Ga Twaa

HNMUN 2013
Third World Assembly on Ageing
Dear Delegates, It is with great excitement that I welcome you to Harvard National Model United Nations 2013! My name is Gillian Farrell and it is my honor to serve as your Secretary-General for the 59th session of HNMUN. I am currently a senior at Harvard concentrating in Chemistry with a Secondary Field is Government. Originally from Long Island, New York and Dublin, Ireland, I have had the chance to grow up in two different areas of the world and to travel extensively opportunities to which I attribute my love of international affairs. I have been a part of Model United Nations since my freshman year of high school (HNMUN 2013 will be my seventeenth conference) and also staff some of Harvards other conferences, including HMUN and WorldMUN. In my time spent apart from Model UN, I work at the Harvard College Admissions Office and at the Harvard Business School, and I enjoy roaming around the Boston-Cambridge area and having extended meals with friends. This document will provide you with Welcome Letters from your Under-Secretary-General and your Director, the Study Guide for your committee, and the Rules of Parliamentary Procedure. The entire Secretariat and Senior Staff have committed countless hours to ensure that the substance and presentation of this document are of the highest quality, and that you are provided with the most useful tools to succeed at conference. Each Director has worked over the past eight months to provide you with the foundation necessary to continue your own exploration of the topic areas. We look forward to working with you to continue HNMUNs tradition of substantive excellence. Apart from this document, you will also be able to access a number of additional documents that will aid in your preparations for conference. Our Guide to Delegate Preparation reviews the substantive side of HNMUN, highlights differences between our session and other MUN conferences, and explains our policies on substantive matters, such as the award selection process and position papers. It also includes our updated Rules of Parliamentary Procedure, which are also found at the end of this document. Our Guide to First Time Delegations provides information regarding substantive and logistical issues for those new to HNMUN, and includes a timeline for delegate preparation. The Guide to Starting a Model UN Team outlines the steps necessary to establish and expand a universitys MUN organization. Finally, Update Papers to committee Study Guides will be posted in late November to provide further exploration and/or recent news developments concerning the topic areas. If you have any questions about this document, the other Guides, or your committee in general, please do not hesitate to contact your Director or your Under-Secretary-General. They are truly excited to meet you all and are eager to address any concerns you may have before, during, or after the conference. I hope you enjoy reading the following Study Guide, and I cannot wait to hear about your ideas this coming February! Sincerely,
Gillian T. Farrell
Secretary-General Harvard National Model United Nations 2013
Harvard National Model United Nations 2013
The General assembly
Dear Delegates, It is my distinct pleasure to welcome you to the General Assembly of Harvard National Model United Nations 2013! My name is Michael, and I am thrilled to be serving as your Under-Secretary-General in the largest and most exciting organ of the conference. Before we begin, a bit about myself: I am a junior at Harvard studying Government with a Secondary Field in Economics. Although I am American by birth, Ive spent the last 19 years of his life shuttling between the Philippines, India, Malaysia, Kenya and Mexico, with many Model United Nations conferences scattered among those years. I have been a part of Model United Nations since my freshman year of high school. The General Assembly would not be possible if it werent for the immensely talented and dedicated Directors and Assistant Directors who make up the staff of the of GA. They have worked tirelessly to ensure that the largest committees of HNMUN 2013 are absolutely fantastic. In addition to the four standing committees of the General Assembly the Disarmament and International Security Committee, the Special Political and Decolonization Committee, the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee and the Legal Committee, the conference will also feature three specialized bodies: the World Health Organization, the Historical General Assembly of 1958, the Third World Assembly on Ageing, the Ad Hoc Committee on Energy, as well as the Non-Governmental Organization Program. I hope that the diverse offering of featured topics will provide you with a unique chance to engage with issues that fall within your areas of interest. With its diverse topics and large committee sizes, the General Assembly boasts some of the most robust debate of the conference, and the delegate experience is truly unmatched. The GA will push you to rethink what has been previous accepted, to push your skills of negotiation, and to ultimately weigh the balance between international cooperation with your own countrys interests. It is my hope that you will depart from this conference with a greater understanding of and excitement for international affairs as well as fond memories of a passionat, fun, and stimulating four days of debate. It is my promise to you, the delegates, that I will work tirelessly to ensure to meet your expectations of substantive excellence. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions, concerns or suggestions regarding any committee of the General Assembly, and I will make sure to assist you to the best of my ability. Delegates, welcome to the General Assembly. I look forward to meeting you in February. Sincerely,
Michael George
Michael George Under Secretary General for the General Assembly Harvard National Model United Nations 2013
Powers of the Committee Staff
Powers of the Committee staff

The staff of Harvard National Model United Nations have distinct roles and responsibilities at conference. Delegates may find that the substantive staff at HNMUN takes on a more active role than what they have been accustomed to at other Model United Nations conferences. The primary job of the staff is to work with the delegates in achieving the goals of the committee in particular and the conference as a whole. The staff of each committee includes a Director, a Moderator, and Assistant Directors. At HNMUN, the Director is the substantive expert, and the Moderator is the procedural expert; together, they share the duties of running the committee, rather than being coordinated by only one committee chair.
expert, the Moderator is the procedural expert who runs the committee when it is in formal session. The Moderator has a full understanding of the rules of procedure, and it is his or her responsibility to facilitate the committees work by ensuring that the sessions run smoothly. However, the Director retains the ultimate power to rule any motions dilatory. In some smaller committees, the moderator may also field some of the substantive issues that Directors typically handle. Under certain extreme situations, the Moderator is allowed to suspend certain rules of procedure to streamline debate. Any questions about procedural issues should be raised with the Moderator.
assisTanT DirecTors
Before the conference, the Assistant Directors prepare the updates to the committee study guide. During the simulation, their job is to aid the Director by answering delegates questions, monitoring blocs during caucus, and by providing sounding boards for delegate ideas, solutions, and concerns. If the committee is producing a large amount of paperwork at some point in the course of debate, Directors will rely on the Assistant Directors to work directly with delegates on preparing and suggesting revisions to draft resolutions. The Assistant Directors also help keep track of the Speakers List, votes, and other procedural matters. Delegates should feel free to approach the Assistant Directors at any time with questions about the substance or procedure of the committee.
DirecTors
The committee Director is the substantive expert of the committee. At HNMUN, the Directors choose their committees topic areas, prepare the study guides, and do extensive amounts of other pre-conference substantive preparation. The Director oversees submission of all documents to be discussed. All draft resolutions and amendments in committee must be approved and signed by the Director to be presented to the committee as a whole. Before accepting working papers and draft resolutions, the Director is allowed to suggest changes if he or she feels that the Questions a Resolution Must Answer (QARMAs) are not sufficiently addressed or if it is similar in content to other submissions. Please note that the Director may not approve of all written submissions and may suggest appropriate changes before accepting any draft documents. Another important role of the Director is to oversee debate. As the substantive leader of the committee, the Director also has the discretion to rule on all points and motions brought before the committee. The Director may periodically comment on the direction of debate and suggest alternative courses of action. Committees sometimes overlook important issues within a topic area, and Directors are encouraged to bring these to the attention of the delegates. As for committees with crises, the direction of crises is determined entirely by the course of debate. Statements made by Directors are not meant to steer debate along a predetermined crisis plan, although Directors are encouraged to guide delegates when debate appears to have strayed from the topic at hand. Any questions about substantive issues should be raised with the Director.
secreTariaT
The nine members of the Secretariat, headed by the Secretary-General, are the principal organizers of the conference and supervise all other members of the HNMUN staff. They will be available throughout the conference to answer any questions or address any issues that delegates may have with their committee or with the conference as a whole. All modifications to the Rules of Procedure will be provided by the Secretariat before the conference, and any member of the Secretariat may address any committee at any time.
moDeraTors
The Moderator performs the procedural role for which the traditional chair at other Model UN conferences would be responsible. While the Director is the substantive
ThirD WorlD assembly on aGeinG

topic area a: addressing the social and economic effects of aging Populations topic area B: maximizing health and well Being
Dear Delegates, It is my sincere pleasure to welcome you to Harvard National Model United Nations 2013 and the Third World Summit on Ageing. Whether HNMUN 2013 will be your first conference or umpteenth, I am eager to guide you through what is sure to be among the most engaging, enriching four days of debate on the Model UN circuit. As your director, I look forward to enjoying an incredible conference with all of you come February. My name is Ruth Kagan, and I am a sophomore at Harvard, planning on concentrating in either Chemical and Physical Biology or Neurobiology. Outside of HNMUN, I am involved as the Director of Faculty Relations and Administration for HMUN, our high school conference. I also travel with our Intercollegiate Model United Nations team and am a design editor for the Crimson, the student newspaper. The impact of these increasingly geriatric populations will be to dramatically alter the economic and social structure of our world. No matter how invincible we feel in our adolescence or what the cosmetics industry sells us, no one is immune to the threats of ageing. By 2150, the UN estimates that the median age of every major region will converge at roughly 45 years before diverging into parallel paths that will continue to climb. The Third World Assembly on Ageing will require considerations from the social and natural sciences to construct realistic resolutions to manage the effects of demographic changes. As the conference approaches, I hope you share my excitement about the near apocalyptic nature of our Assemblys concerns. There is not one nation who will be immune to these issues, but because of differences in reproductive rates, some nations will grapple with ageing populations sooner than will others, opening doors for those younger populations to develop new roles. While the study guide is intended to serve as a starting point for your research, you should not feel limited by the material presented; policy will vary from country to country based on development status and geographic location. Please feel free to email me with any questions or concerns! I look forward to meeting you all in February.
Sincerely,
Ruth Kagan
Ruth Kagan 182 Dunster Mail Center Cambridge, MA 02138 rdkagan@college.harvard.edu
Position PaPers
Each delegation must turn in a position paper before the start of conference. The purpose of the a position paper is to give each delegation the chance to summarize his or her understanding of the issue at hand, to delineate a nations stance on the issue, and to propose possible solutions that could be debated in committee. When writing your position papers, there is a simple format that you should stick to; it will make it easier for you to write and for me to read. The first paragraph of your position paper should describe what you feel are the most pressing and pertinent aspects of the issue, as well as some facts that you could use in debate or to support a point. The second paragraph should be used to describe what your nation will be arguing in committee, why the aspects you described in the previous paragraph are so important to your country, and what unique aspects of your nation relate to the issue at hand. Finally, your third and last paragraph should contain your ideas for possible solutions as well as courses of action that you believe should be included in a resolution. Each delegation should complete one position paper per topic area. When writing, make sure you use the third person; instead of saying I believe or we believe, instead say, the delegation of Nation X believes or something similar. All position papers should be written in Times New Roman 12-point font, single-spaced and be approximately one page in length.
introduCtion
Human civilization is undergoing a societal transition. For much of human history, societies were predominantly young. Societies evolved to use these large numbers of young workers, who in turn had large families and perpetuated the cycle. The decline in mortality, however, has begun to change the pyramid-style age structure of many regions. With larger and more stable food supplies, as well as better developed healthcare, life expectancies increase in these regions and death rates decline. A decline in fertility rates tends to follow these changes, which slows population growth. With more people living longer and having fewer children, the relative sizes of age cohorts become closer in size. The individuals living through these changes experience various lifestyle phenomenon that contribute to their decisions. Low infant mortality rates prompt more careful family planning. Modern careers and urban lifestyles deemphasize the need to have many children and large families. It has also become more common for both adults in a nuclear family to pursue careers, which further reduces the role of childrearing and often delays a womans decision to have children. Increased life expectancy also makes care for relatives more expensive. People in areas that have undergone or are in the process of experiencing the societal transition tend to live longer and
closer, which translates into more children and grandparents to feed. While certain areas of the world are further along in experiencing the societal transition than are others, nearly every nation is somewhere along the trajectory. Continuing on their current vectors of progress and social policy, however, will lead to unaccommodating and unsustainable systems. Thus, it is critical to address the two topics facing the committee: the economic and social effects of ageing populations, and maximizing health and wellbeing. Current economic infrastructure is largely tailored towards populations with young people who support a smaller number of older neighbors and relatives. Employment of older and more experienced workers is more expensive, and their training is commonly viewed as a less of a long-term investment. However, given that life expectancies are far beyond what they were once were, this view of the elderly may be unjustified. Dependency ratios, a metric for the number of working members of society as compared to those who are too young or old to be employed, are skyrocketing, but would be lowered by a higher portion of older workers. Compounding the problem is the negative stereotype of the elderly as frail, difficult, and weak in mind and body. It serves to be self-fulfilling despite modern healthcares ability to combat this reality. Beyond that, the elderly are subject to discrimination in social- and career-related contexts on the basis of age and rarely protected against such policies. This discrimination can manifest in serious ways, which are to be further detailed. Healthcare systems are also ill-equipped for aging populations. Infectious diseases were the bane of societies until the last several decades and therefore dictated the design of most medical-related infrastructure. Such diseases are acute and require short-term, and often in-house treatment. While they can be somewhat prevented with proper hygiene, they do not necessarily have specific environmental risk factors. Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), on the other hand, can be caused by specific behaviors and require long-term treatment. They are quickly surpassing infectious diseases as the leading causes of death globally, yet much of the worlds attention remains on communicable diseases. There are other unexplored options that can protect the lifestyles of the worlds elderly and facilitate the societal transition, and it is the task of the Third World Assembly on Aging to explore and construct a response.
history of the Committee

In 1979, the General Assembly called for the establishment of the First World Assembly on Ageing. The goal of the committee was to address the demographic shifts that would follow from declining fertility rates and extended life expectancies: older populations were projected to place

unique burdens on their nations. UN member states were called upon to recognize and address these needs while also ensuring the protection of these individuals. The First World Assembly on Ageing convened in 1982. A key impetus for the Assembly, as cited in a perambulatory clause of the resolution establishing it, was that the number of elderly people would increase dramatically during the next two decades based on estimates of population growth. There is yet another decade between now and 2002, the time to which this resolution referred, but the need to address this situation has only increased. The product of the First World Assembly is referred to as the Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing. Its 62 points were adopted unanimously by the committee and included ideas that have since been widely incorporated into the policy plans of many UN member nations. These include an emphasis on health policies that holistically unite both health and social sectors, a call to coordinate these sectors, and recommendations that governments focus on ensuring the rights of older careers while also smoothing the transition to retirement. Twenty years later, in 2002, the Second World Assembly on Ageing convened in Madrid. The Report of the Second World Assembly on Ageing, analogous to the First Assemblys Vienna Plan was divided into three main areas: 1. Older persons and development 2. Advancing health and well-being into old age 3. Ensuring enabling and supportive environments The framework produced more policy-based recommendations than did the Vienna Plan. These included plans to boost participation in society and development, and to focus on rural development. This focus on rural development will also prove important for the Third Assembly on Ageing, as the world has come a long way in the past thirty years and the potential for expanding opportunities for livelihoods via urbanization is decreasing. As such, the Third Assembly should address avenues with greater long-term expansion, even more so than did those that the Second Assembly put forward, such as plans to focus on adult education, retraining, and literacy. Throughout this, the World Assembly of Ageing has been under the auspices of the Social Policy and Development Division within the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). The Open-Ended Working Groups on Ageing have also fallen within UNDESA since 2010, when the General Assembly called for their establishment. The Open Working Groups that have focused on a few issues, including disability and human rights as well as palliative care. These discussions have been tightly focused in response to the Madrid Plan. There have since been three Working Groups, which have each convened at the UN Headquarters in New York City. The first two occurred from 18-21 April and 1-5 August 2011, and the final session will take place from the 21-24 August 2012. The central agenda were to serve as follow-ups to the publications established by previous Assemblies, particularly the resolution of the Second World Assembly on Ageing. While the three recent Working Groups have convened to conduct a ten-year review of the Madrid International Plan of Action, a mere review is not sufficient: recent estimates regarding changing population dynamics demand greater overhaul in light of modern challenges of urbanization and technological growth. Thus, the General Assembly has hereby called the Third World Assembly on Ageing to take place in Boston, Massachusetts, from 14-17 February 2013.
toPiC area a: addressing the soCial and eConomiC effeCts of aging PoPulations hisTory of The siTuaTion
history of the demographic transition The worlds population structure is changing. The youth, who once dominated populations, are quickly becoming outnumbered by older members of society. Countries faced high death ratescountered with high birth rates, but thanks to industrialized economies and modern science, mortality has declined. So have birth rates. The result of the demographic transition is a population that is primarily older and coping with the challenges presented by a never before experienced age structure. Understanding the background mechanisms of how world populations have completed, begun, or approached the societal transition to ageing populations is critical to developing policy recommendations to best cope with the challenges presented by increasing numbers of elderly and decreasing numbers of youth. The focus of this committee will be how nations can be best equipped to respond to the falling rates of fertility and mortality, in both economic and health-related contexts. When evaluating the macroeconomic effects of the population transition, it can seem, as many scholars have argued, that the Ageing population will lead to more developed nations: a higher quality of life, higher average wages, and higher average salaries. This view, however appealing, turns a blind eye to the elderly, whose percent composition of the population structure is increasing . Those who struggled through their working years often find themselves destitute relying on meager savings. Furthermore, those who are capable of seeking continued employment are subject to age-based discrimination from employers who deem such potential employees to be fragile or short-term, regardless of whether there is a rational basis for this decision. The issues concerning the World Assembly on Ageing will focus around a few critical terms, namely:
General Assembly
for all the challenges posed by transitioning populations, the societal transition also has positive effects on the people in these societies.
Crude birth rate: the number of births per 1,000 population members, so called because the denominator is total population, not, for example, reproductive-aged women. Crude death rate: the number of deaths per 1,000 population members, so called because the denominator is total population, not, for example the elderly. This figure is thus affected by a populations age structure. Fertility: A populations reproductive behavior, which can affect population size. Typically measured by the total fertility rate, that is, the number of births per average woman in a given age group. Life expectancy at birth: the average period an infant can expect to live given the current death rates. This figure is unaffected by a populations age structure. Mortality: An evaluation of a populations death rates, including crude death rates1 Birth rates remain well above one per individual. Although there has been a global decline in both birth and death rates, populations have continued to increase because of natural growthwomen are still having more than two children. These declines in vital rates also translate into a falling off in the number of entering young members of society and
an extension of the number of older members, resulting in ageing populations.2 Social scientists have struggled to identify why fertility rates are declining around the world. Hypotheses have included industrialization; Westernization, such as a tendency towards nuclear family homes over traditionally Eastern multi-generational family homes; urbanization;, government programs to encourage family planning; the increase in education; and increased economic output.3 However, while these elements may explain the changes observed in certain regions, fertility rates are also declining in societies that have not experienced any of these factors. A common denominatorin fact, the only common denominatoris that every society undergoing a decline in fertility has already undergone a decline in mortality.4 This major pattern of demographic changes can take place over the course of a century or more and follows a fairly orderly path: improved availability of foodstuffs and healthcare in developed countries causes death rates to decline and life expectancies to increase, straining resources and increasing costs. Fertility rates decline next, slowing the rate of growth. This causes a change in the age structure of societies, which begin to have larger numbers of older members than of younger ones, and urbanization typically proceeds concurrently5. Tim Dyson, a professor of population studies at the London School of Economics, argues strongly that the

pattern of falling mortality leading to falling birth rates is universal. One major exception that he cites is sub-Saharan Africa, which bucked the trends by experiencing population decline in the early twentieth century because of plummeting fertility, while still maintaining short life expectancies.6 However, Dyson points out that it is critical to note that these fertility declines coincided with European colonialism, which produced abusive work conditions and a disruption of traditional family life that led to the spread of sexually transmitted infections that cause infertility, such as chlamydia and gonorrhea. Health conditions meant that as many as 20% of women were childless in certain regions by the end of their reproductive years, while others who had children later became sterile.7 When antibiotics became available, fertility levels rebounded, suggesting that the low birth rates were likely unintentional and unwanted. the reduction of family size Nations that have undergone the population transition from higher fertility and high mortality, to low fertility and low mortality, have a smaller average family size. Possible explanations for this might include a reduction in the rate of marriagewomen are more likely to marry later or not at all but these questions can be best put to bed by the proliferation of birth control and contraception. That sex that does not necessarily result in pregnancy and reproduction has become more a matter of choice in these societies has dramatically affected how populations grow.8 Fertility rates do, however, generally correlate with a reduction in marriage rates, the immediate causes of which can vary for reasons such as a rise in the cost of living, the spread of mass education, or urbanization. These immediate causes serve to motivate what more broadly accounts for the decline in births per woman: the long-term to the use of contraceptive methods.9 When mortality rates were high, parents tended to have many offspring, but the birth rate was lightly connected with population growth because survival rates were so low. When infant mortality rates decline, the number of pregnancies a woman experiences closely correlate with her number of children above age 5. Families in these situations who achieve a large number of offspring are, as a result, often faced with a substantial financial strain during childrearing.10 The result is that having a large family becomes less appealing to individuals.11 Trends from the 1950s and 1960s demonstrate that birth rates tend to decrease when average income increases.12 Data from the United States supports this positively, and the continued growth of birth rates through minimal and negative changes in per capita GDP supports this idea as well, with instances seen in poor African nations such as Uganda, Cote dIvoire, Kenya, and Tanzania.13 Family planning is a matter of household concern, and people consider the cost of children to evaluate their decision to increase or maintain family size. Dyson argues that birth control is an adaptive response to the rise in living expenses that facilitates both economic and sexual priorities.14 Low fertility rates lessen the divide between the life experiences of men and women,15 potentially decreasing gender parity by lessening the emphasis on childcare and the time spent in pregnancy and early infant care. The closing gender gap has social implications worthy of the committees discussion. As these traditional gender roles begin to merge and disappear, previous forms of sexism and discrimination may become less relevant, while others, particularly those in the workplace, merit further attention. urbanization Although urbanization is not critical to this societal transition, the trend to cities and towns serves a lens through which to observe causes of declining birth rates and the relative shrinking of younger age cohorts. Urbanization is relevant to demographic studies because it affects the economic structure of an area and the underlying behavior of its citizens, as it relates to careers and family planning. Factory jobs, for example, require isolated and extended hours that can delay the age of marriage by making careers and home life financially or temporally incompatible.16 Urban expansion is a self-perpetuating phenomenon, as the influx of people creates further opportunities for new migrants from rural areas, creating positions to serve residents with increasing desires for non-agricultural products.17 Sometimes these opportunities are a myth proliferated in rural areas, however. Urbanization can occur even when towns and rural areas offer equally low chances of career success. In regions of Latin America in the early twentieth century, and more recently in sub-Saharan Africa, urbanization has occurred despite a lack of opportunities, creating cities of people who are underemployed or unemployed. Bert F. Hoselitz, a professor at the University of Chicago, proposed his notable overurbanization thesis in 1957 with a case study of trends in South Asia. When individuals shifted from rural to urban environments because of a push out from the countryside and rather than a pull from the city, Hoselitz argued, they arrive to the urban center with little chance for employment and face as great a risk of crime and danger as they did in the countryside.18 This migration often leads to the creation of urban slums. As their inhabitants mature and conditions do little to improve, measures to promote the health and careers of these residents will become critical. Contrary to popular belief, urban areas were and can still serve as sites of population implosion rather than explosion. As towns and cities develop, they initially tend to record higher mortality rates than do regions of the countryside. Population density is the main reason for this, as infectious disease spreads
General Assembly

