HISAR SCHOOL JUNIOR MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017 Confronting Extremism Urbanization Committee "Effects of overpopulation in urban areas due to involuntary migration" RESEARCH REPORT Recommended by: 1
Forum: Urbanization Committee Issue: "Effects of overpopulation in urban areas due to involuntary migration" Student Officer: Bora Trana Introduction Nowadays, there are many people leaving their native countries in order to find a better place to live. This could be influenced by push and pull factors. They may also move voluntarily or be forced to move. As we know, the number of people who migrate from their native countries is increasing every day, and although some people argue that this is good for Globalization, it might also be the opposite. People who suggest that these migrations are beneficial, argue that they allow people to exchange cultures and backgrounds, creating a more diverse community. However, the other opinion suggests that it should also be kept in mind that these immigrants may damage the country's culture and environment because they have different views, traditions and ways of living than the native people are used to. One of the most common reasons why people move is job opportunities. In developing countries, there is a lot of unemployment. Therefore, many unemployed people from developing countries move to developed countries in order to find better jobs. In developing countries, more people live in urban areas because the living condition is better there, compared to rural areas. However, in developed countries, people tend to prefer rural areas because of the better environment. Definition of Key Terms Involuntary: done without will or conscious control. Migration: to go from one country, region, or place to another. Overpopulation: to fill with an excessive number of people, straining available resources and facilities Displacement: to leave home, country, etc. 2
General Overview Many cities do not have the means to handle the charge of rubbish casting away by its inhabitants, which lead to unclean cities. The lack of decent accommodation is also a growing problem that cities must deal with. Many people are unable to find a place to live in which is a step back for cities development. More than 70 million people have been forced to leave their homes because of conflict, political upheaval and disasters, as well as by climate change and development projects, and are now living as migrants. --Types of involuntary migration: Conflict-Induced Displacement People who are forced to flee their homes for one or more of the following reasons and where the state authorities are unable or unwilling to protect them: armed conflict including civil war; generalized violence; and persecution on the grounds of nationality, race, religion, political opinion or social group. Development-Induced Displacement These are people who are compelled to move as a result of policies and projects implemented to supposedly enhance development. Examples of this include large-scale infrastructure projects such as dams, roads, ports, airports; urban clearance initiatives; mining and deforestation; and the introduction of conservation parks/reserves and biosphere projects. Disaster-Induced Displacement This category includes people displaced as a result of natural disasters (floods, volcanoes, landslides, earthquakes), environmental change (deforestation, desertification, land degradation, global warming) and human-made disasters (industrial accidents, radioactivity). Clearly, there is a good deal of overlap between these different types of disaster-induced displacement. For example, the impact of floods and landslides can be greatly exacerbated by deforestation and agricultural activities. Major Parties Involved and Their Views 3
Above is a table that shows the countries that harbours the most immigrants. We see that the top three refugee harbouring countries are in the middle east. This concludes that involuntary migration mostly occurs in the middle east. Treaties and Events Overpopulation in cities and urban areas is a growing problem that governments and individuals have to take into account seriously. They should work together to reduce the inconveniences caused by it. First of all, we can truly affirm that the first result of overpopulation in towns is without any doubts congestion and traffic jams which lead to serious pollution problems. Another inconvenience due to overcrowding is garbage from inhabitants. Here is a treaty about involuntary migration to help your research: 4
http://www.unhcr.org/1951-refugee-convention.html Evaluation of Previous Attempts to Resolve the Issue With the problem of overpopulation continuing to grow out of control, China has attempted to try and alleviate some of the pressure on their over-populous country. In 1979, they implemented China s One Child Policy as an effort to subdue the rise of China s population. This policy pressured couples living in urban areas to only have one child. However, there were a few ways to get away with having multiple children. Despite this, in just the first twenty years this method was applied, it had prevented around 300 million births. This also resulted in an unbalanced ratio of 114 males for every 100 females, since males are the more desired sex to have as a parent. Most of the Chinese population saw the need for this because the government also educated them on the necessity of this policy. This policy was successful from a standpoint of population because it prevented the growth of China even more, but it is still one of the most populated countries in the world at around 1.3 billion. Possible Solutions Some people may argue that limiting a population is morally wrong and that what the Chinese did was a method that was working. However, proper solutions could be found to this problem by setting well thought out laws and perhaps international rules, which would eventually slow this rapid increase in population. Bibliography Dictionary.com. (2017). Dictionary.com - The world s favorite online dictionary!. [online] Available at: http://www.dictionary.com/ [Accessed 15 Aug. 2017]. 5
Usingenglish.com. (2017). Reasons for Migration (Essay). [online] Available at: https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/66380-reasons-for-migration-(essay) [Accessed 15 Aug. 2017]. Blogs.longwood.edu. (2017). Possible Solutions to Overpopulation. [online] Available at: https://blogs.longwood.edu/johnsonba/2012/03/02/possible-solutions-to-overpopulation/ [Accessed 15 Aug. 2017]. 6