring that the needs
of the state come first. Venezuela has stated that it
decided to nationalize its gold industry to prevent
smuggling and cut down on environmental damage,
a direct result of enhanced government scrutiny.
However, there are drawbacks to nationalization that
may make it a less attractive option, particularly for
smaller nations. First, in order to nationalize a given
section of the mining industry, it is necessary to have
the infrastructure and capital to properly manage it.
For countries such as China, this is feasible, but for
others such as Mongolia, this would be a very difficult
task. The necessary roads, equipment, and personnel
must be present in order to efficiently and profitably
run the mining sector, a difficult reality to ensure.
Increasing government regulation of the mining
industry will inevitably decrease foreign investment,
and the government must be able to run the mines,
so as to guarantee that this does not have a lasting
negative effect on the economy.
Conversely, it is useful to look at the implications
of a system with little to no governmental oversight
or control. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is
one of the most resource-rich nations on the planet,
yet it suffers from civil wars and violence that many
believe is perpetuated by the illegal mineral trade,
which takes revenue away from the government. 123
The country has an enormous private mining sector,
with over 25 companies actively mining in 2011.
Though the Congolese government does control
a mining company known as Gécamines and owns
several copper, cobalt, and zinc mines, production
has been limited, and in recent years the company has
undergone privatization of several of its operations
through Chinese and Canadian investment. 124
It is hard to differentiate the effects on the
industry caused by lax governmental oversight from
the issues surrounding the violence and instability
in the region. yet it is important to note that the
DRC has experienced a sharp negative decline in
environmental quality, especially around mining
sites located near national parks. Without effective
regulation of transactions, there are concerns and
allegations that the sale of coltan has been used to
fund the civil war that has claimed thousands of lives
in the country. 125 Violations of labor rights are very
common, owing to the inability of the government
to control mining operations within its borders. Thus,
there are problems inherent in a lax system that gives
almost complete control to the foreign investors as
well.
Any future solution to the problem of balancing
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