more easily when people are living close to each other, often without clean drinking water and proper sewage management.
19
Fertility rates as compared to that in the countryside can fall for a few reasons, including the unbalanced sex ratio in cities, where men tend to outnumber women.20 This, combined with high infant mortality, stunts growth. Natural growth instead comes from rural areas, many of whose members then migrate to cities so that urban areas still maintain a net increase in population size. With their reliance on older migrants, urban areas began to develop a slightly older age structure, a precursor to the modern population transition.21 In the 1960s, prominent social scientist Kingsley Davis sought to unravel the demographic changes in Western Europe and the United States and emphasized the role of urbanization coupled with mortality decline, which sometimes went handin-hand in the societies he studied. With people living longer and closer, there were more children and grandparents to feed, which became costly and discouraged the pursuit of a large family. 22 However, as Dyson points out, the explanation that we cant afford to have any more children can be used in almost any context because it is used to point to the immediate causes, particularly higher costs of living. It is perhaps more informative to realize that the remote cause of increased cost of living is increased life expectancy,23 and to recognize the underlying cause: the demographic transition to an aging society. the second transition: Changes in marriage and Child rearing Before populations began their transition and death rates were stable or rising, mortality seemed imminent for people of any age. It was common for parents to lose children, and as such, cultural norms muted affection for young children. Abandonment and infanticide were more common, particularly in cases of female infants and illegitimate births.24 By minimizing emotional attachment to the life of an infant, its death could even be recognized as a positive. Anthropologist Moritz Thomsen studied rural Ecuador in the 1960s. Prevalent there, as in much of Latin America, was the idea that an infant flew to heaven and became one of gods angels immediately upon passing. The idea was so powerfully embraced that infant deaths might not even be disruptive to a family, who instead viewed the passing as a release for the child from the struggles of penury. Farmers who had had many children survive their infancy would recall the fact with sadness because they had bad luck; not even one angelito.25 After entering the transition, average household size tends to shrink. Fertility decline can reduce the number of children per household, but the number of adults per household imparts a more powerful change on these numbers. In the United States, between 1850 and 1998, the average number per household of individuals 15 years shrank from 2.3 to
0.6. The number of individuals over 15 years shrank from 3.2 to 2.0. More adults and elderly are living by themselves, particularly in Europe and North America.26 The tendency to smaller households follows the decline in fertility of transitional societies. The likelihood of marital separation, divorce, and single parenthood help drive household declines. Marriage previously consisted of a heterosexual couple with a wife in her late teens or early twenties, who would experience pregnancies every few years, spaced apart by birth control caused by breast feeding and abstinence. If a mother survived pregnancies and childbirths, she typically continued to produce offspring until menopause. However, the decline in mortality grants this woman an additional thirty or forty years of life. During this latter phase of her life, her husband is likely die, as women typically live longer than men and frequently married older The decline in morality also means that more of her children will survive, which decreases the motivation to bear further children and increases the cost of planning for several successful pregnancies.27 With fewer pregnancies, the ties that bound a traditional marriage can weaken. The behavior surrounding childrearing typically formed the focus of the home, whether through childcare or work, but households with fewer children can experience greater strain on the lifelong vision of the couple. Marriage is less seen as an infinite partnership, and this may be because parents tend to have fewer children or because they tend to live longer. If a relationship seems weak, the final clincher can be the foresight that it could drag on for another 30 yearswith both members well into their seventies rather than the just five to ten that it would have been before mortality decline. 28
the elderly smile around the world! as their numbers grow, what is the best day to deal with ageing populations?

gender roles and the societal transition Waves of changes in family life have had powerful ripples in gender roles by eliminating many of the traditional boundaries for women. In America, for example, the emergence of a female workforce in the latter half of the twentieth century coincided with development of the birth control pill. Women were able to place a greater emphasis on their careers because the culture of transitioned societies asks women to face less of a need or desire to spend all of their time raising children.29 Women in developed nations frequently see this causality reversed, opting to have fewer children in order to pursue a career. However, in societies that once valued or necessitated women having large numbers of children, the recent change from this position creates time for women to pursue careers. Internationally, the increased emphasis on professional careers for women creates a societal need to close the gender gap in education. In order to develop their own careers and that of their daughters, more women are pursuing their own education, and parents are encouraging that of their daughters. One effort to evaluate this trend is the Global Gender Gap Index, developed by the World Economic Forum in 2006, was designed to track national progress in closing the gender gap in education, health outcomes, and economic and political participation.30 While data from nations in Western Europe and North America demonstrate equal or near-equal participation in the education system, the lowest ratio of female-to-male education rates are in Northern and Central Africa and Southeast Asia.31 Womens abilities to achieve financial independence further alters the traditional binds of marriage and has been theorized to contribute to ever increasing divorce rates.32 Even in areas where divorce rates are declining, particularly Islamic societies, this may be attributable to the decline in arranged marriages,33 whose participants are unlikely to be in a position from which they can seek divorce. Fertility decline and its ramifications have not only encouraged parents to seek education for their daughters but also indirectly facilitated their access to education. In large families in developing countries, additional help with childcare typically comes from daughters. Females who were lucky enough to attend school would often be pulled out to help their mothers care for their younger siblings.34 With low fertility and thus smaller household size, parents have less of an excuse to deprive their daughters of an education that would be available to their sons. economic effects of the demographic transition Modern economic growth can precede a decline in mortality and even temporarily increase it, as in cases when cities and factories spawned rapid industrialization at the cost of human capital. European cities in the nineteenth century are a testament to this idea.35,36,37 Burning through the labor supply can only fuel the economy for a short time, however. Taken alone, mortality decline can foster economic growth by simultaneously increasing wages, decreasing interest rates, and improving the standard of living. When people expect to live longer, they live better. Klaus Prettner and David Canning, researchers at the Harvard Program on the Global Demography of Aging, used mathematical models to examine trends in life expectancy, retirement age, and quality of life and found that longevity incentivizes individuals to continue working and to save at a higher rate.38 Decreased fertility and mortality should, mathematically, lead to an increase in wages by inducing a decrease in labor supply because people do not adjust their retirement age proportionally to their increased life expectancy. Taken together, when the ratio of capital to labor increases, so do wages.39 Anticipating a long life post-retirement, people have been shown to save more to maintain their high levels of consumption rather than retire proportionally later. The recommendation that countries accordingly increase the minimum age for optional retirement would harness the potential benefits of unconscious behavior. However, that the average retirement age scarcely increases with the reductions in fertility and mortality decreases the overall relative labor supply. Despite subconscious changes in retirement savings in response to longer life expectancies, policy systems have been slow to respond. One study of the phenomenon found that despite a nine-year increase in male life expectancy between 1965 and 2005, the average legal retirement age across 43 countries, two-thirds of which were industrialized, had a corresponding increase of less than half a year.40 dependency ratios and the elderly The dependency ratio is the ratio of the number of young and old population members absent from the labor force to the number of 15-59 year olds in the labor force. A higher number generally indicates that greater stress is being placed on the working population. For the period from 2007-2011, the World Bank reported the highest age dependency in at 105%, followed by Uganda at 103%, and the lowest ratio in Bahrain at 28%.41 The elderly are considered to have limited participation in the labor force, which is why their growing numbers sometimes inspires concerns about the size of the labor force and its ability to support the non- or reduced-working in nations with government programs.42 The crude dependency ratio gives a sense of how a nations economy might be molded by its age structure but omits valuable information by assuming, based on age, employment for everyone who is capable of working and unemployment for everyone else. The most relevant data for shaping policy that appropriately addresses this is a more accurate assessment of the burden on
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Income poverty is the prevalent form of poverty in cash economies and concerns, as the name suggests, monetary inflow. When discussing poverty in urban areas and many developing nations, income poverty is the primary concern. Those affected by it lack sustainable livelihoods, and it is the concern of the committee to address the preservation or accessibility of at least some jobs for older careers. Capability poverty is an evaluation of an individuals ability to live in a way that is respectable in his or her community. This can impede the individuals ability to escape income poverty and contribute to other dimensions of deprivation such as social inferiority or social isolation.48 Well-being and poverty differ in that the poverty is measured by resource access whereas well-being is inferred by evaluating whether a given individual is affected by multiple dimensions of deprivation. Well-being general translates to good quality of life, and a poor quality of life can be attributed to ill-being. Its status can be viewed through the influence of wealth, psychological, and community-based factors.49 social Protection of the elderly As they are subject to career discrimination and predisposed to chronic illnesses, the elderly may merit additional social protection. Thanks to the efforts of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), which has been a trailblazer for the international community in regards to protecting elderly populations, several nations in the region have included in their constitutions that the elderly will merit special protection by the State. They are guaranteed particular rights, including healthcare, food, housing, minimum living conditions, and some form of income.50 However, while age-determined policies may make sense in certain dimensions, age alone is often an inaccurate predictor of circumstance, as the experience of the elderly varies widely between individuals. One of the most accurate predictor of active life expectancy (the number of years than an individual is independent and able), for example, is education level. Education generally contributes to myriad metrics, such as physical activity, diet, financial success, and wellbeing, which improve quality of life.51 A high level of health also decreases the strain on governmental and/or medical resources because chronic age-related illnesses such as arthritis and diabetes can be very costly. While age can be a valuable point of comparison, one 65-year-old individual may share more in common with an 80-year-old who is in poor health, whereas another 65-year-old may share more with a healthy 55-year-old.52 the intergenerational Contract The term intergeneration contract describes the mutual needs and dependencies that different generations experience and require from their juniors or elders. The contract
dependency ratios calculated as the ratio of people over 70 years to those 20-69 years. while the dependency ratios of the most developed regions of the world began to grow earlier and at a much faster pace than those of less developed regions (including least developed countries and China), they too have experienced a slow increase in their dependency ratios.
workers and taxpayers, which takes into account future trends based on mortality and fertility rates.43 A unique problem posed by the non-working elderly as opposed to the youth is the burden of care. In most countries, the burden of care for young children falls upon their parents. The burden of care for the elderly, however, generally falls to the community or government. There has historically been a dearth of information about informal care for the elderly delivered from within the family. As government programs began to trend towards broadening agenda focused on care for the elderly, individuals speculated that such programs would incur much higher cost to the general public than do individual, family-based care.44 In the 1980s, researchers pointed out that it is difficult to compare the two when the unlocked potential of family-based programs was unknown. Researchers attempted to use surveys to estimate current supply of this support, but because individual circumstances can vary, it is almost impossible to judge whether an adult will eventually care for his or her aging parents.45 Beyond this, the range of quality and scope of care that might be offered is tremendous. defining needs and Poverty Central to the committees discussion on the topic will be to establish a framework for understanding the kinds of deprivation that the elderly face. One successful framework that the committee may choose to work under defines the eight dimensions of deprivation as experienced by poor people as the following: poverty, social inferiority, social or geographic isolation, physical weakness, vulnerability, seasonality, powerlessness, and humiliation46 The first dimension can be measured by resource access and be further divided into different domains, such as income poverty and capability poverty.47
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includes both material and social obligations determined by social norms or law. It has been particularly well adopted by European scholars, where transitioned societies have developed policies to enforce this contract among its working, non-working, and unemployed. The general framework of the contract rests in the world of the middle aged as the working, providing financially for children who are too young to work and seniors who no longer do. It functions under the middle generations belief that they will receive similar provisions when they are no longer of working-age. In the past, the contract was based at the family- or community-level. Nations that have undergone the societal transition have faced a decrease in the labor force and increased dependency ratio, making it difficult or perhaps impossible for the contract to be upheld in many cases. At the same time, mature members of society do not want to lose what they believe to be rightfully theirs. The modern reframing of the contract has shifted organizational responsibility to the government through social security programs, pensions, and healthcare. As German scholar of social gerontology Monika Reichart and British professor of Aging studies Judith Phillips have pointed out: the modern form of intergenerational contract is a redistribution between social generations in the life cycle, a good example of which is the financing of pension schemes. The relationship between age groups in society depends on the extent to which intergenerational solidarity is actually practiced and recognized as a social norm. However the lack of resources within welfare states and the challenges for states and families to balance care between them brings the issue of the intergenerational contract to the fore.53 often adequate to support the families of these societies but leaves women without marketable skills or an opportunity to build and manage their financial security.56 Efforts such as the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have taken steps to combat these disparities through education: primary education enrollment rose to 89% from 83% in developing regions between 2000 and 200857, and by 2008 there were 96 girls for every 100 boys enrolled in primary school in developing regions58. However, these improvements remain inadequate to ameliorate the challenges faced by the women who are currently in the most advanced age cohort of developing societies. Either as a result of this or because of it, the percentage of poor elderly women is disproportionate to the number of elderly. Investments in the education of women have already begun in developing nations, in large part because of the efforts of the MDGs. Those efforts might be for naught, however, if the women face severe employment discrimination in adulthood. Problems of workplace discrimination are common around the world, but particularly in developing areas. Even in old age, women tend to remain primary caregivers, such as in cases in countries with high incidences of HIV/AIDS.59 Furthermore, that fact that women tend to live longer necessarily means that women require a form of income for more years.60 Employing aging women will benefit them as individuals, and it could benefit society by reducing the burden that women place on society at large.61 Male older careers are often driving the fight for policy changes on behalf of the older worker. Researchers in Australia found that the general willingness for females to accept low salaries meant that they were blind to a need for policy change, whereas males were troubled by the decline in pay during their later or renewed career.62 advantages of older Careers The elderly are generally assumed to have lower energy levels and be less physically active than their younger counterparts, perhaps making them less desirable as workers. Decreased mobility and cognitive deficiencies such as dementia create hurdles to productivity that are rare in younger workers. Barring disease, however, older careers can increase quality of life for the elderly themselves while employers and coworkers can benefit from their expertise. Age carries significant advantages in fields warranting expertise, making the extended life expectancies of workers a blessing rather than burden to bear during extended retirement. Indeed, practice compensates well for declines in processing efficiency in fields ranging from science, to music, to art.63 The trend for workers to continue in fields requiring physical ability may be influenced by the decision of an individual worker and his/her employer. In cases where mandatory retirement is required by a certain age, the given workers physical abilities might be ignored. That is, a 65-year-
The currenT siTuaTion

the economic and social standing of aged women Women naturally outlive men by an average of 4.5 years, and as a result they make up the bulk of the elderly and also of the oldest elderly.54 However, in some countries, the average life expectancy for women is lowered by a combination of maternal mortality, infanticide, and gender imparity in nutrition and medical care. This can create a deception in crude mortality statistics that men and women have close to identical life expectancies, disguising the need for aiding elderly women.55 While women have made strides towards social equality in some nations, the access to education and financial opportunities that women face in the social structure of most communities is vastly inferior to that of men. The work of women is commonly wageless and thus many women are dependent on a paternal figure for cash income. Such a life is
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olds full capabilities may not outweigh her age, perhaps because the employer assumes the worker too expensive (older workers usually earn higher salaries), a liability, or less efficient than a younger counterpart. The United States effort to prevent ageism is manifest in the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, which prohibits mandatory retirement before age 70.64 the elderly in the media Colin Milner, Founder of the International Council on Active Ageing, points out that the elderly are rarely realistically portrayed in Western media. He points out that they are shown to be either super-mobile and age defying, or decrepit and wrinkled.65 Such a construct primes individuals to live constrained lives, as the scholars tragically describe: Age-based stereotypes are often internalized in childhood [and] accepted without critical examination For example, Martin might believe that older adults cannot easily climb stairs, so he will sell his home with stairs in favour of a one-level style. No longer climbing stairs at home, he finds it more and more difficult to navigate stairs in the community. Eventually, he is no longer able to climb stairs, confirming his original belief.66 While this story alone might seem trivial, the impact of such an experience can be powerful for both the individual and his/her family. Researchers at the Yale School of Public Health found that having a negative attitude about aging feeling bad about itdecreases lifespan by 7.6 years.67 This comes with an implied decrease in quality of life, such as caused by chronic age-related illnesses, which are costly for families and societies to mediate. Changing common perceptions about aging could revolutionize preexisting attitudes to create more realistic and beneficial expectations about the late stages of life. Such actions would have resounding impact not only for older generations, but also for the younger individuals in their family or community who the elderly might otherwise desperately need for support. the first site of transition: northwestern europe Northwestern Europe was, arguably, the first site of todays demographic revolution. The Enlightenment period of the eighteenth century and industrialization triggered major economic changes and scientific breakthroughs that helped reduce mortality rates by the 1800s, particularly because of the dropping frequency of infectious diseases like smallpox and tuberculosis. The live expectancy for English residents in 1700 was 37 years, which rose to 41 years by 1820, 50 years by the early 1900s, and 77 years in 2006.68 Furthermore, the growing use of birth control methods caused birth rates to decline. Other developed nations, particularly the United States, achieved similar trends in the decades following. 69 A key factor in shaping population trends has been a societys baseline when it enters the path of population transition via mortality decline. Western Europe has been relatively densely populated for much of the last 500 years, whereas the United States, for example, has been much less densely populated until fairly recently. The population density can play a role in pushing the mortality increase that precedes its sharp fall, fostered by development. The population structure of Europe most dramatically epitomizes the coming trends in demographics. Its mature population contributes to its high death rate, which stands at 11 per thousand across the continent for 2005-2010, compared to, for example, X in Y region70 asia: urban slums and Population trends Urban slums have often been used to characterize population growth in Asia, but these can actually cause a decline, rather than an increase, in growth rates. The difference in mortality, particularly infant mortality, in urban versus rural areas became stark at the turn of the twentieth century. In what is now Mumbai, for example, infant mortality in 1901 ranged from 500 per thousand to 800 per thousand. With 5080% of infants dying of infectious diseases,71 the population was only able to grow because of the influx of dwellers from rural areas.72 Today, East Asia poses a unique and challenging question: how can rising standards of living be managed for over two billion ageing people, all while workforces shrink? In 2010, East Asia accounted for 23% of the worlds population , amounting to 1.56 billion people.73 China and Japan are each interesting case studies of population transition: Japan and Taiwan were the earliest in the continent to begin the transition, with low birth and death rates by the middle of the twentieth century.74 China, however, has displayed a remarkably fast revolution of vital rates, as life expectancy grew dramatically from 40 years to 74 years between 1950 and 2011, and the fertility rate decreased from 6.2 to 1.55 births in the same period. .75 A reasonable degree of this is attributable to the artificial transition incurred by Chinas one-child policy, which was enacted in 198076 and will be further discussed in a following section. the united states Official data on the vital rates in the United States is available only from the start of the twentieth century, but it is believed that birth rates began to fall in the nineteenth century. Living conditions included plentiful food and low population densityexcellent compared with those in much of the worldwhich would have contributed to low mortality and encouraged early marriage. Because couples rarely sought to control fertility, the average woman had seven births.77 The eastern seaboard began to become crowded in the middle of the century, however, which delayed the age of marriage by
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raising the cost of living and establishing a home which in turn reduced fertility. With less time for planned pregnancies, the fertility rate is believed to have fallen from about 7 births per women to 5.5 between 1800 and 1850.78 the middle east The African nations along the Mediterranean underwent a fall in birth rates earlier, than their continental neighbors (many of which have not yet begun the transition), but nations in Northern Africa and the Middle East are still undergoing the transition to a modern population structure.79 The total fertility rate in Yemen, which in 1950 amounted to roughly 8 children per woman, has since declined to 6 children per woman; Irans has transitioned from just over 7 children per woman to 2.80 The regions annual growth rate by percent peaked in the 1960s at 2%, although the 1980s saw the peak increase in population by raw numbers. 81 While population growth in the Middle East has been high, plummeting death rates have produced a relatively young and urban population, with falling fertility rates and a roughly twofold increase in urban dwellers by percentage from 1950 to 2010 up from 27% to 59%.82 Pakistan and other AsianMiddle-Eastern nations have maintained their young age structure thus far, but may lost it in the coming decades and they transform from less developed nations to developed ones.83 on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,89 extended the prohibition of age-based discrimination to the elimination of prejudices, stereotypes, and harmful practices; access to justice, or the protection against exploitation, violence, and abuse.90 Committee on the elimination of the discrimination of women The fall 2010 meeting of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) produced a recommendation on protecting the human rights of the female elderly, aimed at national governments. In broad terms, it recommended conducting research into the current status of these individuals, with particular care to investigate those living in rural areas or areas of conflict, and stressed the need for careful attention in times both of war and of peace. The Committee emphasized the potential for negative stereotypes to negatively impact quality of life because of priming and the way that it alters perception of the elderly.91,92 The CEDAWs recommendations on work and pension benefits suggested action to reduce career discrimination on the basis of sex and age, in ways that might stem from mandatory retirement age in the public and private sectors, caregiver access, and discrepancy in pensions based on the gender of the recipient.93 Further along the vector of economic revolutions, in the realm of agriculture, the CEDAW pushed the need to eliminate policies that restrict access to credit, technology, and transport on the basis of gender or age.94 Such measures would be the first steps to promoting the inclusion of women, particularly those in rural areas, in the financial and social communities of an area. general assembly resolutions Many resolutions passed by the General Assembly have sought to protect or reaffirm the rights of older persons, but these resolutions do not carry nearly the same legal weight as does a UN treaty and are thus often referred to as soft law.95 Nevertheless, these resolutions are not meaningless, as they reflect global attention to the matter. The United Nations Principles for Older Persons (1991) defines five sectors for attention: independence, participation, care, self-fulfillment, and dignity. These thoughts were continued with the United Nations Proclamation on Ageing in 1992 which urged the international community to include older persons in their development programs, as well as to provide the immense human and material resources now urgently needed for adjustments to humanitys coming of age, which can be understood as a social, economic, and cultural [phenomenon] of great promise.96 The United Nations has continued to address these issues; a decade later, the Second World Assembly on Ageing was held in Madrid. At this conference, the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing and a
PasT inTernaTional acTions

un treaties While the international community has granted more attention to the elderly in recent decades, the United Nations has not yet addressed in the form of a treaty or convention the potential for the elderly to suffer human rights violations.84 Myriad treaties have been established to protect the rights of vulnerable individuals, such as the Convention on the Rights of a Child. Many treaties have been established to outline the needs of women and the disabled, but none have pointedly intended to seal the chasm of human rights violations that the elderly suffer in communities, including workplace discrimination, social isolation, poverty, or victimization. A treaty or convention creates more of an authoritative grounding and establishes a background level from which comparisons, upholdings, and abuses can be recorded.85 There are some references to older persons existing in UN treaties. In the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, for example, the right of everyone to social security, including social insurance is affirmed to all.86 It was not until 1990, with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, that agebased discrimination was specifically mentioned, in relation to the female elderlys access to pensions and subsidies.87 The Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers and their Families,88 together with the Convention
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Political Declaration were adopted. Both documents made recommendations towards developing more supportive environments for aging populations.97 of Public Health at Columbia University, argue that in order to meet the economic and social needs of aging societies, the overall outlook on human life and its major stages must evolve. They note that: If we continue to view the life course as our ancestors did and simply tack added years on at the end, we face sure calamity. If instead we begin to modify the life course and build infrastructures that support long life, societies can begin to utilize the strengths of older people and support the real vulnerabilities advanced age brings102 The policy recommendations that this stance entails take a long-term approach and are grounded in the position that communities and nations are unable to provide unlimited support to their growing older populations. Castersen and Frieds first suggestion is for extended investments in health, education, and social integration to ensure active populations in every age group. The second is to improve quality of care and accessibility, to decrease the number of age-related dependents. The third is to establish the frameworks that will build towards the long-term vision of shifting how life stages are defined and perceived.. It is becoming increasingly common to recognize the potential to work through old age, and to view the elderly as independent.103 In rural African societies that rely on the informal economy, for example, the elderly are better defined by physical ability than by chronological age, as retirement is incompatible with the agrarian lifestyle. Such a viewpoint encourages elder participation by reducing stereotypes of worthlessness. In developed countries, future frameworks for understanding aging will ideally focus more on talent and preparedness than on objective age, and they will lead the call for contributions from all capable citizens in the formal economy, rather than those who fall under a prescribed age.104 A concrete, specific recommendation for a convention on aging might be a solution to the issue of unrestrained agebased discrimination. Such a convention should address the perceptions around the aged to adjust both primes and attitudes, perhaps through media presence.105 Other opportunities include moving towards Carstensen and Frieds proposal to weigh physical ability more heavily than chronological age, or looking towards novel ways of promoting the continued talents of the mature. A convention on aging should return to the UN Principles for Older Persons principle of expanding and defining parameters of the independence of the elderly. This would establish reasonable expectations, in both economic and social spheres. Beyond that, the convention would also do well to draw special attention to the potential for the compounding of age- and sex-based discrimination, as the CEDAW did at its 2010 meeting.106
ProPoseD soluTions
Jack Ehnes, Chief Executive Office of the California State Teachers Retirement System, has emphasized several basic questions about aging workers that remain the subject of debate: Who bears the primary responsibility for long term savings for retirement? Based on current estimates of mortality, what is the appropriate retirement age? What degree of financial commitment is necessary for employers and governments to support their workers retirement plans?98 A common response, referenced in earlier sections, is to raise the legal retirement age. Countries in the EU, such as Great Britain and France, have begun to implement such policy, with varying degrees of success. Such measures require extreme delicacy in their implementation, as they may be easily viewed as a personal affront to those whom such measures affect.99 The ongoing financial crisis has worsened the situation, as older citizens are forced to compete with younger counterparts for dwindling numbers of jobs and salaries. Around the globe, the working population has met efforts to increase retirement ages with harsh resistance. In 2010, over 1 million French workers protested President Nicolas Sarkozys attempt to raise the age of legal retirement a mere two years, from 60 to 62. Kashmir, India faced protests when governments made efforts to increase the retirement age from 58 to 60.100 Individual country policies vary on these issues and dictate the resultant policy recommendations. International migration has also been used as a short-term solution to dwindling numbers of youth in the labor force. Its effectiveness can be understood through a comparison with urbanization. Just as urban migration kept young and booming the populations of industrial centers before they began to experience the societal transition, international migration can help to fill the positions for wageworkers in industrialized nations with rising median ages. There are, however, significant barriers in place that can thwart international migration. Many developed nations have implemented policies to protect their residents from migrant workers who might accept lower wages and lesser benefits and therefore undercut their career prospects.101The vast majority of developed nations have such policies, which might be intended to protect their economies but could limit their potential expansion. Laura L. Castersen, director of the Stanford Center on Longevity, and Linda P. Fried, dean of the Mailman School
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bloc PosiTions
latin america The members of the ECLAC have taken great efforts, as a body, to coordinate a response to demographic change among their nations to create a sense of obligation to the aged. The majority of nations guarantee older persons certain securities, and more than that promise the needs for a reasonable quality of lifefood, housingas well as a form of a welfare system. Nearly every nation recognizes that the rights of the elderly are particularly vulnerable. As such, they have implemented plans to prevent discrimination. A stringent prohibition of age-based discrimination is included in the constitutions of both Brazil and Mexico, and it is addressed in regards to workplace environments in the constitutions of Panama, Paraguay, and Venezuela.107 Continuing the need to protect social standing, the Dominican Republic is unique for lawfully recognizing the right for those residing in old age homes to travel in and around the home, as well as to see visitors.108 Indeed, a provision of the similar law in Venezuela recognizes the need for the elderly to satisfy their sexual desires, and therefore requires long-term residencies to provide private rooms for couples who are married or established partners.109 Ecuador and Guatemala are the most behind among ECLAC nations in assuring rights to the aged, failing to protect against a combination of threats, including discrimination, as well as the rights to life and a dignified death, to dignified treatment, to education, to work, to social security, or to protection during detention110. european union As the home to the first region to undergo the demographic transition, the struggles of the European Union (EU) to cater to its growing oldest population cohort have been a major complicating factor in the ongoing financial crisis. However, some findings of the most recent report on aging from the Economic and Financial Affairs of the European Commission run counter to the sensational stories common in todays media. For one, the participation of male workers aged 55 to 64 in the workforce is displaying a clear upward trend throughout the region, which the report authors attributed to pension reforms.111 As might be expected, participation of women in the workforce has increased over the past 25 years. While that of youth 15-24 has decreased, this is thought to be most commonly because of longer time spent in school. Current estimates for the 27 nations of the EU (EU27) propose great increases in the participation of those in the 55-64 year range in the workforce in the next 50 years, with the greatest increases for members of the euro zone.112 Structural reforms in pension plans are planned to increase rates of labor force participation, and these reforms are also hoped to help close the gender gap in these rates.113
The EU is proud that the members of its oldest age cohort are more mobile and healthier than ever before. Nevertheless, age-based workplace discrimination is beginning earlier and earlier, with employers establishing earlier retirement policies with the intention of phasing in younger employees. The goal of such a policy is to increase overall employment, but it has been shown that the trend towards overall retirement is not increasing the average employment rate in the EU.114 In its article on non-discrimination, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union prohibits discrimination on the basis of age.115 European Council Directive 2000/78/EC further calls for the need to take appropriate action for the social and economic integration of elderly and disabled people but also recognizes that a difference of treatment may be justified where a characteristic related to age constitutes a genuine and determining occupational requirement.116 Taken together, the stipulations allow room judicial interpretation and national retirement policies. A novel approach to combating ageism was launched by Germanys Bavarian State Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, Family and Women, with the Bavarian Seniors Association. Starting in 2011, the state has recognized the achievements of Bavarias older citizens through the Old People Awards, which are open to application or nomination for citizens who are over 65. Bucking the stereotypes were a 76-yearold marathoner and 72-year-old dance teacher, among other conference winners.117 sub-saharan africa The nations of sub-Saharan Africa will be among the latest to undergo the societal transition. In 2006, 44% of the regions population was under 15 years, making it the youngest in the worldin contrast, only 16% of European residents were under 15 years.118 These nations have not yet seen a peak in younger members, as total fertility rates for the region average 5.5 births per woman.119 Research from the Population Reference Bureau estimates that this will occur around 2040 for nations including Ghana and Namibia, both of which have existing infrastructure that may be able to accommodate the surge in workers. Other nations, such as Madagascar and Uganda, will continue to see a rise in the percentage of the population that is aged between 15 and 59 years. A World Bank study on growing African economies identified the four Is: infrastructure, investment climate, innovation, and institutional capacity.120 The strength of these four dimensions will determine the strength with which these nations begin the societal transition. Advance discussion of the transition can prepare these countries to better care for their elderly. The issues relating to poverty that face many residents of sub-Saharan nations are made more severe for their oldest residents. While most countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation
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: while the aged dominate in many countries, the number of working youth continues to grow in africa.
and Development (OECD) include over 90% of the labor force by a contributory pension scheme, this is true for a mere 6% of workers in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2005, urban slums were homes for over 60% of urban residents.121 There is little information from developing nations specific to the income poverty level of older individuals, and it is difficult to compare what information there is about income poverty across nations and demographics. However, in low-income nations in the bloc, rates of poverty were higher among households with a dependent elder.122 Africa as a whole also has the largest difference in life expectancy between males at females compared to other continents. north africa and the middle east In North Africa and the Middle East, a mere 34% of workers fall under the coverage of a contributory pension plan.123 Less than 20% of the population is covered by unemployment benefits.124 Social security expenditure, as a percentage of GDP, weighted by population, is lower only in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.125 While poverty rates tend to be higher among the elderly, they are actually lower for the oldest age cohorts in Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Yemen.126 When interpreting elderly employment rates, however, it is important to note
that they may be particularly subject to reporting biases in these nations. In Pakistan, for example, female economic participation rates seem low for a developing country, particularly compared with the trends for males there.127 It may be that female economic participation rates are closer to that for males, but goes unreported. asia As of 2011, roughly 54% of individuals over 60 years live in Asia. 60% of that cohort lives in China or India. Only 44% of the labor force, on average, is covered by a pension systemfor Chinese workers alone, that number drops to a mere 20%. While some Asian nations have tried to build informal pension schemes, these efforts are nascent. China has begun an initiative to cover agricultural workers, and Sri Lanka has acted similarly for both farmers and fishers to achieve coverage for 57% of farmers and 42% of fishers.128 Actions in India have acknowledged the vast numbers of residents working in the informal sector, and they have sought to grant them a form of pension coverage.129 Others however, including Laos and Cambodia, lack overarching pension plans that could provide for the majority of their workers. While Nepal has a fledgling pension plan, it does not require contributions
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and is only for those in its oldest age cohort. Thailand has taken steps to implement a similar program, but the current framework is intended to be only temporary.130 These workers are generally retired or unable to work, and therefore faced with the tremendous problem of deriving their livelihoods. China and Thailand also have higher poverty rates for the elderly than for the general population.131 In recent years, the average retirement age has generally decreased. In Taiwan, the average retirement age bottomed out in 2004 at 54.9 years. In South Korea, the average worker leaves their primary job at the average age of 54, but does not fully retire until the age of 68.132 Japan has experienced the fastest increase in average age, with roughly 2.5 workers per retiree.133 Labor shortages are set to increase wages, which will further increase the preexisting temptation to outsource already-expensive Japanese labor to nearby developing economies where workers accept lower pay. National companies have moved much of their manufacturing to China, and the protectionist regulations that promoted Japanese exports do not present a realistic economic option to a small, elderly workforce.134 Japan is the model for what the populations of the United States and Europe are becoming.135 Its recent economic troubles powerfully warn against protectionism and isolationism in the face of maturing population structures, and illustrate that the need for cooperation in the era of the societal transition. Should medicine look to extend life or protect quality of life for the elderly? What are the costs and what is the potential for your nation to pursue either?
toPiC area B: maximizing health and well Being hisTory of The siTuaTion
introduction to the topic Until the 1900s, the average life expectancy was just 30 years. Lives were cut short by communicable diseases such as viruses and infections; childbirth presented a myriad of risks for young mothers.136 Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), now common, are a luxury of old age bourn by modern medicine. Before sanitation practices, clean water, and attention to maternal health took hold, a formidable army of threats thwarted the prospect of a long life. Today, however, the worlds elderly are growing in number: in 2006, roughly 500 million of the worlds people were over 65 years old, and by 2030, one in eight of the worlds residents is expected to be over 65 years 137,138 The collection on data relating to morbidity and mortality of individuals over 65 years is most often lumped together, unlike data for younger age groups. Despite advanced age, however, individuals are not simply dying because they are old, but of specific conditions. That they are not subject to the same level of scrutiny suggests that these lives are of less interest or value to society, that death and illness beyond a certain age is inevitable and unworthy of attention.139 Much of this is derived from ageism, or discrimination on the basis of age, that is influenced by the medias portrayal of the elderly as comically out-of-touch. The rights of older individuals have been oft ignored, perhaps thought to be bundled in with other declarations on the expectations leveled for younger members of society. In 1966, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights was opened for ratification, and it entered into force in 1976. Its guarantees include but are not limited to economic, social, and cultural freedom; freedom from torture; security; and liberty. Most relevant to the discussions of this committee is the declaration in Article 6 that every human being as the inherent right to life that is protected by law.140 It is this guideline, upheld and to be enforced by the member nations of the United Nations, that motivates much of the committees discussion on the topic. Health and wellbeing are broad topics when thought of for the entire population. For the worlds elderly, however, there is a broad range of activity that can be tailored for regions and countries to improve upon both of these dimensions of life. The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, presented in 1986, was an effort by the World Health Organization
QuesTions a resoluTion musT ansWer

How should nations deal with the increasing numbers of elderly dependents? In what ways can aged populations be best cared for, through either institutions (government-sponsored or otherwise) or through the family pattern? Should nations respond to societal changes developing as a result of changing demographics? How? What human rights issues do elderly populations face? How does migration affect population aging? How can we ensure the rights of older careers? How does this differ for widows versus widowers? How can developing nations prepare for elderly populations? What, if any, welfare programs are effective? Given the increase in individuals needing these programs, what would be the most efficient thing to change or implement? With regards to population ageing, are the best healthcare plans long-term or short-etrm? Where can this balance be struck?
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General Assembly

General Ban Ki Moon announced that targets on poverty, water, and slums had been met,145 thereby accomplishing three of the eight goals. Nevertheless, these goals do little to improve upon the condition of the worlds elderly. Before the financial crisis, and before many nations began the social transition, the health of their elderly may have seemed less immediate. Delaying attention to the matter now, however, might be an unaffordable luxury. Old age often correlates with a risk for deprivation in developing countries. This tends to result from four factors:146 Older adults have a more difficult time securing work, perhaps because of discrimination, or mental and/or physical disability. Their inability to maintain a consistent income can be reason for further discrimination from without as well as disdain from within, either of which can further lower quality of life. Many societies still depend on the existence of familybased social care structures. These require the younger generations allocation of time and personnel, neither of which might be dispensable in modern society. Furthermore, the migration of young people to urban areas means that the generations may not even live near each other, as they might have a half-century ago. Particularly in Africa, HIV/AIDS has created a tragic number of orphans. Care responsibilities frequently fall onto the elderly grandparents, who lack the vitality of a younger adult to earn an adequate income. Putting the health of the child ahead of his/her own can diminish the grandparents quality of life, perhaps by failing to treat a developing NCD, and increase health care costs for him/her later on. Without a social welfare safety net, older people can fall into poverty. For the aforementioned reasons, they may never be able to escape the cycle. Whether social welfare provisions include direct financial, health, or career assistance, they serve to counteract the trends developing in nations that currently lack such infrastructure, particularly sub-Saharan African countries.147 As life expectancy increases, so do the complications of old age and threats to the wellbeing of those older adults. The trends of vitality are positive, but others are more threatening. Incidences of obesity, tobacco and alcohol use are on the rise, as well as of infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis.148 Depression among the worlds elderly is also common in the developed world. This may in part be caused by major life changes such as the death of a spouse, or because of comorbidity with NCDs such as dementia, cancer, and CVD.149 Elevated rates of depression are manifest in national suicide rates in males over 75 years that, depending on country, range from double to quadruple those for all males.150
while the crude death rates of most developed countries have remained relatively steady over the past fifty years, those of less developed countries have plummeted. a host of factors could account for this but this data is inextricably linked to changes in healthcare. the cost of extending life, however, is a new challenge for these countries. note: sourced from the uns world Population Prospects: the 2010 revision, with crude death rates calculated as the number of deaths per 1,000 population members, for the five-year period beginning with the year stated.
motivated by the view of health as a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living. It set a required baseline for achieving health, listing peace, shelter, education, food, income, a stable eco-system, sustainable resources, social justice, and equity as the necessary conditions for good health.141 While these are clearly critical for any individual, their achievement for the very young and the very old are even more important, as those age cohorts are most easily devastated by a fatal illness. The international community, including the United Nations, has typically turned its attention towards diseases that primarily affect the young. Global campaigns to eradicate disease are appealing in their ambition and completeness. With a clean, perhaps attainable, goal in sight, dollars frequently pour in to save the youth. From the 1909 Rockefeller Foundations campaign to eradicate hookworm disease, to the 1955 campaign of WHO and UNICEF to eradicate yaws,142 to the broad campaigns of the 1950s and 1960s to eradicate malaria, to the WHOs ongoing fight against polio, the world has come together on multiple occasions to tackle these clear, defined health obstacles, even though smallpox remains the only disease to have been successfully eradicated.143 These campaigns have saved millions, perhaps even billions, of lives and were by no argument fruitless. However, the patients who benefitted were almost always young children. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) reflect this bias towards the younger as well. The health sector faces constrained resources, and even these have been prioritized towards the health-related MDGs: child health, maternal health, and combating HIV/AIDS.144 The international community has worked toward achieving the MDGs for over a decade, a laudable undertaking. In July 2012, Secretary-
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hiV/aids and the elderly Over recent decades, data collection on HIV/AIDS has been the result of a tremendous effort to understand the epidemic in order to mobilize the best possible response. Around the world, however, nations monitor HIV through surveys of individuals aged 15-49.151 As a result, the incidence among mature patients remains uncertain, hindering the worlds ability to respond properly to treat these individuals. At the national level, data collection from antenatal clinics has generally been replaced by Demographic Health Surveys (DHS), but because these surveys have at their heart issues of reproductive health, they have a narrow scope of examination. Data on the prevalence of HIV remains restricted to individuals aged 15-49 years, although in 2006, UNAIDS began to release estimates on HIV incidence among all individuals over 15 years. 152 Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, and Swaziland investigated the prevalence of HIV among older individuals and found a rate higher than the national average for men aged 50-54. Globally, the selfreports of the cohort of men aged 15-49 show them more likely to use condoms than men aged 50-59. While one could speculate that this has to do with the way HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns have been marketed, the clear takeaway is that older men are neglecting HIV response and are thus in dire need of attention. Access to antiretroviral therapy has greatly increased life expectancy for HIV patients, and it would be tragic for it inadvertently to facilitate the spread of the epidemic.153 HelpAge International, a nongovernmental organization whose research was critical to the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, has suggested a few ways that epidemiological research on HIV should change, including: Expansion of the templates for DHS and AIDS Indicator Surveys (AIS), as well of government efforts utilizing these questionnaires, to include individuals aged up to 64 years Increased reporting to the UN of governmental data on the mature, for further analysis and global comparison Broadening UN benchmark indicators to include individuals aged up to 64 years, not just 49, with breakdowns for age cohorts and sex Private support for research on HIV among the mature154 Many elders have become primary caregivers in old age, taking charge of grandchildren left orphaned by HIV/AIDS. 155 A 2009 report from the World Bank reflected that the numbers of orphans is increasing. 156 Older caregivers face the financial strains of providing food, shelter, and schooling, as well as difficulties of simultaneously staying healthy, addressing their own emotional needs, and maintaining a respected presence in the community. 157 These stresses threaten the wellbeing of older careers and necessitate psychosocial services, which may include: Bringing together individuals in the same situation Guiding the elderly in how to navigate the age gap during discussions on conflict, sexuality, or drug use Preventing abuse or exploitation in situations of trouble and poverty; Educating male caregivers Promoting attention to self-care, which becomes even more important in old age158 Peer education, whereby individuals within a similar demographic share their experiences and strategies, has been shown effective at increasing the proportion of older people with basic HIV/AIDS knowledge in Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia, and these programs may deserve expansion.159 the rise of noncommunicable disease The diseases traditionally conceived of as diseases of the elderly, which have a significantly negative impact on quality of life, are also the main noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). NCDs are diseases of extended duration, slow development, and the leading global cause of adult mortality. They are generally divided into four categories: cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases (such as asthma).160 Mental illnesses, including substance abuse, also fall into the category of NCDs, but are of less of a major concern for this committee. Certain types of cancers are caused by viruses, and ones social milieu can affect eating and drug habits, but these are nonetheless classified by the WHO as NCDs as they differ from infectious diseases in that they cannot be directly spread after development. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) encompasses a group of conditions that implicate the heart and vasculature. Ischemic and coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertensive heart disease, and congestive heart failure all fall into this group. Overall, CVD causes 30% of all deaths worldwide, a number that has been on the rise over the past decade.161 Its behavioral risk factors are affected by exercise, diet, and tobacco use, which are considered to explain all but 20% of cases of CVD. The remaining 20% is incurred by genetic risk.162 Cancers are characterized by the rapid multiplying of a particular kind of cells in the body. The rapidly grown cells outlive health cells and can metastasize, or spread to other organs. After CVD, Cancers are considered the second leading cause of death in the world. Complicating matters, this number includes more than 100 types of cancers. As new risk factors and strategies for diagnoses are uncovered, the number of projected cases is expected to increase. 163 Chronic respiratory diseases are diseases of the airways and lung that impair breathing. They are more common in low- and middle-income countries, perhaps because of occupational lung diseases and environmental risk factors. Their severity often compounds in old age, making them worthy of attention. 164
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General Assembly

Diabetes is condition affecting the bodys metabolism and ability to regular the level of glucose in the blood. Type 2 diabetes, which is typically caused by environmental and personal risk factors, accounts for roughly 90% of all cases. While diabetes is rarely a fatal condition unto itself, it can lead to physical disabilities, such as blindness, and serve as a risk factor for CVD or kidney disease. 165 A major problem facing the worlds treatment plans for these conditions, as well as autoimmune conditions such as arthritis, is that they are subject to the same approach that was once given to communicable disease. After infectious diseases developed, patients and doctors would attempt to treat them, but the most successful approaches have actually been preventive care, such as vaccinations. The same will be true for NCDs and other diseases of old age, as they are caused by factors that can accumulate throughout adolescence and adulthood.166 The pressure is mounting to develop successful treatment plans for NCDs. In the United States, for example, one in five Medicare patients have been diagnosed with at least five NCDs, contributing to 73% of Medicare costs. Almost 20% of elderly17% of men and 19% of womenare taking at least ten medications every week.167 The two topics of this committee are inextricably linked, as they are both vitally important to the success of our world moving forward. One way is the relationship between health and work: in developed countries where the elderly tend to be healthy and have a source of income, they tend to retire early; in countries where the elderly are sick and poor, they are often required to contribute to the agrarian economy.168 In richer countries, the elderly are encouraged to retire based on the idea that it will free up jobs to younger workers, but this is based on the lump-of-labor fallacy. On the contrary, countries with a higher proportion of working elderly tend to also have lower youth unemployment. design of healthcare systems and Care distribution: developed and developing Countries As Linda P. Fried, Dean and Professor at Columbia Universitys Mailman School of Public Health, and others point out, older people are heavier users of healthcare than those younger for a few reasonsphysiological and social weaknesses increase with age, and chronic problems have more time to build.169 In developed countries, wealth can be insured with the health and longevity of its people, but this also requires spending on their wellbeing.170 In developed countries, many of the systems for healthcare delivery were built when antibiotics were only on the rise, when the problem was merely how to achieve old age, not how to improve it, and chronic disease treatment had not yet been developed. Today, the outlook on proper treatment has evolved to an outlook that makes an effort to personalize and constantly redevelop methods of care. In order to lower costs and increase distribution, it will be necessary to improve focus on public health and prophylactic, or preventive, care. Furthermore, a movement from acute medical care in hospitals and other large institutions to lower-tier, community-based care systems will lower costs of delivery. It will also diminish the need for expensive treatment plans by ameliorating diseases before they spiral out of control. 171 Developed countries also require health professionals, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and technicians, who are specifically educated about geriatric needs. The distribution of these professionals throughout the healthcare system would ensure that whether at the level of community or hospital care, elder individuals would be working with professionals who well understood their needs and the most appropriate path of treatment. 172 One problem specific to geriatric care is judging the time for preventive versus palliative care. While the former seeks to treat the problem, the latter recognizes the end of life and seeks to improve quality of life at a lower financial and physiological cost. 173 An investment in education should be designed to train an adequate number of professionals for treating the elderly, but also go beyond addressing their immediate needs. The prime health system will prioritize prevention by educating patients about physical activity, diet, tobacco use, mental illness, chronic disease monitoring, and maintaining independence. 174 One way to encourage physical activity, for example, is for developed nations to ensure the provision of safe spaces for individuals to walk and be active. As much as 20% of elderly individuals are believed to require supportive, whether medical or health related, care. Health systems should be designed so that this comes as a standard, not a surprise. 175 In developing countries, budding healthcare systems can be built to accommodate the growing number of elderly. Low- and middle-income countries are ageing faster than their GDP is increasing. In 1980, the cohort of individuals over 60 was over 7% in only 3% of the bottom quartile of nations by wealth, but that number had risen to 6% by 2010. For
the happiness of the elderly in families and greater society is an issue of great importance.
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nations in the second lowest quartile by wealth, the fraction of countries with at least 7% of individuals over 60 years had risen from 16% to 50%. Among the wealthiest nations, the fraction of countries had increased over the 30-year period from 81% to 95%.176 This presents a challenge for nations, as their healthcare budget should be oriented towards treating NCDs rather than merely preventive care for infectious disease. Unlike infectious diseases, NCDs require long term treatment, sometimes until death, that is far more costly than the acute treatment for a short-term illness.177 Fortunately, although NCDs are on the rise, rates of other conditions remain on the decline, including infectious disease, maternal conditions, and malnutrition. The healthcare systems of developing countries are largely oriented towards these non-NCD conditions, which were both more pressing and more rampant in the past. However, it will be critical to the continued development of these nations to be able to accommodate the need and demand for long-term healthcare and health management.178 The use of technology has increased in healthcare, and it is generally created in developed nations. While cost is always a factor, it is less of a concern in developed nations than in developing ones, where even seemingly minimal costs may be too high for patients to bear. As more technologies are developed, the gap will widen between those who can afford it and those who cannot in the many countries where healthcare requires elective, itemized payments.179 Successful steps towards achieving a system that could handle higher numbers of elderly might anticipate the progressive arc of long-term care that older patients often require. David Bloom, director of Harvards Program on the Global Demography of Ageing and fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, recommends three systemic building blocks for developing nations to consider in their healthcare systems: First, the wide availability of primary care that maintains a focus on preventing chronic disease, such as targeting CVD through anti-hypertensive treatments, before CVD actually develops Second, the availability of treatment and palliative care for those with advanced chronic disease, so that patients can survive and fight their disease, or, if the case merits, die with dignity Third, the consideration of offering universal access to those over 70. Eventually, this might be extended to younger residents, but this could ensure adequate primary care and treatment of mild chronic disease, halting their degeneration into more costly conditions, and serving as an easy bridge to more specialized services 180 The encouraging of rural healthcare workers could go hand in hand with these budding healthcare plans.181 Patterns of urban migration leave rural areas with a disproportionately large cohort of older adults, and their needs for treatment and care are frequently neglected due to a lack of personnel. Encouraging workers to move to or remain in these areas, perhaps through financial means, might ameliorate the healthcare crisis facing countryside dwellers.182 technology for Promoting well Being: gerontechnology Developed nations, further along in the societal transition, face tremendous challenges in assisting the oldest of the old while minimizing costs. Gerald C. Davison and Aaron Hagedorn, respectively the Dean and Executive Director at the University of California Davis School of Gerontology and an assistant clinical professor at the University of Southern California, research gerontechnology. Davison and Hagedorn define gerontechnology as the adaptations of technology to serve physical and cognitive the needs of older people. The Dutch International Society for Gerontechnology has spearheaded many of the relevant and has already produced several innovations in helping these people, including smart homes, robotics, mobile phone based programs, and remote health monitoring.183 Older adults in developed countries less frequently have the luxury to depend on younger relatives, and rather rely on paid home health professionals or move into assisted living homes. Recently, the trend has strayed towards the former, with older adults opting to remain in their homes.184 Such a choice creates yet a greater need for technology that can monitor vital signs from afar. Opponents of developing gerontechnology have argued that the elderly are generally less technologically literate than their younger counterparts and therefore might be unwilling to accept or incorporate into their daily lifestyle the advancements that have been made. Research has found that information about computer anxiety, self-efficacy, fluid intelligence, and prior knowledge are better indicators of technology acceptance.185 Encouraging the perception that technology is useful and easy to use can wildly increase its adoption among older adults. Smart homes have been the subject of research around the world, including in the United States, China, and Japan, for the benefits they can offer the elderly. Designs include suggestions of sensors around the home that can monitor daily habits such as eating, dressing, and bathing, to predict when something goes wrong. Others include robotic technology that can assist in these activities, such as a robot designed in China that can help cook, or a robot that reminds individuals about tasks such as taking medicine.186 Advances in various devices can improve mobility. The success of accelerometers, devices common in gaming devices and smart phones, holds tremendous promise for gerontechnology. Their sensitivity can aid research on balance, gait, and fall prevention at both the macro scale and individual level. While devices such as canes and walking sticks have
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General Assembly

Memory problems and cognitive abilities can decline with ageing because of normal physiological changes. Plasticity has been documented, however, so that individuals can improve or maintain their cognitive abilities through daily exercises. Such exercises and devices, frequently electronic but not necessarily, have been referred to as cognitive orthotics.188 Individuals with Alzheimers disease have been shown to relearn or remember tasks, such as hand washing or cooking a meal, after watching an instructional video. Engagement in mental exercises can be made easier by incorporating them into technology and has been shown, in some studies, to improve memory abilities.189 wellbeing: risk and discrimination Those who suffered from societal risk and discrimination are primed to do so even more in old age. The women who face financial struggle and career discrimination throughout their lives, for example, will face an even worse situation as they age. For the subset of these individuals who have no spouse or children, the ageism will be even worse. These women are subject to a great risk of violation of rights, far more so than is a man with a higher socioeconomic status.190 Yet, lumping all instances of elder abuse together is itself ageism. Women tend to be disproportionately affected by chronic age-related illnesses. They also tend to be subject to ageism beginning at a younger age than men, perhaps because of negative biases towards signs of ageing in women, and greater victims of being characterized as lacking resilience, strength, and independence.191 obesity Rising obesity rates threaten to thwart advances in geriatric care. Depending on the nation, obesity levels rise by age group, peaking in the 70s. Being overweight is associated with a higher risk of CVD, diabetes, arthritis, and many types of cancers, and obesity carries a significant risk of physical disability that becomes more severe with age.192 The United States and Europe are the most pressing case studies for the strains that obesity can put on a healthcare system: two thirds of United States adults over 20 years are overweight, and a third are obese. In compiled data from 10 European countries, at least 59% of men and 41% of women were overweight or obese.193 Under-nutrition has more typically been the problem of malnutrition in the developing world. However, with development, obesity has become a problem of the less affluent, rather than a sign of wealth. Many remain malnourished despite consuming excessive calories, resulting in obesity in the developing world. Obesity among the impoverished is particularly common in urban areas, where processed foods that are low in micronutrients are widely available and physical activity tends to be minimized.194
the dutch international society for gerontechnology publishes one of the leading journals on technologies targeted to the elderly, focusing on improving their wellbeing and promoting their dignity.
existed for millennia, orthotics show the potential to render them unnecessary. Knee and ankle orthotics have already been proven to improve mobility, foot orthotics also have room for expansion. As Davison and Hagedorn write: Many older adults ignore foot care, either because they cannot reach their feet to care for them properly or because they mistake foot pain, misshapen appearance or odd coloration as simply an inevitable part of growing old. More than three-fourths of older adults suffer from significant foot problems that predispose them to discomfort, reduced range of motion and impaired ambulation187 Certain NCDs, such as diabetes, are driving the market for such technologies by impairing circulation in those they affect. Other issues, such as fall prevention, are aimed more at addressing issues created by weaker bones and decreased physical activity levels. Belts, sensitive flooring, and motion detectors have, through different mechanisms, successfully detected loss of balance but have different benefits, such as being active for 24 hours a day or being available outside of the home. Telehealth refers to a way to connect patients to health professionals remotely, including video-, telephone-, or Internet-conferencing. In certain countries, videoconferencing between health professionals and patients is highly restricted because of privacy concerns, but others, such as Australia, have made efforts to allow videoconferencing to be considered a billable medical visit. If such policies are implemented in more nations, the management of NCDs and other chronic diseases could become much easier, making unnecessary the long trips to see a doctor that can deter patients as well as pose safety risks.
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around the world, men tend to die younger than women. as a result, there are more women, and these individualswho have often been widowedare subject to rampant discrimination, against which few protections exist.
currenT siTuaTion
Case study: Bangladesh Bangladesh is the eighth most populated country in the world, with an estimated 161 million people living in a population density that is among the highest in the world.195 The healthcare system includes public and private sector providers, the latter of which includes non-profit organizations, qualified pharmacists, doctors in private practice, as well as drug distributors and care providers who are not certified. Its public healthcare services are divided into four tiers: Thana Health Complexes (THC), which provide primary care in rural areas; union health and family welfare centers (UNHFC) which provide out-patient services and family planning; teaching hospitals; and area hospitals. Both kinds of hospitals receive referrals from the THC and UNHFC.196 While the names of these institutions are unique to Bangladesh, such a system of tiered referrals and government sources is common in developing nations and has proven successful in other nations, including Iran, and has been suggested to have potential even in rural areas of the United States.197 A study led by researchers at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom sought to explore satisfaction among elderly Bangladeshi patients of the primary health care system. Across the government- and privately-provided services, satisfaction was influenced by outcome. Government service satisfaction was influenced by the providers behavior, and dissatisfaction often caused by lack of accessibilityincluding the financial barrier of a bribe to receive what is officially
deemed free care. Private services were viewed positively for their flexibility but incurred dissatisfaction when they delayed referrals to specialty care. 198 Financial stability was a major factor that contributed to dissatisfaction. As a nation with a largely agrarian economy, income can be widely variable for Bangladeshis, as is the case for many in developing nations. When the elderly fall sick, their financial strain can become ever more acute: as a 75-year-old woman pointed out to the study authors, When one is well, a ticket for one seat on the mini-taxi is ok, but when the passenger is sick, you have to take the whole taxi, which, of course, is expensive.199 The researchers point out an interesting exception to the rule: While the data suggest that cost is related to satisfaction among the poor elderly, a surprising twist occurs among the wealthier families. For the middle and upper-middle class, the cost of medicine is directly related to its perceived effectiveness. Thus when the medicine is more expensive, it is believed to provide better treatment. The respondents often used expressions such as, I took an expensive medicine.200 For the most part, however much this psychology pervades general consumerism, it is not an option for the poor elderly around the world. Compounding the fiscal stresses of receiving care is the perception of the potential for success. Study authors found that many of the elderly patients who were consulted experienced a sense of fatalism influenced by cultural norms. It was not uncommon for responses to include the sentiment that care providers made a solid effort but their task was
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General Assembly

largely unachievable, or that medicine is simply ineffective in old age.201 This attitude is fed by the lack of a cure for the chronic illnesses, such as arthritis, that affect the elderly. The meetings of the OEWG have highlighted several areas for expanded our efforts to protecting the elderly. The first meeting served to set the stage for the others, a venue for discussion about the current infrastructure. The second meeting focused on discrimination and the right to health, elder abuse, and ways to promote social wellbeing of older adults. In broad terms, the gaps and needs pointed out could be divided into four categories: Customs, as currently set both by cultural standards and international publications Regulation, as made possible by local community groups and governments, as well as international human rights groups Execution, as current standards recommend or should recommend Research, as non-governmental organizations or national parties have attempted to carry out, succeeded to carry out, or need to carry out207 The OEWG have also addressed how older persons are entirely omitted from the MDGs, are rarely incorporated into plans for development, and are at every level deserving of further standards for ensuring their potential and progress. The second meeting of the OEWG stressed the inconsistent policy work regarding older adults. While the meeting represents the growing focus on their rights, it also spurred enthusiasm for the appointment of a Special Rapporteur on Ageing. This individual would have a number of responsibilities relating to the protection of older adults, and would report to the Human Rights Council. Such an individual would have the capacity to contribute to the promotion of rights worldwide. The responsibilities relating to this, as written by Alexandre Kalache, the senior advisor on Global Ageing at the New York Academy of Medicine, would mean that the Special Rapporteur would: 1. Be tasked with deepening the understanding and knowledge of normative and implementation gaps in the international human rights framework as it applies to older people 2. Directly contribute to the ongoing discussions of the OEWG and inform member states about pathways to strengthen the international human rights system 3. Use a global mandate to carry out country-specific visits and research where they contribute to advancing the knowledge of the international human rights structure 208 Greater efforts for the wellbeing of older people can be justified with a few groundings. First, the current international legislation on human rights does little to protect older adults. Age-based discrimination is rampant and results in decreased quality of life for those it affects, as well as decreased economic potential of the communities in which they live. When these practices are ameliorated, the elderly will have greater opportunities to produce economic and social contributions,
PasT inTernaTional acTions

the first and second world assemblies on ageing The 1991 UN Principles for Older Persons was the first rights-based approach to ageing populations. The document included eighteen principles framed within five major categories. The concepts of independence, participation, care, self-fulfillment, and dignity were emphasized as crucial to maintaining development throughout life stages.202 The 2002 Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing was the product of the Second World Assembly on Ageing. Its three major categories were health and wellbeing, development, and the provision of a helpful physical and social environment. Furthermore, countries pledged to fight age-based discrimination.203 There are a number of central themes running through the International Plan of Action on Ageing, 2002 linked to these goals, objectives and commitments, which include: (a) The full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms of all older persons (b) The achievement of secure ageing, which involves reaffirming the goal of eradicating poverty in old age and building on the United Nations Principles for Older Persons (h) Provision of health care, support and social protection for older persons, including preventive and rehabilitative health care (j) Harnessing of scientific research and expertise and realizing the potential of technology to focus on, inter alia, the individual, social and health implications of ageing, in particular in developing countries204 These specifications to the 1991 UN Principles were critical and helpful, but largely unstructured. Human rights, while recognized as inalienable, remain difficult to enforce. Standing as testament to this are the countless organizations aimed at defining and defending these concepts. This may be caused by a dearth of human rights law concerning older adults, or by a lack of focus on it. Indeed, groups monitoring human rights rarely investigate the treatment of the elderly in UN reports.205 Even the African Union has barely a mention of the elderly on its website. open ended working groups The UN established an Open Ended Working Group (OEWG) following the ratification of the MIPAA. It will have convened three times by February 2013, with its inaugural meeting in April 2011, second meeting in August 2011, and third meeting in August 2012.206
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which produce returns for their neighbors and for themselves in the form of revenues and self-esteem. consideration. If such programs are applicable to a broad range of countries, then it may be worth putting more effort into designing such models in nations with struggling healthcare systems today. It is also important to consider the differences that may exist between nations, and whether certain systems will work well in a given nation. A states culture, size, and population makeup and distribution can significantly influence how individuals approach health. Moreover, these particularities can change over time. For instance, in India, local WHO representatives have stated that a significant change in recent years has been the devolution of the joint family and the rise of the nuclear family. This has forced the government to increase its public programs for elderly care, as families are less likely to provide oversight and care for their older family members.210 renewed emphasis on education and research A common argument is that in order to truly improve healthcare in the nations that are struggling the most, experts need to know more about the particular cases before making judgment calls. Even in Bangladesh, for example, which has already been documented for its innovative healthcare projects, lacks sufficient information about its elderly healthcare. Especially in rural areas, data on deaths is inadequately collected. Nine out of ten deaths in one Bangladesh research project occurred at home and lacked death certificates, or even any official record of the cause of death at all. Compounding the situation, the limited number that were properly recorded did not always prove helpful. A frequent description for elderly deaths was old age.211 In the long run, this prevents the government and NGOs from knowing where assistance is actually needed, as the information available is neither encompassing nor detailed enough to prove helpful. While government resources in these nations are often low, compounding this issue, greater attention to following through with death autopsies and official certificates is necessary, and the information gathered from such efforts should be used to highlight problems within communities, which can then be addressed by whatever providers are active in the region, be they state or NGO programs. Just as the research community often lacks the information to improve elderly care in struggling nations, individual citizens frequently lack important knowledge regarding elderly healthcare, delaying their approaching heath facilities and compounding their conditions. Many take sickness, pain, and suffering as normal signs of aging in many communities. As one researcher found in a Bangladesh study on rural disease in the elderly, The majority [of patients] perceived the cause of their weakness to be old age itself. Informants think that the old body decays by itself so it is normal for an old person to have less physical strength.212 The good news is that the global community has been receptive to health education
ProPoseD soluTions
As referenced earlier in the guide, the problem being faced is complex, multilayered, and in need of response from countries of all backgrounds. The below strategies are some of the proposed options, though eventual action should be sure to address all facets of the issue. modernize existing healthcare system scopes in developing nations Currently, many of the healthcare systems in the developing world address infectious diseases through their state healthcare systems, but not NCDs, including many ones that plague the elderly. Moving forward, many suggest that developing nations restructure their systems to better care for NCDs, including chronic conditions such diabetes, arthritis, and dementia. The World Health Organization, which already addresses chronic diseases through its Integrated Chronic Disease Prevention and Control Programme (ICP), notes that there is already an abundance of medical and economic expertise on how to improve chronic disease and NCD care and prevention, which must simply be utilized better. According to the ICP, the areas most in need of chronic disease support are: Advocacy and marketing of chronic disease prevention Provision of expertise in practical policy development Supporting countries in initiating standardized data collection and strengthening surveillance systems Identifying minimally acceptable standards for the diagnosis and treatment of people with the major chronic diseases Developing an effective strategy for improving access to essential chronic disease drugs in low- and middleincome countries Looking for innovative ways of strengthening human resource capacity and providing training courses in technical and managerial aspects of policy formulation, program development, implementation, and evaluation in the field of chronic disease prevention and control209 The overhauling of these healthcare systems is admittedly a sizeable undertaking for any nation, especially one with limited resources. However, there are important first steps that need to be taken immediately and a clear vision of the future in sight if developing nations are to restructure their state systems to improve elderly care. improved healthcare system design There is currently a wide range of system designs that exist among states, each with their own merits and demerits. However, the repeated success of certain designs, such as the tiered system in Bangladesh and Iran, may merit extra
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efforts in the past. Education programs have helped curb risk producing behaviors such as tobacco use, and such programs are popular in health programs today.213 Unfortunately, too few of these programs have targeted ageing populations, especially in developing nations. With misconceptions common (as detailed by the case in Bangladesh), it is vital that the elderly are aware that many of the conditions they face are not a product of their age and are often treatable or preventable. latin america Latin America has embarked on several efforts to secure the health and wellbeing of its older residents. The right to healthcare is a particular concern for older women in Latin America because 60% of individuals over 60 are female. By 2025, this figure is expected to grow to 75%. Younger women are frequently subject to discrimination, characterized as weak and vulnerable, and this stereotype is even more rampant for the elderly, making them prime targets for abuse.218 The InterAmerican System has put forward several binding publications that can be interpreted to protect the elderly, including the American Convention on Human Rights; Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence against Women; Inter-American Convention to Prevent and Punish Torture. The 1988 Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is the only binding document that stipulates old age as a human right. Its article on the protection of the elderly ensures the respect of integrity and prevents degrading treatment. 219 Japan The trends in Japan could be considered a window into the future for nations beginning the societal transition. Japan, as mentioned earlier, is cited as a country that has aged relatively quickly and is now coping with a sky-rocketing cost of living, plummeting birth rate, and high proportion of elderly. As of 2011, 23% of the population was over 65. By 2050, that cohort is projected to compose 40% of Japans population. 220 Age stratification is a key element of Japanese society, and so early- and mid-life cycle events such as marriage and the trajectory of a successful career are generally held to a strict timeline.221 Older workers are typically paid higher salaries, a trend that can make it easier for young workers to find employment but hampers the elderly. Unemployment rates mirror this phenomenon.222 Healthcare is provided through an effort of local and national governments, with fees for services set by a government committee. While many receive insurance through their employers, those who do not can participate in a nation plan. Since 1973, government-subsidized insurance has provided medical access for the elderly through a plan that will includes all physicians.223 According to a government survey in 1994, less than half of respondents cited that it was the responsibility the oldest son to care for his elderly parents, as tradition had dictated, and the proportion of elderly living with adult children fell from 77% to 65% between 1970 and 1985. However, 63% of respondents said that it was natural for elderly parents to rely on their children for care.224 The healthcare system, kaihoken, was established in 1961.225 In the 1980s, when much of this nationalization took hold, the health care system was constrained by high costs, long waiting lists for appointments and procedures,
bloc PosiTions
africa Africa is and will remain the youngest world region, with a median age of under 20.214 As a result, the policies in its developing nations have been oriented towards creating programs and options for its youth. Unlike the European Union, which has numerous offices and publications oriented towards accommodating its older adults, the African Unions social policies are barely attentive to the needs of older adults. As written by Isabella Aboderin, coordinator of the African Research on Ageing Network at the University of Oxford: Issues of older persons, if considered at all, are viewed at best as marginal to, and at worst as a distraction from, core national policy interests and development goals. As a result, and notwithstanding progress made by a several countries in the development of social protection schemes for older persons, most African governments have effected few, if any, responses to ageing. This is despite their formal commitments to such action as signatories to the United Nations Madrid Plan of Action on Ageing and the African Union (AU) Policy Framework and Plan of Action on Ageing.215 Faced with more immediate issues with greater potential for affecting short-term successes, nations have tended to prioritize the health of their younger members. Turning a blind eye to changes that could be made now, however, may amount to sacrificing an opportunity to make small changes before they snowball into greater problems. The nations of Northern and Southern Africa, for example, will see the oldest age cohort increase from a 10% to a 30% share of their total population.216 Poverty is significantly more common among older individuals than it is among younger adults. Disease and disability is also far more common in older individuals. While this is inevitable to a degree, the extent to which it is the case goes beyond the typical physiological decline that happens with age.217 Rather, it suggests that older patients are being intentionally neglected from the healthcare system. These individuals face a nexus of limitationsof their own, financially and physically, as well as of the healthcare system, in its ability to treat all patients and to address the conditions of older adults.
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overmedication, and systemic abuse by individuals who saw opportunity in its low out-of-pocket cost. Adding to the problem was the concentration of health personnel in urban areas.226 Today, doctors in Japan complain of the systems emphasis on volume and skewed pay system, which compensates health personnel on factors such as the number of tests performed or nights spent for an inpatient procedure.227 Such practices may incentivize doctors to overprescribe and keep patients for longer hospital stays, both of which drive up costs for the nation and pad their salaries.228 Neither of these outcomes help the patients, however; while the likelihood that a given patient in Japan will suffer a heart attack is a quarter of what it is in the United States or France, the likelihood of the Japanese patient dying from that heart attack is double what it would be in the United States or France.229 Still, an average Japanese patient has more than quadruple the annual number of doctor visits of an American patient14 timesand can be seen the day that they schedule an appointment,230 even if they might have to wait hours in exchange for a few minutes with a physician.231 NCDs threaten the Japanese system just as they do every system. Consulting firm McKinsey & Co. projects that the increasing number of elderly will drive a threefold-increase in demand for medical care by 2050, caused in large part by rising rates of cancer, stroke, and Alzheimers disease.232 Addressing this problem properly might merit a reexamination of the healthcare systems approach to treating these conditions. european union In 2009, health care expenditures accounted for 10.2% of the GDP of the EU27.233 The increase in longevity, without increasing health through old age, means an increase in demand for services and treatment, which increases lifetime expenditures through a longer lifespan. While the increase in medical technology has minimized fatalities, gerontechnology has not yet caught up with it to decrease the associated expenditures and maintain a high health status. Although the ageing population is growing at varying rates across Europe and is currently biggest in the West, the entire continent is in danger. As Eastern European nations developed over the past two decades, ageing population rates followed, and pension and healthcare systems continue to sit without the necessary overhaul needed to provide adequate care for elderly patients.234 Within Europe, however, there are also some issues that are not wholly agreed upon. For example, when polled on their opinions on elderly care, 74% of citizens in Turkey believed that care should fall on the burden of children or other family members to provide care, whereas only 4% of those in the Netherlands did, instead holding the majority belief that care should fall to either public or private sectors specializing in this area.235 When it comes to the affordability of healthcare, there is a great disparity as well. Polled in 2007, just before the financial crisis, only 8% or less of those in the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, and the Czech Republic believed that their healthcare was unaffordable, whereas Portugal, Greece Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Cyprus all had over 40% believe that their healthcare systems were unaffordable. Though polling on an international level has not been systematically conducted since the recession, the nations hit hardest were already in troubling straights (i.e. Ireland at 33% and Greece at 45%).236
QuesTions a resoluTion musT ansWer

Has the globe substantially moved towards completing any of its goals stated in the Second World Assembly on Ageing? The UN currently reports that only one third of nations have comprehensive social protection schemes for the elderly, so what can be done to raise this number?237 The Madrid International Plan on Ageing has been criticized for its weak backing, with no formal laws forcing countries to adhere to it. Are there any measures that can be taken to make this and any future documents more than a simple list of aspirations?238 How can healthcare systems in all nations, but especially developing nations, be structured so that NCDs that frequently hit elderly populations are prevented, and not simply managed? Are the types of reform necessary constant across development levels, or do nations have unique problems with their current systems regarding NCDs? What methods should used to allow ageing populations more self-autonomy? Are social welfare expansion, free healthcare, or telehealth systems viable options for all nations? If not, what are? Is education and training (of both citizens and medical professionals) on healthcare for the elderly a worthwhile investment? If so, how can such programs best be implemented to improve healthcare culture in all nations? Should countries take steps to find employment for the elderly, so that medical expenses do not burden them with debt and fear, or even worse, prevent them from receiving proper care at all?
suggestions for further researCh

Your next source should be one of the most comprehensive sources of information on this topic: the website on ageing managed by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), social.
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un.org/index/Ageing.aspx. This site includes all documents from previous meetings of the World Assembly on Ageing, as well as the Open Ended Working Groups on ageing. In addition to hosting committee documents, it also includes relevant data on demographics and conditions for todays elderly. You should pay particular attention to the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA), accessible from the DESA site, which is the most major recent international legislation on population development. Given that the goal of this committee is to move beyond the MIPAA, it is critical that delegates pay close attention to shortcomings of this document. While the year 2002 may sound recent, a decade and financial crisis create a vast divide between the world of today and that which produced the MIPAA. UN Resolution A/67/188, Follow-up to the Second World Assembly on Ageing, was submitted in July 2012 and highlights some of the problems with the MIPAA to set the stage for these efforts. HelpAge International is a leading relevant NGO, and its monthly newsletters each focus on a particular facet of the elderly population. The Program on the Global Demography of Aging at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies focuses on factors contributing to aging, its consequences, and quantitative assessments of health in the elderly. Its website (www.hsp.harvard.edu/pgda/ working.html) contains many working papers available as free PDF downloads. Of particular note is the paper Global Population Ageing: Peril or Promise, which includes chapters from many prominent researchers, several of which have been referenced in this guide. Others focus on the burden of disease, history of demographic changes, and systematic assistance for the elderly. Many other texts will assist in your research. Your university library will have textbooks on demographics, a fascinating field that will assist you in understanding how the worlds population evolved to its present state. There are also many collections of academic essays on ageing in various parts of the world that have been published since 1980. While the tone of these publications has significantly changed throughout the years, examining your countrys experiences since then will better inform your policy careful thought can these complicated matters be adequately addressed. This guide will hopefully be a useful to for you in the coming weeks for conference preparations. However, remember that this guide is not an absolute container of the information necessary to succeed in committee, but rather a starting point to begin your research. From here, you can go in depth in your research, studying particular issues and potential solutions that most interest you and the country you are representing. As you conduct your research in preparation for this conference, open yourself to the lives and views of people around the world. Through this process, we will build a greater understanding of one another. During your preparations, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. Thank you in advance for your hard work and I look forward to meeting you in February!
endnotes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Dyson, Tim. Population and Development (New York: Zed Books, 2010) xiv. Dyson 3. Dyson 18. Dyson 19. Dyson 3. Dyson 92. Dyson 92. Dyson 19. Dyson 109. Dyson 19. Dyson 20. Dyson 193. Dyson 194. Dyson 123. Dyson 32. Dyson 132. Dyson 133. Hoselitz, Bert F. Urbanization and Economic Growth in Asia. Economic Development and Cultural Change (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, Oct 1957) 45. 19 20 21 Dyson 158. Dyson 141 Dyson 139.
Closing remarks
I would like to conclude by thanking you all in participating in the World Assembly on Aging simulation at Harvard National Model United Nations 2013. The topics of this committee concern individuals from every strata of the worlds population. Todays elderly are facing strained and outdated systems, while the youth struggle with rising dependency ratios and a future will refuse them the benefits assured to their older counterparts. Only through frequent attention and
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22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Dyson 109. Dyson 121. Dyson 162 Dyson 163 Dyson 168 55 Dyson 170 56 Dyson 172 57 Dyson 173 Hausmann, Richard, Laura Tyson, and Saadia Zahidi. The Global Gender Gap Report 2011 (Geneva: World Economic Forum, 2011) 4. 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 Hausmann 15. Dyson 173 Dyson 174 Dyson 178 Dyson 189 63 Schofield, R. and D. Reher. The decline of mortality in Europe. 1991 64 Easterlin, R.A. Growth Triumphant The Twenty-first Century in Historical Perspective (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1996) 69-75. 65 38 Prettner, Klaus, and David Canning. Increasing life expectancy and optimal retirement: does population aging necessarily undermine economic prosperity? (Cambridge, MA: Program on the Global Demography of Aging, 2012) 12. 66 39 40 Prettner and Canning 15. 67 Beard, John, Simon Biggs, David Bloom, Linda Fried, Paul Hogan, Alexandre Kalache, and Jay Olshansky. Global Population Ageing: Peril or Promise? (World Economic Forum, Jan 2012) 26. 41 42 43 44 Age Dependency Ratio. http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.DPND 8 Aug 2012 69 Schulz 71. 70 Schulz 71. 71 Montgomery, Rhonda JV, Laursie Russel Hatch, Thomas Pullum, Donald E. Stull, and Edgar F. Borgatta (1987). Dependency, Family Extension, and Long-Term Care Policy. Edgar F. Borgatta and Rhonda JV Montgomery, Eds. Critical Issues in Ageing Policy: linking research and values, Beverly Hills: Sage Publications. 162 73 45 46 Montgomery 163 74 Williams, Alun. Ageing and poverty in Africa: Ugandan livelihoods in a time of HIV/AIDS (Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2003) 2. 47 48 49 50 51 Williams 3. Williams 3. Williams 5. Huenchan 38. Carstensen, Laura L. and Linda P. Fried. Chapter 1: The Meaning of Old Age. Beard, John, et al. Global Population Ageing: Peril or Promise? (World Economic Forum, Jan 2012) 16. 75 76 77 78 79 80 https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html http://www.ciaonet.org/pbei/ewc/ewc017/ewc017.pdf Dyson 93 Dyson 93 Dyson 17 Roudi Fahimi, Farzaneh, and Mary Mederios Kent. Fertility Declining in the Middle East and North Africa. (Washington, DC: Population Reference Bureau, 2008). Dyson 17 Dyson 61 72 Dyson 142 Dyson 141 Dyson 63. Dyson 16. 68 Cutler, David M, Angus Deaton, and Adriana Lleras-Muney. The Determinants of Mortality. (Cambridge: The National Bureau of Economic Research, 2006) http://www.nber.org/papers/w11963.pdf Milner 27 Milner 27 Milner, Colin, Kay Van Norman, and Jenifer Milner. Chapter 4: The Medias Portrayal of Ageing. Beard, John, et al. Global Population Ageing: Peril or Promise? (World Economic Forum, Jan 2012) 26. Gitt, Cynthia E. The 1978 Amendments to the Age Discrimination in Empolyment Act A legal overview. (Marq. L. Rev. 64:607-656, 1981) 607. Carstensen and Fried 16. 59 60 61 62 58 Goal 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education, The United Nations: Its Your World, Sept 2010, 10 Jul 2012 <http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/MDG_FS_2_EN.pdf>. Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women, The United Nations: Its Your World, Sept 2010, 10 July 2012 <http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/MDG_FS_3_EN.pdf>. Zahidi 22. Zahidi 23. Zahidi 24. Ainsworth, Susan, and Cynthia Hardy. The construction of the older worker: privilege, paradox, and policy. Discourse & Communication (Los Angeles: SAGE Publications 1(3): 267-286, 2007) 267. Zahidi 22. Zahidi 21. 54 52 53 Carstensen and Fried 16. Reichert, Monika, and Judith Phillips. The Changing Generational Contract Within and Outside the Family: Britain and Germany Compared. Social Policy in Aging Societies, (Hampshire, Great Britain: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009) 153-4. Zahidi, Saadia. Chapter 3 : Women and Ageing. Beard, John, et al. Global Population Ageing: Peril or Promise? (World Economic Forum, Jan 2012) 21.
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81 82 83 84 Dyson 56 Dyson 60 Dyson 67 112 Huenchan, Sandra, and Luis Rodrguez-Piero. Ageing and the protection of human rights: current situation and outlook (Santiago: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, 2011) 25. 85 86 Huenchan 25. International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by General Assembly resolution 2200A (XXI) of 16 December 1966, Article 9. 87 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by General Assembly resolution 34/180 of 18 December 1979, Article 11(1)(e). 88 International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers and their Families, Adopted by General Assembly resolution 45/158 of 18 December 1990, Article 1. 89 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted by General Assembly resolution 61/106 of 3 May 2008, articles 1(2), 8, 13, and 16. 90 91 92 Huenchan 27. 119 Huenchan 29. 120 General recommendation No. 27 on older women and protection of their human rights (CEDAW/C/2010/47/GC.1), Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, 2010. 93 94 95 96 97 Huenchan 29. 122 Huenchan 30 123 Henchan 30. 124 Proclamation on Ageing, adopted by General Assembly resolution 47/5 of 16 October 1992. 125 Global Issues: Ageing. The United Nations: Its Your World. Web 8 Aug 2012 http://www.un.org/en/ globalissues/ageing/index.shtml 98 Ehnes, Jack. Ageing and Financial (In)security. Beard, John, et al. Global Population Ageing: Peril or Promise? (World Economic Forum, Jan 2012) 18. 127 99 100 101 102 Beard et al 7. Ehnes 19. Beard et al 7. 129 Carstensen, Laura L, and Linda P. Fried. The Meaning of Old Age. Beard, John, et al. Global Population Ageing: Peril or Promise? (World Economic Forum, Jan 2012) 17. 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 Kelly, Peggy L. Integration and participation of older persons in development (Geneva: UN DESA, 2006) 6. Carstensen 17. Huenchan 49. Huechan 49. Huenchan 39. Huechan 45. Huechan 45. 132 133 134 135 136 130 131 International Labour Office 48. David A. Robalino, Gudivada Venkateswara Rao and Oleksiy Sluchynsky, Preventing poverty among the elderly in MENA countries: role and optimal design of old-age subsidies (Washington, D.C.: World Bank, Human Development Department, Middle East and North Africa Region, 2007). Kinsella 116. Ezrati, Milton. Japans Aging Economics. (Washington, DC: Foreign Affairs, May/June 1997). 96 Ezrati 100 Ezrati 101 Prentice, T. Global Health Histories; Health and Philanthropy: Leverageing Change (University of Indiana, 2006). Kinsella 20. 128 Kinsella, Kevin and Wan He. U.S. Census Bureau, International Population Reports, P95/09-1, An Aging World: 2008 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2009) 116. International Labour Office, World Social Security Report 2010: Providing Coverage in the Time of Crisis and Beyond, preliminary version, 48. 126 David A. Robalino, Gudivada Venkateswara Rao and Oleksiy Sluchynsky, Preventing poverty among the elderly in MENA countries: role and optimal design of old-age subsidies (Washington, D.C.: World Bank, Human Development Department, Middle East and North Africa Region, 2007). International Labour Office 93. International Labour Office 68. International Labour Office 48. Current Status of the Social Situation, Well-Being, Participation in Development and Rights of Older Persons Worldwide 33. 121 Current Status of the Social Situation, Well-Being, Participation in Development and Rights of Older Persons Worldwide (New York: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2011) 11. Ashford 2 Ashford 1 118 Ashford, Lori S. Africas Youthful Population: Risk or opportunity? (Washington, DC: Population Reference Bureau, 2007) 2. 117 116 Council Directive 2000/78/EC (27 Nov 2000) http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ. do?uri=CELEX:32000L0078:en:HTML Bavaria launches the 2nd edition of the Old People Awards. 22 June 2012 (Geneva: European Commission Employment, Social Affairs, and Inclusion) http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=89&ne wsId=1386&furtherNews 115 Charter of the Fundamental Rights of the European Union. 2000/C 364/01. Article 21 http://www. europarl.europa.eu/charter/pdf/text_en.pdf 113 114 Ibid 27. Directorate-General for Education and Culture. European employment and social policy: a policy for people (Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2000) 23. Ibid 63. 110 111 Huenchan 46. The 2012 Ageing Report: Economic and budgetary projections for the 27 EU Member States, 2010-60 (Brussels: Economic and Financial Affairs of the European Commission, 2012) 63.
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137 National Institute on Ageing. (2007) Why Population ageing Matters: A Global Perspective. U.S. National Institutes of Health. 138 Williams, Ronald, and Randall Krakauer. Chapter 16: The Challenge Of Non-Communicable Diseases And Geriatric Conditions. The Global Economic Burden of Noncommunicable Diseases. (Cambridge, MA: Harvard Program on the Global Demography of Ageing, 2012) 78. 139 140 Kalache 89. UN General Assembly, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 16 December 1966, United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 999, p. 171, available at: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/3ae6b3aa0.html [accessed 2 August 2012]. 141 The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. Ottawa: United Nations. First International Conference on Health Promotion, Ottawa, 21 November 1986. http://www.who.int/healthpromotion/conferences/previous/ ottawa/en/index1.html 142 143 144 Gawande, Atul. Better: A surgeons notes on performance (New York: Picador, 2007) 31. Gawande 32. Millenium Goals. The United Nations: Its Your World. 2010. 5 Aug 2012. http://www.un.org/ millenniumgoals/ 174 145 Global partnership key to achieving Millennium Development Goals by 2015 UN report. UN News Centre. 2 July 2012 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=42372&Cr=mdg&Cr1=. 4 Aug 2012 146 147 148 Aboderin 70. Aboderin 70. Current Status of the Social Situation, Well-Being, Participation in Development and Rights of Older Persons Worldwide (New York: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2011) 40. 178 149 150 151 Current Status of the Social Situation, Well-Being, Participation in Development and Rights of Older Persons Worldwide 42. 179 Current Status of the Social Situation, Well-Being, Participation in Development and Rights of Older Persons Worldwide 41. 180 Albone, Rachel, Sandy Picken, and Portia Reyes, Eds. Ageways: HIV and AIDS. (London: HelpAge International, Jul 2012) 4. 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 Albone 4. Albone 5. Albone 5. Albone 7. 184 Albone 8. 185 Albone 7. Albone 7. Albone 9. Bloom, DE, et al. The Global Economic Burden of Noncommunicable Diseases. (Cambridge, MA: Harvard Program on the Global Demography of Ageing, 2012) 8. 189 161 World Health Organization. (WHO 2011a). Global status report on non-communicable diseases 2010. Geneva: World Health Organization. 162 163 164 Bloom 8 Bloom 8 Bloom 9 190 191 192 193 Kalache 89. Vasquez 2 Current Status of the Social Situation, Well-Being, Participation in Development and Rights of Older Persons Worldwide 42. Current Status of the Social Situation, Well-Being, Participation in Development and Rights of Older Persons Worldwide 42. Davison 109. 186 187 188 Czaja S. J. et al (2006). Factors predicting the use of technology: findings from the Center for Research and Education on Ageing and Technology Enhancement (CREATE). Psychol Ageing, 21(2), 33352. Davison 108. Davison 108. Davison 109. Davison 107. 183 181 182 Bloom 67. Brnighausen, T. & Bloom, D.E. (2009) Conditional Scholarships for Health Worker Education in Developing Countries: A Review of Practices, Proposals and Lessons Learned from Health and Non-Health Sectors. Social Science and Medicine, 68, 544551. Davison, Gerald C., and Aaron Hagedorn. Chapter 22: Technology and Design. Beard, John, et al. Global Population Ageing: Peril or Promise? (World Economic Forum, Jan 2012) 107. Bloom 67. Bloom 66. Bloom 66. 177 175 176 Fried 63 Bloom, David E., Ajay Mahal and Larry Rosenberg. Chapter 13: Design and Operation of Health Systems in Developing Countries. Beard, John, et al. Global Population Ageing: Peril or Promise? (World Economic Forum, Jan 2012) 65. Bloom 65. Fried 63 170 171 172 173 Fried 61 Fried 62 Fried 62 Fried 63 169 Fried, Linda P, Paul Hogan, and Jack Rowe. Chapter 12: Design and Operation of Health Systems in Wealthy Industrial Countries. Beard, John, et al. Global Population Ageing: Peril or Promise? (World Economic Forum, Jan 2012) 61. 167 168 Williams (2012) 80. Olshansky, S Jay, John Beard, and Axel Brsch-Supan. Chapter 11: The Longevity Dividend: Health as an Investment. Beard, John, et al. Global Population Ageing: Peril or Promise? (World Economic Forum, Jan 2012) 58 165 166 Bloom 89 Olshansky 59.
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220 194 195 196 Current Status of the Social Situation, Well-Being, Participation in Development and Rights of Older Persons Worldwide 43. CIA World Factbook: Bangladesh Biswas P, Lloyd-Sherlock P, Zaman S. Understanding elderly client satisfaction with primary health care in rural Bangladesh. Asian J Gerontol Geriatr, 2006: 133-40. 135. 197 Hansen, Suzy. Hope in the Wreckage: What Can Mississippi Learn From Iran? New York Times Magazine 29 Jul. 2012: MM22. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/29/magazine/what-can-mississippis-health-care-system-learn-from-iran. html?pagewanted=all 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 Biswas 137 Biswas 138 226 Biswas 138 227 Biswas 138 Kalache 90 Kalache 90. 229 Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing. Madrid: United Nations, 2002. 17 Kalache 90. Open Ended Working Group. http://social.un.org/ageing-working-group/index.shtml 231 Kalache 91. Kalache 92. Integrated Chronic Disease Prevention and Control. World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/chp/ about/integrated_cd/en/index.html. 1 October 2012. 210 Williams, Matthias. India Must Prepare for Surge in Elderly Population: WHO. Reuters 3 April 2012. http://blogs.reuters.com/india/2012/04/03/india-must-prepare-for-surge-in-elderly-population-who/. 4 October 2012. 211 Alam, Nural et. al. Causes of Death of Adults and Elderly and Healthcare-seeking before Death in Rural Bangladesh.Journal of Health, Population, and Nutrition. October 2010. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/ articles/PMC2963775. 4 October 2012. 236 212 Alam, Ashraful. Care for the Elderly Poor: A Case Study of a Bangladeshi Village. University of Amsterdam. August 2000. amma.socsci.uva.nl/theses/alam_neeloy.pdf. 4 October 2012. 23. 213 Nutbeam, Don. Health Literacy as a Public Health Goal: a Challenge for Contemporary Health Education and Communication Strategies Into the 21st Century. Health Promotion International 2000. 259-267. 260. 214 World Population Prospects, the 2010 Revision. United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 5 Jul 2011. http://esa.un.org/wpp/Analytical-Figures/htm/fig_12.htm. 4 Aug. 2012. 215 Aboderin, Isabella. Chapter 14: Ageing Africa, Opportunities for Development. Beard, John, et al. Global Population Ageing: Peril or Promise? (World Economic Forum, Jan 2012) 70. 216 217 218 Aboderin 69. Aboderin 70. Vasquez, Javier. Human Rights and Health: Older Persons. Ed. Enrique Vega. Pan-American Health Organization (2008) 2 219 Vasquez 8 238 Looking After an Ageing World. 237 Looking After and Ageing World. Al Jazeera. 2 October 2012. http://aljazeera.com/programmes/ insidestory/2012/10/201210244730939625.html. 6 October 2012. Health and Longterm Care in the European Union. 32. 235 234 Aging Populations Big Economic Risk to Ex-Soviet States. Radio Free Europe Free Liberty. 20 June 2007. Web. 28 September 2012. http://rferl.org/content/article/1077223.html Health and Longterm Care in the European Union. Eurobaromater. European Commission. December 2007. ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_283_en.pdf. 5 October 2012. 66. 233 The 2012 Ageing Report: Economic and budgetary projections for the 27 EU Member States, 2010-2060 (Brussels: European Commission, 2012) 157. 232 Not All Smiles: Healthcare in Japan. The Economist. 10 Sept 2011. Web. 7 Aug. 2012. http://www. economist.com/node/21528660 Not All Smiles: Healthcare in Japan. The Economist. 10 Sept 2011. Web. 7 Aug. 2012. http://www. economist.com/node/21528660 230 Not All Smiles: Healthcare in Japan. The Economist. 10 Sept 2011. Web. 7 Aug. 2012. http://www. economist.com/node/21528660 Harden, Blaine. Japans Health-Care System Has Many Advantages, but May Not Be Sustainable. The Washington Post. 7 Sept 2009. Web. 6 Aug. 2012. 228 Not All Smiles: Healthcare in Japan. The Economist. 10 Sept 2011. Web. 7 Aug. 2012. http://www. economist.com/node/21528660 Not All Smiles: Healthcare in Japan. The Economist. 10 Sept 2011. Web. 7 Aug. 2012. http://www. economist.com/node/21528660 Japan: Health Care. 225 224 Japan: Age Stratification and the Elderly. Library of Congress Country Studies. January 1994. 9 Aug 2012. lcweb2.loc.gov Not All Smiles: Healthcare in Japan. The Economist. 10 Sept 2011. Web. 7 Aug. 2012. http://www. economist.com/node/21528660 223 221 222 Not All Smiles: Healthcare in Japan. The Economist. 10 Sept 2011. Web. 7 Aug. 2012. http://www. economist.com/node/21528660 Japan: Health Care. Library of Congress Country Studies. January 1994. 9 Aug 2012. lcweb2.loc.gov Japan: Ageing and Retirement of the Labor Force. Library of Congress Country Studies. January 1994. 9 Aug 2012. lcweb2.loc.gov Japan: Health Care.
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BiBliograPhy
Ageing Populations and Changing Labour Markets. Stella Vettori, Ed. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Company, 2010. Print. The majority of essays in the work serve as case studies of particular regions, including the EU, China, Portugal, India, and Turkey. There are also some general essays that will likely be helpful. Of the 10 included, some may be more pertinent to the final study guide than will others, but at this time, it is hard to tell which will be what. Aoki, Masanao, and Hiroshi Yoshikawa. Demand saturation creation and economic growth. The Economics of an Ageing Population. Paolo Onofi, Ed. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar, 2004. Print. This source provides a quantitative approach to understanding how some technological advancements can actually ultimately slow economic growth, particularly when populations are aging. Beard, John, et al. Global Population Ageing: Peril or Promise?. Geneva: World Economic Forum, 2012. Web. A working paper from the Harvard School of Public Healths Program on the Global Demography of Aging, describing the current situation of world populations and what actions can and should be taken. Bloom, David E., et al. The effect of subjective survival probabilities on retirement and wealth in the United States. Population aging, intergenerational transfers and the macroeconomy. Robert Clark, Naohiro Ogawa, Andrew Mason, Eds. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2007. Print. The essay points to data that demonstrate economic decisions are strongly influenced by life expectancies, and concludes that welfare and pension plans should respond to the changes in projected life span so as to be more cost-efficient, as well as to harness the benefits of peoples saving habits. Bloom, David E., et al. The Global Economic Burden of Noncommunicable Diseases. Geneva: World Economic Forum, 2011. Web. A working paper from the Harvard School of Public Healths Program on the Global Demography of Aging, the work examines noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), the five major NCDs (cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes, and mental illness) and possible treatment plans. Cotlear, Daniel. Population Aging: Is Latin America Ready?. Washington, DC: World Bank, 2011. Print. Dyson, Tim. Population and Development. New York: Zed Books, 2010. Print. Dyson, a professor at the London School of Economics, wrote a thorough analysis of the aging world, beginning with Enlightenment Europe and continuing to the present. He suggests that although there are negative effects to the aging workforce, in the past, demographic shifts have also been a motor for positive social change. England, Robert Stowe. The Fiscal Challenge of an Aging Industrial World. .24, no. 1 Vol. Washington, D.C.: Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2002. Print. Significant Issues Series ; v.24, no. 1 . Federal Council on, the Aging, et al. Aging America : Trends and Projections. 1987-88 ed. Washington, D.C.: [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services], 1988. Print. Hateley, Louise, and Gerald Tan. The Greying of Asia : Causes and Consequences of Rapid Ageing in Asia. Singapore: Eastern Universities Press, 2003. Print. Economics & Policy Studies . Huenchuan, Sandra, and Luis Rodrguez-Piero. Ageing and the protection of human rights: current situation and outlook. Santiago: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, 2011. Web. < http://social.un.org/ageing-workinggroup/documents/ECLAC_Ageing%20and%20the%20protection%20of%20human%20rights_current%20situation%20 and%20outlook_Project%20document.pdf >. A focused examination of the need to create an international convention on ageing and ensuring the human rights of elderly populations. Jernigan, Homer L., and Margaret B. Jernigan. Aging in Chinese Society: A holistic approach to the experience of aging in Taiwan and Singapore. Binghamton, NY: Haworth Pastoral Press, 1992. Essays in this text explore ways to cope with aging in Asian society, including how culture and religion can impact these decisions. Kasturi, Sen. Ageing: debates on demographic transition and social policy. Atlantic Highlands: London, 1994. Print. Kercher, Kyle. Causes and Correlates of Crime Committed by the Elderly. Critical issues in aging policy. Edgar Borgatta and Rhonda Montgomery, Eds. Beverly Hills: SAGE Publications, 1987. Given the increase in elderly, will crime increase as well? Stereotypes would suggest not, and the essay describes the control theory, which suggests a persons lack of connection with others is a closely tied to crime. National Research Council (US) Panel on a Research Agenda and New Data for an,Aging World. Preparing for an Aging World : The Case for Cross-National Research. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 2001. Print. Pathak, J.D. Health Problems of the Aged in India. Aging in India. K.G. Desai, Ed. Bombay: Tata Institute of Social Sciences, 1982. 32-42. Print. Intended as a prompt for discussion, Pathaks pieces explore the ageing patterns of the Indian population at the time of publication (1982) but also offer proposals for how the effects of this can be minimized. ---. Geriatrics in India. Aging in India. K.G. Desai, Ed. Bombay: Tata Institute of Social Sciences, 1982. 43-53. Print. (see above) Pfaff, Anita. Health Status and Health Policy. Social Policy in Ageing Societies. Eds. Alan Walker and Gerhard Naegele. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. 165-201. Print.
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An essay comparing the health policies of the UK and Germany. It defines the two nations as double ageing because both have plummeting birth rates coupled with increasing life expectancies, and points out that both countries will need to revise their systems to maixmize efficiency in the face of future age-related constraints. Potratz, Wolfgang, Tobias Gross, and Josef Hilbert. The Silver Economy Purchasing Power and the Quest for Quality of Life. Social Policy in Ageing Societies. Eds. Alan Walker and Gerhard Naegele. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. 82105. Print. An essay exploring the recent attitude that the elderly should be more focused on enjoying quality of life than on ensuring inheritance. Such a policy, as implemented in German, of encouraging spending can feed back into the economic cycle, but is also attributable to a uniquely narrow income spread among social groups in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany, where this silver economy has flourished. Preston, Samuel H., Patrick Heuveline, and Michel Guillot. Demography. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2001. Print. A short textbook on understanding population projection, fertility and reproduction, relations between different sectors of the population, and population models. When it comes to the topic, understanding the base motivation will be critical, and the textbook provides an outlet for understanding this. Prettner, Klaus, and David Canning. Increasing life expectancy and optimal retirement: does population aging necessarily undermine economic prosperity? Cambridge, MA: Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, 2012. Web. Schulz, James H., Allan Borowski, and William Crown. Economics of population aging: the graying of Australia, Japan, and the United States. Westport, CT: Auburn House, 1991. Print. The source takes a step-by-step approach to different issuesthe chapter on older careers will be of particular interest and analyzes each with regards to the three developed countries in question. It does this instead of having a chapter on each nation in order to emphasize their differences. U.N. ECLAC, Brasilia Declaration. 406 December 2007. Second Regional Intergovernmental Confernece on Ageing .http:// www.un.org/ageing/documents/regional_review/Declaracion_Brasilia.pdf [i just spent 30 minutes looking and still have no idea how to cite this] A resolution from American countries on their proposals for working towards a society with a larger elderly population and equal protection. U.N. General Assembly, 65th Session. Follow-up to the Second World Assembly on Ageing. (A/RES/65/182). 21 December 2010. Walker, Alan, and Gerhard Naegele. Major Policy Chalenges of Ageing Societies: Britain and Germany Compared. Social Policy in Ageing Societies. Eds. Alan Walker and Gerhard Naegele. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. 1-22. Print. An essay comparing domestic infrastructure in Britain and Germany, providing insight into different approaches of developed nations to managing ageing populations. Wallace, Paul. Agequake. London: Nicholas Brearley Publishing, 1999. Print. Wallace sets out to explore the worlds aging will affect nearly every aspect of our lives. In a chapter called Cultural Revolution, he proposes how the changing ethnic composition of the United States will impact economics and marketing. Additionally, the collapse of the traditional family will have an impact. Williams, Alun. Ageing and Poverty in Africa: Ugandan livelihoods in a time of HIV/AIDS. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Company, 2003. The chapter of particular interest is Ageing and Poverty in Developing Countries, and is complemented by analyses of the effects of HIV/AIDS and creating sustainable careers for the aged, among other topics. It will be a useful source in developing policies for many members of the African bloc. The World Ageing Situation: Exploring a Society for All Ages. New York: United Nations, 2001. Print. Yadava, K. N. S., and Alok Kumar Dr. Ageing : Some Emerging Issues : Profiles, Trends and Policy Perspectives. 1st ed. New Delhi: Manak Publications, 2011. Print. Zhongguo she hui ke,xue yuan, et al. Preparing for the Challenges of Population Aging in Asia : Strengthening the Scientific Basis of Policy Development. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 2010. Print. articles, resolutions, and other documents Briefing paper for the first working session of the Open Ended Working Group on Ageing, April 1821 2011. http://social. un.org/ageing-working-group/documents/HelpAge_briefing%20paper%20for%20the%201st%20session%20of%20 the%20OEWG_%20April%202011.pdf Briefing paper for the first working session of the Open Ended Working Group on Ageing, April 1821 2011 http://social.un.org/ageing-working-group/documents/HelpAge_briefing%20paper%20for%20the%201st%20session%20 of%20the%20OEWG_%20April%202011.pdf The Causes and Consequences of the Demographic Transition http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/pgda/WorkingPapers/2011/PGDA_WP_79.pdf Declining fertility and economic well-being: do education and health ride to the rescue? http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/pgda/WorkingPapers/2012/PGDA_WP_84.pdf The Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing http://www.un.org/ageing/documents/building_natl_capacity/guiding.pdf
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Pan-American Health Organization; Human Rights and Health - Older persons (2008) http://social.un.org/ageing-working-group/documents/PAHO_Human%20Rights%20and%20health.pdf Projections of world population growth, including projections to 2050 http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/longrange2/WorldPop2300final.pdf Report of the Expert Group Meeting Rights of Older Persons http://social.un.org/index/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=gansorjeIZE%3d&tabid=330 Report of the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing (working session one) http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N11/479/65/PDF/N1147965.pdf ?OpenElement Social Protection of Older People http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/pgda/WorkingPapers/2011/PGDA_WP_83.pdf Submissions from different member nations, UN to the Secretary-General in regards to GA resolution 65/182 http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/OlderPersons/Pages/Submissions.aspx UNHR Human rights of older persons: international human rights principles and standards, from first open ended working group (18-21 April 2011) http://social.un.org/ageing-working-group/documents/OHCHR%20Backgroud%20paper%202011.pdf The Vienna International Plan of Action on Aging was adopted by the World Assembly on Aging held in Vienna, Austria from 26 July to 6 August 1982. http://www.un.org/es/globalissues/ageing/docs/vipaa.pdf
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General Assembly
Dear Delegates and Faculty Advisors,
Guide to deleGate PreParation and rules of Parliamentary Procedure
The HNMUN 2013 Secretariat is pleased to present you with the Guide to Delegate Preparation. In this guide, you will find an overview of substantive activities at conference, a list of differences between HNMUN and other MUN conferences in the world, an explanation of the characteristics of our various committees, a listing of the powers of the committee staff, and the updated Rules of Procedure. While this guide contains virtually all information regarding the substantive side of HNMUN, I invite you to consult the following documents as well in your preparation: Guide to Starting an MUN Team: This guide features a step-by-step guide to starting a Model United Nations Team at any college or university. Guide to First Time Delegations: This guide is aimed at familiarizing delegates who are new to MUN, and particularly those new to HNMUN, with the events at conference. Committee Study Guides: Our committees are directed by Harvard undergraduates, who dedicated their summer to researching and writing the most well-informed and comprehensive study guides on the issues of their committee agenda. Study guides contain not only a history and discussion of the problem at hand, but also sections detailing suggestions for further research, questions a resolution must answer, and ways to contribute to solutions in the real world community. Updates to the study guides, covering the latest developments and exploring nuanced aspects of the topic areas will be available online in mid-November. All of these documents and more are available under the Resources tab of www.hnmun.org. Additional resources on our website to assist you in your substantive preparations include links to the UN documents, country policies, and premier news sources. Please do not hesitate to contact any of the HNMUN Secretariat and staff with your questions. Best of luck with your preparation for HNMUN 2013 and we look forward to meeting you in February! Sincerely, Gillian T. Farrell Secretary-General Harvard National Model United Nations 2013 info@hnmun.org
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Guide To Delegate Preparation and Rules of Parliamentary Procedure
introduCtion General commenTs

Welcome to Harvard National Model United Nations (HNMUN) 2013, the worlds largest and most prestigious conference of its kind. We are happy to have you with us. Throughout the conference weekend, you will be working with other highly motivated college students toward the common goals of international awareness and consensus-building. This document strives to explain both the philosophy of HNMUN and the substantive details of the conference. Without understanding both the overall goal of HNMUN and how the conference operates, delegates may feel overwhelmed and lost. It is our hope that this document will guide delegates throughout the weekend. Philosophy: the united nations as an international forum Our primary goal is to provide students interested in exploring the difficulties and complexities of international relations with the best possible simulation of diplomacy and negotiation. Our committees are designed to enable delegates to arrive at a comprehensive and pragmatic solution to each of the topics while realistically simulating the dynamics of a true United Nations (UN) session. For solutions to be reached in committee, we assume both that compromise is possible and that consensus is a necessary condition for successful negotiation. With these assumptions, we hope that the process of formulating the solutions embodied in a document called a resolution will reveal to the delegates the difficulties and complexities of international relations that our conference hopes to help delegates better understand. One could argue that the process of constructing a solution to international problems in itself does not offer much beyond a simple classroom experience. HNMUN allows delegates to examine current global problems through a wholly different lens. The solutions that any individual proposes to a world problem may technically seem correct, but these solutions are biased by the individuals own political inclinations. Representing a nations interest in the global community complicates the issues and forces delegates to question their prior beliefs and arrive at innovative conclusions on problems in international relations today. It is this process of simulation that ultimately advances our goal of teaching the power and complexity of international relations. It is important to clarify why we have selected the United Nations as the primary organ through which HNMUN operates. The UN is not a world government. The principle of national sovereignty has been consistently upheld, and nations do not relinquish their sovereignty in joining the UN. Through resolutions, the UN can offer solutions to world problems, but it has limited enforcement powers beyond the force of international opinion that its decisions represent.
The decisions must represent a single unified world voice to be effective and must be constructed through a series of compromises by nations with competing ends. Without solidarity, the decisions made by the UN would lack any credibility and, therefore, any force. For the UN, finding a consensus is no easy task. No other body involves 193 countries debating international issues in unison. Each state wants its own voice heard and its own interests represented as solutions are reached on any given issue. Compromise is therefore necessary for anything to be accomplished. Thus, the need to find a consensus is certainly a hurdle to be overcome for both the real UN and for HNMUN, but it is this challenge of using international negotiation and compromise to solve world problems (and sometimes its failure) that makes us believe that the UN is the best body through which to advance the goals of the conference. structure For both logistical and substantive reasons, HNMUN simulates only certain parts of the real UN. A given college or university attending the conference represents one or more countries, and each country is represented by one or two delegates in each committee. In this way, HNMUN emulates the practices of the UN. Delegates must align themselves with the policy of the represented country to advance the countrys interests in the world community. However, HNMUN extends beyond just the UN itself. The conference incorporates simulations of regional bodies outside of the UN system, such as the European Union and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. Debate in these non-UN bodies focuses on two issues of primary importance to the region, as members try to advance the interests of their own countries within the larger context of the regional body. It is important to understand that the central goal of our conference is not only to provide a simulation of the UN, but rather to help delegates understand the complexities of international diplomacy. We do not believe that the UN alone is the ultimate method for learning the nuances of international diplomacy. Rather, the UN in conjunction with other bodies offers delegates a comprehensive simulation of international diplomacy and negotiation. HNMUN also gives delegates the opportunity to further their education in global diplomacy by representing non-state actors in our Non-Governmental Organizations program and our continual crisis committees. Whether they are representing Amnesty International or the Polish writer Adam Mickiewicz in the summit of Exiled Revolutionaries, these delegates have the chance to experience the ways in which negotiation and compromise operate in settings that depart from the standard state-centric model of the UN and other international organizations.
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Guide the Delegate Preparation and Rules of Parliamentary Procedure
PurPose of This GuiDe

The main purpose of this guide is to prepare delegates for Model United Nations (MUN) conferences in general and for HNMUN 2013 in particular. Delegates who have experience with MUN should look at the Differences between HNMUN and other Model United Nations conferences section below. For those who have not, here is the general structure of the guide and the purpose of each part: Procedural Preparation In order to perform in committee, delegates must have an understanding of the basic structural elements of MUN. HNMUN emphasizes the useful application of rules to promote the smooth functioning of the committee rather than as the focus of delegate performance. This Guide to Delegate Preparation contains most of this functional information, including details on the rules of debate at HNMUN and the UN system. It is important for delegates to understand the rules, because they enhance the workings of the committee and the learning experience of the delegate. To prevent misunderstandings and delays, a comprehensive understanding of the rules and their use is vital. Additionally, delegates can use an understanding of the rules to advance their own policies in committee. For example, in large General Assembly committees, the speakers list can become quite long, and a delegate may have to wait for an hour or more before it is his or her turn to speak. However, by using the rules governing yielded time, questions, and comments from the floor, a delegate can speak far more frequently. Knowledge of the rules is an important tool to allow you to air your views productively and efficiently. At conference, please do not hesitate to clarify issues of procedure and debate with the committee staff through points of parliamentary inquiry. substantive Preparation Once delegates understand the rules of committee, they should learn how to contribute substantively to the debate. Substantive preparation, the process by which delegates learn how their ideas can make a difference in the committee, is a three step process. First, delegates should research their committee and its place in the UN system or in the international framework. By knowing the powers and duties of their committee, delegates can get a sense of what types of solution will and will not be possible. Delegates should then master the topics that their committee will discuss. Although the study guide provides a strong foundation of information on the topics, it is essential that delegates build on this foundation with their own research. Each study guide contains a section detailing suggestions for further research to aid with this process. Lastly, delegates should learn their countrys policy on the topics being addressed, so that they can represent their country strongly and accurately. This Guide to Delegate Preparation will walk you through the research
you should do to be prepared in committee. Delegates with a solid grasp of the topics, their countrys positions, and the committees mandate will be leaders in the attempts to find solutions to the problems being addressed and to write resolutions that carry out those solutions. Committee information This section contains other details about HNMUN that will enable you to better understand how the conference as a whole will run. It will first help delegates understand the different organs at HNMUN and how debate functions in each. It will then introduce the dais staff that will run each committee and describe the roles of each staff member. Lastly, it will discuss our expectations of delegates, both substantively (the criteria used for deciding awards) and sartorially (the dress code at HNMUN).
Differences beTWeen hnmun anD oTher moDel uniTeD naTions conferences

For the most part, this Guide to Delegate Preparation is written for the delegate who has not been part of a Model United Nations conference before. It provides an introduction to MUN as well as information about HNMUN. Therefore, experienced delegates need not read it all the way through. However, these delegates should be aware that HNMUN is not alike in every respect to other MUN conferences in which you may have participated. In particular, please note the following: Committees at HNMUN, with the exception of the continual crisis committees, may pass only one resolution on each topic area. Because only one resolution can be passed, there is a much greater emphasis on compromise and cooperation at HNMUN than at other MUN conferences. Many procedural rules at HNMUN may differ from those to which you are accustomed. You may want to skim the rules, located at the back of the Guide to Delegate Preparation, to look for such variances so that you are prepared for them in committee. No prewritten working papers or draft resolutions will be permitted at HNMUN. All written material introduced in a committee must be the product of work done at the conference itself. Resolutions at HNMUN do not have sponsors. Instead, draft resolutions require a certain number of signatories to be shown to the Director and listed alphabetically at the top of the document before they are brought onto the floor for debate. Following the Directors approval, any delegate (whether or not that delegate is a signatory of the draft resolution) may move to introduce the draft resolution. Signing a draft resolution does not mean that you wrote it or that you support it; it means only that you believe it should be debated.
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Because there are no sponsors, all amendments are considered unfriendly, requiring the majority vote of the committee to be integrated into the draft resolution on the floor. Only non-substantive typographical amendments may be made without a vote, at the Moderators discretion. Amendments at HNMUN are substantive, not procedural motions. For detailed amendment procedures, please consult the Rules of Parliamentary Procedure at the end of this guide. There are no Chairs at HNMUN. Instead, a Moderator and a Director jointly run each committee; the Moderator oversees debate and is the enforcer of procedure, while the Director prepares the study guide and is the substantive expert. Debate at HNMUN adheres more closely to the study guide than it does at some other conferences. In particular, all draft resolutions must address the issues mentioned in the Questions a Resolution Must Answer section of each study guide. Following a speech in formal debate, if no yields are made, two comments are automatically in order. The possible yields are to questions, to another delegate, or to the chair. If a yield is made, no comments are in order. Comments are never in order during a moderated caucus. or concurrent working papers. Working papers should help advance the committees work, not duplicate it. This means that once a variety of proposals and viewpoints are introduced, the committee should begin to formulate the working papers into comprehensive draft resolutions. Delegates should be aware that working papers are not mini-resolutions in that they do not need to be in any specific format and do not need to cover all the issues raised in the Questions a Resolution Must Answer portion of the study guide. For instance, a working paper may consist of bullet points with compelling ideas that the delegates wish for the committee to debate. Please note that no prewritten working papers are allowed at HNMUN. Additionally, ideas do not have to appear in working papers before they can become draft resolutions. That said, working papers do provide a very useful tool for getting the entire committees feedback on specific ideas before presenting them as formal draft resolutions. draft resolutions As in the real UN, the main vehicle of action at HNMUN is the resolution, a formal document in which a committee spells out the action to be taken in order to solve a particular problem (please see the sample resolution included in this guide). Each draft resolution should deal specifically with the topic area currently under discussion by the committee. The following criteria must be met before a draft resolution can be introduced to the committee: It must adequately address the points set out in the Questions a Resolution Must Answer section of the study guide, as well as any other points that have been raised in the course of debate. It must be well-written, concise, and free of grammatical and typographical errors. It must have the minimum number of signatories as stipulated in the Rules of Procedure. HNMUN documents do not have sponsors; instead, they have signatories. It must be typed (for photocopying purposes). It must receive the approval and signature of the Director. Directors have the discretion of suggesting changes to a working paper or draft resolution, or redirecting the submitters to cooperating with delegates with similar papers, prior to approving any documents. It must be completely original work done at the conference; no prewritten draft resolutions will be allowed, and plagiarism will not be tolerated. Because the committee can pass only one resolution on each topic at HNMUN, delegates should expect to be asked to revise draft resolutions several times before they meet the Directors standards. While the Director will not advocate a particular solution, it is his or her responsibility to ensure that the committee has fulfilled its responsibilities and adequately addressed the entire topic before it can be introduced as a
the Path to a resolution

Before we can discuss the specifics of the debate structure, it is important to note that the purpose of the debate, as stated in our philosophy, is to produce a comprehensive and pragmatic solution to the topic embodied in a document called a resolution. If we are to understand the nuances of the debate, we must first grasp the path towards the resolution. The process for producing a resolution in a committee at HNMUN consists of two main written stages: the working paper and the draft resolution. working Paper Working papers mainly serve as a point of reference for discussion in committee by putting abstract ideas into a concrete, written form (please see the sample provided later in this guide). Working papers are usually short proposals on one or more aspects of the problem under discussion and serve as a way of breaking down an issue into manageable units. They may contain signatories, listed alphabetically at the top of the document. With the approval of the Director, working papers are copied and distributed so that the committees delegates can learn about the positions and interests of other delegates. As the committees work progresses, new points and ideas should be compiled into new working papers. Amendments cannot be made to working papers. Subsequent working papers must contain ideas that do not appear on any previous
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draft resolution. Our Directors are trained to be very selective in accepting draft resolutions, and delegates should not be surprised or offended if the dais staff sends a proposal for a draft resolution back for revision before approving it. It is the committees responsibility to construct an effective resolution to handle the situation at hand. When a draft resolution is introduced, it is usually not ready for an immediate vote. Much debate, compromise, and revision are involved in the formulation of a resolution that can be agreed upon by the committee. amendments The amendment process is used to improve draft resolutions as the course of debate evolves to reflect concerns that may not have been addressed in the original document. Amendments can greatly enhance the work of a committee. A clear understanding of the rules of procedure is very important to the process of proposing, debating, and voting on an amendment. At HNMUN, all amendments must be put to a substantive vote of the entire committee. There are no friendly amendments, and all amendments are treated in the same way regardless of the effect they have on the draft resolution in question. To introduce an amendment, delegates will need a number of signatories, as well as the approval of the Director. If an amendment is passed by the body, it is immediately incorporated into the text of the draft resolution for the purposes of debate and voting. Please consult the Rules of Parliamentary Procedure at the end of this document for detailed directions on the introduction and debating of amendments. Voting The final act in the discussion of a topic area is voting on the draft resolution(s) on the floor, as amended throughout the course of debate. A resolution is passed when a majority of the committee votes in its favor, and only one resolution may be passed for a topic area. By adopting a resolution, the committee has agreed, by a majority, that this is the best possible solution to the problem at hand. Discussion of the topic area is completed upon passage of a resolution. The process is then repeated for the second topic area, time permitting.
unDersTanDinG The manDaTe of The commiTTee

The first place to look for information is the committee study guide. Each study guide includes a History of the Committee section that gives background on the committee, its responsibilities, and some of its major achievements in the past. However, this section should be only the beginning of ones research. The next step should be to investigate the official mandate of the committee. For most committees within the UN system, this is easy: simply look at the UN Charter. The founding document of the United Nations gives detailed descriptions of the powers and responsibilities of the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, and the Security Council. The websites of the committees of the General Assembly and the commissions of the Economic and Social Council give more specific descriptions of the mandates assigned to them. Similarly, most non-UN international bodies have some sort of charter or treaty that describes how much power the body has. Once delegates are aware of the committees mandate, the next step is to understand what resources it has available and how it will carry out decisions it makes; this will inform the type of resolutions that can be written. One of the best ways of getting a sense of ones committee is to look at some of its past actions. Looking at some resolutions a committee has passed is indicative of the types of solutions it employs. What strategies and formats are generally used by the committee to address international problems? Past resolutions can be accessed on the UN website as reference to the work that the committee has previously done.
researchinG The ToPic areas

The committee study guides can serve as an excellent starting point for delegate research. The study guides are a result of extensive research and effort on the part of the Directors and are the foundation of substantive preparation for each of the committees. While reading the study guide, delegates should be conscious of the fact that they must act as policy makers, analyzing and molding the information they have received into solutions and resolutions. The study guide updates will add supplementary information and new angles. Updates will be available on the website before early December. While the study guide and updates will provide a beginning for substantive preparation, it will be necessary and rewarding for delegates to do additional research. Directors have included in their study guides a list of the most useful sources in learning about particular topic areas. It is crucial that participants use these sources and more to focus their
suBstantiVe PreParation
This section addresses the preparation delegates can make prior to arriving at the conference. Delegates who are new to MUN or HNMUN are encouraged to consult the Guide to First Time Delegations, which provides an introduction to MUN and the events of the conference. The preparation tips outlined below will be most useful when combined with a thorough examination of committee study guides and rules of parliamentary procedure, as well as conduct of independent research.
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preparation and increase the breadth and depth of their knowledge about the topics. Faculty advisors and head delegates should introduce their students to any resources available in their academic communities to help them learn as much as they can about the topics. Delegates are encouraged to focus particularly on what new action they feel the committee can or should take. The section of the study guide entitled Past UN Action describes some of the attempts taken by the international community in the past to solve the problem being discussed. Participants can use this and their own research as a starting point for possible solutions, but should remember that the reason this topic is still being discussed is that the past solutions have not been entirely successful. As research proceeds, delegates are encouraged to consider why solutions have not been successful and ponder ways of correcting the errors of past attempts that are in line with the mandate of the committee. Coming into the committee with a solid grasp of what has and has not worked in the past will allow the committee members to propose innovative ideas to address the problem. conflict in the past. Furthermore, delegates should consider the actions and intentions of non-state actors that have been involved in the issue. In combination with the Bloc Positions and Relevant Partners sections of the study guide, this type of research will inform delegates of potential allies at the conference, with whom they could discuss solutions to the problems posed by the topic areas.
PosiTion PaPers
The position papers are the focus of the substantive preparation before the conference. The main purpose of the position paper is to help delegates to express their countrys policy clearly and concisely. A strong position paper will contribute to delegate performance in committee at conference. Each study guide has a section entitled Position Papers that provides guidelines on how to write these papers. Conventionally, position papers begin with a brief history of how a country has been affected by the topic. They then discuss any policies that the country has used to deal with the topic in the past and describe the success or failure of those policies. Lastly, they state what the country believes the best solution to the problem would be, within the limits of what the particular committee can do. Position papers do not typically exceed two double-spaced pages and should address both topic areas. Specific guidelines can be found in the study guide, as format and substantive content may differ depending on the committee structure. Guidelines for submission are emailed to Head Delegates and Faculty Advisors in January. Position papers are due on 1 February 2013. A binder with a copy of each position paper submitted will be available at the dais during the conference.
researchinG counTry Policy

It is crucial that delegates research their countrys policy on the two topic areas of each committee as well as the states political situation in a larger context. While it is understood that some flexibility in positions is necessary to compromise and negotiate with other countries during debate, participants must maintain the assigned countrys policy as much as possible. Directors will be enforcing this aspect of debate, as it is crucial to the simulation and the overall international education. HNMUN requires delegates to adopt the position of a specific country or character throughout the course of the simulation. This is a key element of the international experience of MUN, as it forces delegates to examine the perspectives, problems, and policies of another country at a very fundamental level. It is also one of the most difficult aspects of MUN because delegates must confront the inherent biases of their own national perspectives and historical understanding. While it may be difficult to find a published account of a countrys position on a particular issue, it may be possible to contact the countrys delegation at the real UN to continue research. Developing a better general understanding of the country - cultural and religious beliefs, political systems, UN voting history, and so forth - will allow committee members to construct a plausible position for each country on each of the topic areas when they are unable to find an explicit, published position by the countrys government. In addition to a countrys policies and cultural traits, it is useful to research traditional allies of a country, other countries that affect the balance of power in the region, and states with which a delegates assigned country has been in
Committee information
This section explains the differences between the various types of committees offered at HNMUN and describes the staff that will be present in each committee. types of Committees at hnmun 2013 The differences between committees are not limited to differences in mandates or responsibilities. A large committee, like a General Assembly committee, has different features than a small committee like the Security Council. Understanding the idiosyncracies of the organ will enable delegates to contribute more effectively to the debate in their committee. general assembly (ga) Four of the standard committees of the General Assembly (the Disarmament and International Security Committee, the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee, the Special Political and Decolonization Committee, and the Legal Committee), together with the World Health Organization, the Special Summit on Non-Discrimination, and the Historical
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General Assembly, 1956 comprise the General Assembly at HNMUN 2013. All members of the United Nations will be represented in these committees, with the exception of the the Historical General Assembly, which will be adjusted for its historical setting. General Assembly committees range in size between 200300 delegates. The Disarmament and International Security Committee, the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee, the Special Political and Decolonization Committee, the Legal Committee, and the World Health Organization will consist of double delegations, which means that two participants from the same university will represent each country. The Special Summit and the Historical General Assembly, 1956 will consist of single delegations. The Historical General Assembly differs from standard GA committees more in goals than in procedure; the study guide for this committee explains in detail how it will be run, and how it will differ from a regular GA committee. economic and social Council (eCosoC) The committees of the Economic and Social Council consist of the UN Human Rights Council, the UN Development Programme, the UN Childrens Fund, the UN Conference on Trade and Development, the World Intellectual Property Organization., the International Monetary Fund, and the Global Health Cluster. These committees range in size from 24 to over 50 member states, depending on their membership. The UN Human Rights Council and the World Intellectual Property Organization will consist of double delegations, while the other Economic and Social Council committees will consist of single delegations. Economic and Social Council committees specialize in a wide range of international issues, from humanitarian to economic in nature. Economic and Social Council committees will call on delegates to occasionally respond to crises as they emerge, in addition to resolving the topics on their respective agendas. non-governmental organizations (ngo) Program The NGO Program at HNMUN is an innovative arrangement, under the General Assembly, that provides its delegates with the opportunity to debate multiple topic areas in various committees, while greatly enriching those committees discussions. Each delegate in the NGO Program will represent an assigned NGO at the conference, and will have the freedom to travel and represent their organization in one or more committees whose debate directly relates to the mission of their respective NGO. The Amnesty International delegate in the NGO Program, for example, may present or debate issues in committees as diverse as the UN Human Rights Council in the ECOSOC and the Special Political and Decolonization Committee in the GA. After other committees at the conference have chosen their topic areas, NGO delegates will choose the committees in which they would like to work. They are then introduced to their committee of choice, at which time they become analogous to any other delegate in committee. They are subject to the same rules and courtesies, except for rules governing voting power. Though NGO delegates cannot vote on draft resolutions, they may caucus, negotiate, support draft resolutions, and write their own working papers in committees. In this sense, the NGO program is extraordinarily dynamic and flexibleboth in the way that delegates interact and in the topics that delegates choose to undertake at the conference. Delegates involved in the NGO program will have the unique opportunity to see a wide range of committees at HNMUN, and delegates in other committees should take advantage of the resources and insights offered by the NGO delegates participating in their debates. regional Bodies The Regional Bodies are the European Union and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. These committees will have a delegate size ranging from 25-55 member states. The European Union will consist of double delegations, while the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific will consist of single delegations. While most committees at HNMUN include countries from every region of the world, each Regional Body only includes the countries of its region, and thus focuses on issues important to that particular region. The Regional Bodies are often not part of the United Nations system; nevertheless, they are procedurally identical to other HNMUN committees. They are similar to the Economic and Social Council committees in the style of debate and the way in which they address the topics. Like the Economic and Social Council committees, all Regional Bodies may have crises at some point during committee sessions. specialized agencies (sa) Besides the Continual Crisis simulations, the Specialized Agencies comprise the Security Council and the Historical Security Council: 1991. The present and historical Security Council simulations will follow a modified version of the rules of procedure that gives the five permanent members (China, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Russian Federation or USSR) a veto in substantive voting. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission will follow special rules of procedure particular to their committee format. The small size of these committees means that debate will be much more informal; there will be a much greater emphasis on intimate negotiations between delegates to hammer out the details of resolutions, in both moderated and
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unmoderated caucuses. All Security Council simulations will have a crisis break at some point during the weekend. Continual Crisis Committees The Continual Crisis committees span a wide array of forums, time periods, and topics, including: the Ad-Hoc Committee; the Google Executive Board, 2023; the French Cabinet, 1936; the Exiled Revolutionaries Summit, 1850; the Kuomintang, 1949; the North Korean National Defense Commission, the International Atomic Energy Agency, 2025; and the Bilingual Joint Cabinet Crisis: The Cuban Missile Crisis. The Ad-Hoc committees nature will remain strictly confidential in nature until conference and will require delegates to improvise quickly and effectively. Instead of debating two distinct topic areas laid out in advance in the study guide, these committees will focus on a particular political, social, or military crisis, reacting to its twists and turns throughout the committee session. Each continual crisis committee has a crisis staff in addition to its dais staff, coordinating events to respond to the decisions delegates make and constantly throwing twists and turns at the committee. Delegates in continual crisis committees represent characters instead of countries, by taking on the personas of historical figures, military heroes, or cabinet members. Representing an individual differs greatly from representing a delegate to the United Nations; for instance, if ones character is a real person, it is crucial to research his or her perspective on the conflict as one would research a states policy. Our continual crisis staff will provide delegates with a preliminary biography outlining the characters role in the cabinet and his or her views and tendencies, but participants will greatly benefit from gathering as many personal details as they can. This information will not only guide delegates through their debate but also add personality and flair to the experience. If the assigned character is fictional or only loosely based on a real figure, delegates have the unique and fun opportunity to develop their own personality within the guidelines provided by their biography. Continual crisis committees do not pass resolutions; depending on the committee, they can issue communiqus, press releases, statements, decisions, and military commands, to name only a few. In a militarily-oriented committee, for example, delegates will discuss tactical and strategic as well as political maneuvers. The possibilities are virtually endless; continual crisis leaves the delegates free reign to steer the course of history. In these committees, the Directors play a role similar to those of the delegates, embodying the leader of the cabinet. Unlike traditional committees, continual crises do not operate by the Rules of Procedure. Instead of a speakers list, most of debate will be conducted through modified caucuses, allowing for a free flow of ideas and efficient progress. Voting on decisions and other actions taken by the committee is conducted by the Director, but he or she will be granted greater discretion than in a traditional committee; although the Director entrusts his or her cabinet with making decisions in his or her name, he or she holds ultimate veto power over all actions of the committee. Specific rules are stated in each study guide and are at the discretion of the Director. Perhaps the most important divergence of continual crisis committees from their traditional counterparts is the role of the crisis staff. In addition to voicing concerns verbally in the committee room, individual delegates can also conduct private affairs through liaisons in the crisis room, generating a new and exciting dimension of the crisis. Each delegate has a great deal of agency, and each is responsible for exercising this power through communication with the crisis staff and with the other delegates. Committees set in a different time period The Historical Security Council (1991), the Google Executive Board (2023), the French Cabinet (1936), the Exiled Revolutionaries (1850), the Kuomintang (1949), the International Atomic Energy Agency (2025), and the Bilingual Joint Cabinet Crisis: The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) (consisting of the Cuban, American, and Soviet Cabinets) are set at the time period given in the study guide and on the first day of committee. Delegates will not be allowed to use or to reference any events that happened or information that was gathered after the date in which the committee is set. Anachronistic references will destroy the historical accuracy of the simulation and detract from the enjoyment and overall experience of all delegates. Committees set in a language other than english For the second year, HNMUN is proud to offer a committee set in a language other than English. The Cuban Cabinet of the JCC: The Cuban Missile Crisis will be conducted entirely in Spanish as a continual crisis committee. Delegates in this committee should maintain a high level of proficiency in the language.
the suBstantiVe Committee staff

The staff of Harvard National Model United Nations have distinct roles and responsibilities at conference. Delegates may find that the substantive staff at HNMUN takes on a more active role than what they have been accustomed to at other Model United Nations conferences. The primary job of the staff is to work with the delegates in achieving the goals of the committee in particular and the conference as a whole. The staff of each committee includes a Director, a Moderator, and Assistant Directors. At HNMUN, the Director is the substantive expert, and the Moderator is the procedural expert; together, they share the duties of running
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the committee, rather than being coordinated by only one committee chair. directors The committee Director is the substantive expert of the committee. At HNMUN, the Directors choose their committees topic areas, prepare the study guides, and do extensive amounts of other pre-conference substantive preparation. The Director oversees submission of all documents to be discussed. All draft resolutions and amendments in committee must be approved and signed by the Director to be presented to the committee as a whole. Before accepting working papers and draft resolutions, the Director is allowed to suggest changes if he or she feels that the Questions a Resolution Must Answer (QARMAs) are not sufficiently addressed or if it is similar in content to other submissions. Please note that the Director may not approve of all written submissions and may suggest appropriate changes before accepting any draft documents. Another important role of the Director is to oversee debate. As the substantive leader of the committee, the Director also has the discretion to rule on all points and motions brought before the committee. The Director may periodically comment on the direction of debate and suggest alternative courses of action. Committees sometimes overlook important issues within a topic area, and Directors are encouraged to bring these to the attention of the delegates. As for committees with crises, the direction of crises is determined entirely by the course of debate. Statements made by Directors are not meant to steer debate along a predetermined crisis plan, although Directors are encouraged to guide delegates when debate appears to have strayed from the topic at hand. Any questions about substantive issues should be raised with the Director. moderators The Moderator performs the procedural role for which the traditional chair at other MUN conferences would be responsible. While the Director is the substantive expert, the Moderator is the procedural expert who runs the committee when it is in formal session. The Moderator has a full understanding of the rules of procedure, and it is his or her responsibility to facilitate the committees work by ensuring that the sessions run smoothly. However, the Director retains the ultimate power to rule any motions dilatory. In some smaller committees, the moderator may also field some of the substantive issues that Directors typically handle. Under certain extreme situations, the Moderator is allowed to suspend certain rules of procedure to streamline debate. Any questions about procedural issues should be raised with the Moderator. assistant directors Before the conference, the Assistant Directors prepare the updates to the committee study guide. During the simulation, their job is to aid the Director by answering delegates questions, monitoring blocs during caucus, and by providing sounding boards for delegate ideas, solutions, and concerns. If the committee is producing a large amount of paperwork at some point in the course of debate, Directors will rely on the Assistant Directors to work directly with delegates on preparing and suggesting revisions to draft resolutions. The Assistant Directors also help keep track of the Speakers List, votes, and other procedural matters. Delegates should feel free to approach the Assistant Directors at any time with questions about the substance or procedure of the committee.
awards
The ultimate goal of being a delegate at HNMUN is to come away with a better understanding of the problems facing the world today and how these problems can be solved. Though awards are certainly not the focus of the simulation, we do feel that certain delegates deserve to be singled out for exceptional diplomatic work in committee. Committee awards will be given at HNMUN 2013 in recognition of superior performances by country delegations; should two delegates jointly represent a specific country in a given committee, the awards will be given to both delegates, based on an evaluation of their overall, combined performance. Keep in mind that awards are not given based on a point system, or based on which delegates write the resolution that gets the most votes; rather, awards are decided by the committee staff based on a holistic view of delegates performance in all aspects throughout the course of the weekend. The following are some of the criteria that are used in evaluating delegates: Attendance at all committee sessions and adherence to the official conference and hotel policies; Quality of position papers; Active participation in the process of working paper, resolution, and amendment writing; Contribution of innovative and pragmatic ideas to substantive debate, both orally and in written form; Exhibition of a desire to compromise, while adhering to a countrys policies and interests; Demonstration of co-operation with other delegates in the process of working paper, draft resolution and amendment writing, merging, and substantive debate; Ability to work with and get along with other delegates; Exhibition of an in-depth understanding and research of the intricacies of the topic area. Skill and effectiveness in caucusing, amendment and resolution writing, and debate.
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Awards will also be given to the schools whose delegates best exemplify the above qualities. In determining these delegation awards, we will take into account both the sheer number of individual awards won by a delegation as well as the ratio of awards won to the size of the delegation. her from engaging in worthwhile debate (for example, if the delegate can not hear the speech being given). A delegate may also rise to a Point of Order. Used to call attention to an instance of improper parliamentary procedure, this point is in order only when the floor is open, unless it interrupts a speech that is itself out of order. Finally, a delegate may rise to a Point of Parliamentary Inquiry. This point is used when a delegate is unclear about a specific aspect of parliamentary procedure and is usually phrased as a question. It is not, however, used to obtain substantive information about a topic and may only be raised when the floor is open. Procedural versus Substantive Motions: A motion is procedural when it concerns the application of these Rules of Parliamentary Procedure. No abstentions are allowed when voting on such motions; all members of the committee must vote, including accredited observers and non-member states. A motion is substantive if it concerns the passage of the content of a draft resolution or amendment. Abstentions are allowed and only members with voting power are allowed to vote. The Rules of Parliamentary Procedure are divided into several sections, described below: General Rules includes rules that govern who is entitled to participate in committees, how delegates will interact with the staff of the conference, and under what circumstances and in what ways committee sessions may be held. Rules Governing Debate includes rules that establish how formal debate runs, how the agenda is set, how debate is closed, and how caucuses work. Rules Governing Speeches includes rules on the speakers list, speeches, yields, comments, and rights of reply. Rules Governing Points describes the points that can be made during committee session. Rules Governing the Path to a Resolution includes rules on working papers, resolutions, and amendments. Rules Governing Voting describe how procedural votes will be taken and how voting procedure will be conducted. If you are still unclear about the Rules of Procedure, the committee staff will be able to explain any ambiguities or answer any questions.
rules of Parliamentary ProCedure inTroDucTion

HNMUN strives to simulate the actual procedural process of the United Nations and has thus adopted a series of rules with which to conduct debate. The Rules of Parliamentary Procedure that we use at HNMUN are a synthesis of parliamentary rules from a variety of sources. Do not be discouraged by their length or complexity. Learning the rules is like mastering a new language at first it is a bit confusing, but after a little practice you learn how to function in the new environment. The rules found in the Conference Handbook supersede all previous versions, including those provided to you in the Study Guides and Guide to Delegate Preparation before conference. In reading over and studying the rules, your goal should be to know the rules so well that you can focus on substantive issues and not be distracted or confused by the procedural aspects of the committee sessions. Often, parliamentary procedure can be employed as a means of diplomatic maneuvering. After you become sufficiently adept at parliamentary procedure, you can use the Rules to your advantage. Some aspects of parliamentary procedure are often misunderstood. They include: Precedece: Precedence is the hierarchy established between different motions. Thus, after a Moderator recognizes a motion from the floor, he or she may ask if there are any other motions on the floor. If, for example, another delegate makes a different motion, the Moderator will act on the motion of higher precedence first. Quorum: A quorum is the minimum number of delegates who must be present for the committee to conduct business. Unless challenged and shown to be absent, a director may permit debate when he or she feels that at least one-quarter of the members are present. To conduct substantive votes, such as those on resolutions or amendments, a majority of the members must be present. Points: There are three types of points at HNMUN. A delegate may rise to a Point of Personal Privilege. Although they are in order at any time (a delegate may rise to this point even during a speech), delegates should use caution when employing this point; it should only be used when a delegate experiences extreme discomfort which may prevent him or
General rules
RULE #1 - SCOPE: These rules for the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, the Regional Bodies, and the Security Council simulations are self-sufficient, except for modifications provided by the Secretariat, and will be considered adopted in advance of session. No other rules of procedure are applicable. If the Director provides alternate rules based on the nature of the committee, those rules will always take precedence over these in the event of a conflict.
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RULE #2 - LANGUAGE: English will be the official and working language of the conference. The only exception to this rule are explicitly designated special language committees. The Directors decision on this matter will not be subject to appeal. Rule #3 - Delegations: Each member will be represented by one or two delegates and one vote on each committee. Observer states are considered non-members (see Rule #5). Rule #4 - Credentials: The credentials of all delegations have been accepted upon registration. A credential is defined as the permission granted to a delegate or delegates to represent a particular country in a particular committee. Actions relating to the modification of rights, privileges, or credentials of any member may not be initiated without the consent of the Secretary-General. Any representative to whose admission a member objects will provisionally be seated with the same rights as other representatives, pending a decision from the committee staff. Rule #5 - Participation of Non-Members: Representatives of Accredited Observers and of Non-Member States will have the same rights as those of full members, except that they may not vote on any substantive issues. Representatives of Non-Governmental Organizations will also have the same rights as those of full members, except that they may not vote on any issues, both procedural and substantive. Rule #6 - Statements by the Secretariat: The SecretaryGeneral or a member of the Secretariat or Executive staff may at any time make either written or oral statements to the committee. Rule #7 - Powers of the Committee Staff: The Moderator of the committee will declare the opening and closing of each meeting. The Moderator will accord the right to speak, announce decisions, rule on procedural points, and ensure and enforce the observance of these rules. The Moderator may temporarily transfer his or her duties to another member of the committee staff. If the committee does not have an appointed Moderator, the Director will assume the responsibilities of the Moderator. Committee staff members may also advise delegates on the possible course of debate. The Director may interrupt committee proceedings to allow for a presentation, guest speaker, or expert witness. Additionally, the Director or Moderator may allow an NGO delegate to speak upon being introducted to the committee. Ruling on all motions is subject to the discretion of the committee staff. In the exercise of these functions, the committee staff will be at all times subject to these rules and responsible to the SecretaryGeneral. Rule #8 - Appeal: Any decision of the Moderator or Director, with the exception of those matters that are explicitly stated to be unappealable, may be appealed by a delegate. Appeals only refer to procedural motions, not substantive decisions. A motion to appeal must be made immediately after the decision of the committee staff is made. The delegate will be recognized for thirty seconds to explain his motion and there will be no further debate on this matter. The Moderator or Director may speak briefly in defense of the ruling. The appeal will then be put to a vote, and the decision of the dais will stand unless overruled by two-thirds of the total membership. A No vote on the appeal indicates support of the dais ruling; a Yes vote indicates opposition to that ruling. The following rules may never be appealed by a delegate: a. Directors approval of a draft resolution or amendment (Rule #30 and #32). b. Moderators decision to rule a moderated or unmoderated caucus out of order (Rule #14 and #15). c. Moderators decision to end an unmoderated caucus early (Rule #14). d. Moderators decision to rule a motion for suspension or adjournment out of order (Rule #17). e. Moderators decision to refuse a right of reply (Rule #24). f. Moderators decision to refuse Clarificatory Points on a draft resolution (Rule #31). g. Moderators decision to rule a motion for a roll call vote out of order (Rule #37). Rule #9 - Quorum: The Director may declare a committee open and permit debate to proceed when at least onequarter of the members of the committee are present. A member of the committee is a representative who is officially registered with the United Nations in that committee or with the given body. The presence of a majority of the members will be required for any substantive vote. A quorum will be assumed to be present unless specifically challenged and shown to be absent. A roll call is never required to determine the presence of a quorum. RULE #10 - Courtesy: Delegates will show courtesy and respect to the committee staff and to other delegates. No talking is allowed in the committee room, except during an unmoderated caucus or when recognized by the dais staff. The Moderator will immediately call to order any delegate who fails to comply with this rule.
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RULE #11 - ELECTRONICS: No use of electronic devices by delegates is allowed in the committee room during formal debate or moderated caucusing. These devices include, but are not limited to: laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Electronics may be used outside the committee room, while caucusing, or in the Computer Labs. Only laptops may be used in the committee room during unmoderated caucusing. rules governing debate RULE #12 - Agenda: The first order of business for the Committee will be the consideration of the agenda. A motion should be made once the committee has come to order to put a topic area first on the agenda. The only topic areas that may be proposed for the agenda are those listed in the preparation materials. The Director may modify these topic areas at his or her discretion. If a committee only has one topic area, the agenda is automatically set to this topic area. A for-against Speakers List with no comments will be established to debate the motion. Speakers for will speak in support of the topic area suggested; speakers against will speak in favor of the other topic area. During this time, no motions for moderated or unmoderated caucuses will be in order. A motion to close debate on setting the agenda will be in order after the committee has heard at least two speakers for the motion and at least two against the motion. In accordance with the normal procedure described in Rule #16, the Moderator will recognize two speakers against the motion to close debate, and a vote of two-thirds is required for closure of debate on the agenda. If the Speakers List on setting the agenda is exhausted, debate will automatically be closed even if a motion to close debate would not normally be in order. When debate is closed, the committee will move to an immediate vote on the motion. A simple majority is required for passage. If the motion fails, the other topic area will automatically be placed first on the agenda. After debate is closed and voting procedures on the first topic area are concluded, debate will automatically begin on the second topic area; no motion is necessary. The Secretary-General or a representative may call upon a committee to table debate on the current topic area so that a more urgent matter may be attended to immediately. A delegate may then motion to table debate for a more urgent matter. After a resolution has been passed on the new topic, the committee will return to debate on the tabled topic. If all resolutions on the new topic fail, the committee may return to debate on the tabled topic area only at the discretion of the committee Director. RULE #13 - Debate: After the agenda has been determined, one continuously open Speakers List will be established for the purpose of general debate. This Speakers List will be followed for all debate on the topic area, except when interrupted by procedural motions, discussion of amendments, or the introduction of a draft resolution. Speakers may speak generally on the topic area being considered and may address any working paper or draft resolution currently on the floor. Delegates may not refer to any working paper, draft resolution, or amendment that has not yet been introduced to the committee. An open floor denotes that the committee is in formal debate. RULE #14 - UNMODERATED CAUCus: A motion for an unmoderated caucus is in order at any time when the floor is open, prior to closure of debate. Unmoderated caucuses are not allowed during setting the agenda. The delegate making the motion must specify a time limit for the caucus, but is not required to specify a purpose for the caucus. A majority of members is required for passage. The Moderator may rule the motion dilatory and may end the unmoderated caucus early, and these decisions are not subject to appeal. RULE #15 - MODERATED CAUCUS: The purpose of the moderated caucus is to facilitate substantive debate at critical junctures in the discussion. Moderated caucuses are not allowed during setting the agenda. In a moderated caucus, the Moderator will temporarily depart from the Speakers List and call on delegates to speak at his or her discretion. A motion for a moderated caucus is in order at any time when the floor is open, prior to closure of debate. The delegate making the motion must briefly explain its purpose and specify a time limit for the caucus as well as the time limit per speech. A majority of members is required for passage. No motions are in order during a moderated caucus. If no delegate wishes to speak during a moderated caucus, the caucus shall immediately end. The Moderator may end a moderated caucus early at his or her discretion. The Moderator may also rule the motion dilatory, and this decision is subject to appeal. RULE #16 - Closure of Debate: When the floor is open, a delegate may move to close debate on the substantive or procedural matter under discussion. Delegates may move to close debate on the general topic, debate on the agenda, or debate on an amendment. The Moderator may rule such a motion dilatory. When closure of debate
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is moved, the Moderator may recognize two speakers against the motion. No speaker in favor of the motion will be recognized. Closure of debate requires the support of two-thirds of the committee. If the committee is in favor of closure of debate, the Moderator will declare the closure of the debate and move the committee to immediate voting procedure. If a given Speakers List is exhausted, debate will automatically be closed. RULE #17 - Suspension or Adjournment of the Meeting: Whenever the floor is open, a delegate may move for the suspension of the meeting (suspending all committee functions until the next meeting), or for the adjournment of the meeting (suspending all committee functions for the duration of the conference). The Moderator may rule such motions out of order; these decisions will not be subject to appeal. When in order, these motions are not debatable, but will be immediately put to a vote barring any motions taking precedence and they require a majority to pass. A motion to adjourn will be out of order prior to the lapse of three-quarters of the time allotted for the last meeting of the committee. RULE #18 - Postponement and Resumption of Debate (TABLING): Whenever the floor is open, a delegate may move for the postponement of debate on a draft resolution or amendment currently on the floor. The motion, otherwise known as tabling, will require a two-thirds vote to pass and will be debatable to the extent of two speakers in favor and two opposed. No debate or action, including voting, will be allowed on any draft resolution or amendment on which debate has been postponed. A motion to resume debate on a draft resolution or amendment on which debate has been postponed will require a majority to pass and will be debatable to the extent of two speakers in favor and two opposed. Resumption of debate will cancel the effects of postponement of debate. rules governing speeches RULE #19 - Speakers Lists: The Committee will have an open Speakers List for the topic area being discussed (see Rule #13). The Moderator will either set a speakers time or entertain motions to set a speaking time. Motions to change the speaking time will be entertained in the order in which they are introduced. Separate Speakers Lists will be established as needed for procedural motions and debate on amendments. A country may add its name to a Speakers List by submitting a request in writing to the dais, provided that the nation is not already on the Speakers List, and may remove its name from the Speakers List by submitting a request in writing to the dais. At any time, a Moderator may call for members that wish to be added to the Speakers List. The names of the next several countries to speak will always be posted or announced for the convenience of the committee. A Speakers List for the second topic area will not be opened until the committee has proceeded to that topic. A motion to close any Speakers List is never in order. If the Speakers List is exhausted and there are no more points or motions, debate is automatically closed. RULE #20 - Speeches: No delegate may address a session without having previously obtained the permission of the Moderator. The dais may call a speaker to order if his or her remarks are not relevant to the subject under discussion or are offensive to committee members or staff. Speeches must be made in the third person and no delegate may directly address another delegation. When a delegate exceeds the allotted time decided for speeches as described in Rule 19, the Moderator may call the speaker to order. RULE #21 - ABSENCE: Delegates who are absent from committee when recognized by the dais forfeit their time. The Moderator shall continue with debate. RULE #22 - Yields: After being recognized from the Speakers List, a delegate may yield any or all of his or her time in one of three ways: to another delegate, to questions, or to the dais. Please note that only one yield is allowed. A delegate must declare any yield at the conclusion of his or her speech. Yield to another delegate: The speakers remaining time will be offered to that delegate. If the delegate accepts the yield, the Moderator shall recognize the delegate for the remaining time. The delegate may not make any further yields. To turn the floor over to a co-delegate of the same member state is not considered a yield. Yield to questions: Questioners will be selected by the Moderator and limited to one question each, which will be limited to thirty seconds. Follow-up questions will not be allowed. The Moderator will have the right to call to order any delegate whose question is, in the opinion of the Moderator, rhetorical, leading, or not designed to elicit information. Only the speakers answers to questions will be deducted from the speakers remaining time. Yield to the dais: Such a yield should be made if the delegate does not wish his or her speech to be subject to comments (Rule 23). The Moderator will then move to the next speaker.
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RULE #23 - Comments: If a speech from a Speakers List ends with no yields, the Moderator may recognize delegates, other than the initial speaker, to comment for thirty seconds each on the specific content of the speech just completed. The Moderator may rule a comment out of order if it is irrelevant or does not pertain directly to the preceding speech. Commenters may not yield. No comments will be in order during debate on procedural motions, amendment discussion, or in moderated caucuses. A maximum of two comments will be taken on any speech. RULE #24 - Right of Reply: A delegate whose personal or national integrity has been impugned by another delegate may submit a request for a Right of Reply only in writing to the committee staff. The Moderators decision whether to grant the Right of Reply is unappealable, and a delegate granted a Right of Reply will address the committee at the request of the Moderator for thirty seconds. Rules Governing Points RULE #25 - Points of Personal Privilege: Whenever a delegate experiences personal discomfort which impairs his or her ability to participate in the proceedings, he or she may rise to a Point of Personal Privilege. A Point of Personal Privilege may interrupt a speaker only if the speaker is inaudible and delegates should use this power with the utmost discretion. RULE #26 - Points of Order: During the discussion of any matter, a delegate may rise to a Point of Order to indicate an instance of improper parliamentary procedure. The Point of Order will be immediately decided by the Moderator in accordance with these rules of procedure. The Moderator may rule out of order those points which are improper. A representative rising to a Point of Order may not speak on the substance of the matter under discussion. A Point of Order may not interrupt a speaker. RULE #27 - Points of Parliamentary Inquiry: When the floor is open, a delegate may rise to a Point of Parliamentary Inquiry to ask the Moderator a question regarding the rules of procedure. A Point of Parliamentary Inquiry may never interrupt a speaker. Delegates with substantive questions should not rise to this point, but should rather approach the committee staff during caucus or send a note to the dais. rules governing the Path to a resolution RULE #28 - Working Papers: Delegates may propose working papers for committee consideration. Working papers aid discussion of draft resolutions through formalizing (in written form) ideas expressed in the committee. Working papers need not be in draft resolution format. Working papers require the approval of the Director to be copied and distributed, and may contain signatories of contributors. Once distributed, delegates may begin to refer to that working paper by its designated number, but otherwise, debate proceeds normally on the topic. There is no formal introduction of working papers; they are considered introduced as soon as they are distributed. There are no votes for the approval of working papers. RULE #29 - SIGNATORIES FOR DRAFT RESOLUTIONS: A motion to introduce a draft resolution (see rule #30) will be in order when it receives the approval of the Director and is signed by 25 members in the General Assembly, 15 members in the Economic and Social Council and the Regional Bodies committees with greater than 40 member states, 8 members in the Economic and Social Council and the Regional Bodies committees with less than or equal to 40 member states, or 4 members in Security Council simulations. The final number of signatories required for each committee will be publicized at the beginning of the conference, as it is contingent on the eventual size of the committee. Signing a draft resolution need not indicate support of the draft resolution. Signing a draft resolution only indicates a desire for the draft resolution to be discussed in committee. The signatory has no further obligations. A delegate may be a signatory on more than one resolution. There are no official sponsors or authors of draft resolutions. RULE #30 - Introduction of DRAFT Resolutions: Once a draft resolution has the requisite number of signatories, has been approved by the Director, and has been distributed, a delegate may move to introduce the draft resolution. A procedural vote is then taken to determine whether the resolution shall be introduced. Should the motion receive the simple majority required to pass, the draft resolution shall be considered introduced and on the floor. More than one draft resolution may be on the floor at any one time, but at most one draft resolution may be passed per topic area. A draft resolution will remain on the floor until debate on that specific draft resolution is postponed or a draft resolution on that topic area has been passed. Debate on draft resolutions proceeds according to the general Speakers List on the topic area, and delegates may then begin to refer to that draft resolution by its designated number. No delegate may refer to a draft resolution until it is formally introduced.
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RULE #31 - CLARIFICATORY POINTS ON RESOLUTIONS: At the Moderators discretion, he or she may recognize a delegate or group of delegates rising to answer clarificatory points on an introduced draft resolution, or the Moderator may answer these points him or herself. These points are non-substantive and typically refer to typographical errors or mistakes in the punctuation and spelling of the document in question. The Moderators decision on this matter is not subject to appeal. Any substantive points will be ruled out of order during this period, and the Moderator may end this clarificatory question-answer period for any reason, including time constraints. RULE #32 - Amendments: Delegates may amend any draft resolution which has been introduced. Only one amendment may be introduced at any given time. The motion to introduce an amendment is considered a procedural motion, and the final vote on the amendment is a substantive vote. An amendment must have the approval of the Director and be signed by 12 members in the General Assembly, 10 members in the Economic and Social Council and the Regional Bodies committees with greater than 40 member states, 6 members in the Economic and Social Council and the Regional Bodies committees with less than or equal to 40 member states, or 3 members in Security Council simulations. The final numbers for required signatures will be posted at the beginning of the conference, as they are contingent on the eventual size of the committee. Amendments are numbered in the order in which they are introduced. Since there are no friendly amendments, all amendments must be voted on by the entire committee to be included in the draft resolution. Amendments to amendments are out of order; however, an amended part of a resolution may be further amended at a later time. Like draft resolutions, there are no official sponsors of amendments. Preambulatory phrases may also be amended. A motion to introduce an approved amendment may be made when the floor is open. Amendments do not need to be introduced in the order in which they are received. If the motion receives the simple majority required to pass, the Moderator will read the amendment aloud, time permitting. General debate on the topic area will be suspended, and a Speakers List will be established for and against the amendment. A motion to close debate will be in order after the committee has heard at least two speakers for the amendment and at least two against or if the Speakers List has been exhausted. Otherwise, following the normal procedure of Rule 15, the Moderator will recognize at most two speakers against the motion to close debate on the amendment, and a vote of twothirds is required for closure. When debate is closed on the amendment, the committee will move to an immediate substantive vote on whether or not to adopt the amendment. Votes on amendments are substantive. If this vote receives the simple majority required, the amendment will be considered part of the draft resolution. After the vote, debate will resume according to the general Speakers List on the topic. rules governing Voting RULE #33 - PROCEDURAL VOTING: All voting is considered procedural with the exception of voting on draft resolutions and amendments. Delegates must vote on all procedural motions, and no abstentions are allowed. A motion that requires a simple majority needs more affirmative than negative votes to pass. A motion that requires two-thirds to pass requires exactly or more than two-thirds of the votes to be affirmative. In Security Council simulations, a procedural motion requires nine votes to pass. If there is an insufficient number of speakers for/against a motion, the motion will automatically fail/pass. RULE #34 - SUBSTANTIVE VOTING: The only substantive voting will be voting on draft resolutions and amendments. All other votes will be procedural votes. After debate has been closed on the general topic area, the committee will move into final voting procedures and the chambers are then sealed. At that point, only the following points and motions will be entertained: Division of the Question, Reordering Draft Resolutions, Motion for a Roll Call Vote, Point of Personal Privilege, Point of Parliamentary Inquiry, and Point of Order. If there are no such motions, the committee will vote on all draft resolutions. For substantive voting, each country will have one vote. Each vote may be a Yes, No, or Abstain. Members who abstain from voting are considered as not voting. All matters will be voted upon using placards by default, except if a motion for a roll call vote is accepted. A simple majority requires Yes votes from more than half the members voting, as in more affirmative votes than negative votes. Once any resolution has been passed, the voting procedure is closed, as only one resolution may be passed on a topic area. In Security Council simulations, a substantive
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vote requires nine votes to pass, and the five permanent members of the United Nations have the power to veto any substantive vote. In the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, any member has the power to veto any substantive vote. RULE #35 - Division of the Question: After debate on any topic has been closed, a delegate may move that the operative parts of a draft resolution be voted on separately. Preambulatory clauses and sub-operative clauses may not be removed by division of the question. The motion can be debated to the extent of at most two speakers for and two against, to be followed by an immediate procedural vote on that motion. If the motion receives the simple majority required to pass, the Moderator will take motions on how to divide the question and prioritize them from most severe to least severe. The committee will then vote on the motions in the order set by the Moderator. If no division passes, the resolution remains intact. Once a division, requiring a simple majority, has been passed, the resolution will be divided accordingly, and a separate substantive vote will be taken on each divided part to determine whether or not it is included in the final draft. If all of the operative parts of the substantive proposal are rejected, the draft resolution will be considered to have been rejected as a whole. Parts of the draft resolution that are subsequently passed will be recombined into a final document. The final document will be put to a substantive vote as a whole, requiring a simple majority of those voting yes to pass. RULE #36 - REORDERING DRAFT RESOLUTIONS: After debate is closed, a motion to change the order of voting on draft resolutions currently on the floor will be in order. This motion takes precedence over a motion to divide the question on a resolution. The delegate raising this motion will indicate the desired ordering of draft resolutions. The default order will be the order in which the draft resolutions were introduced. There will be no debate on this motion, and it will require a simple majority to pass. Only one such motion can pass in each round of voting procedures. The reordering proposals will be voted on in the order that they were received; there is no precedence of one over the other. Hence, the Moderator will first take all proposals for reordering, and then proceed to call for votes on each one, until one of them passes. RULE #37 - Roll Call Voting: After debate is closed on any topic area, any delegate may request a roll call vote on any draft resolution being considered. Such a motion may be made from the floor and agreed on by a third of the committee. A motion for a roll call vote is in order only for the final substantive vote on a draft resolution. In a roll call vote, the Moderator will call countries in alphabetical order starting with a selected member. In the first sequence, delegates may vote Yes, No, Abstain, or Pass. A delegate may request the right to explain his/her vote only when the delegate is voting against the policy of his/her country; such a vote is termed with Rights. The delegate may only explain an affirmative or negative vote, not an abstention from voting. A delegate who passes during the first sequence of the roll call must vote either Yes or No during the second sequence. The same delegate may not request the right to explain his/her vote. The Moderator will then call for changes of votes. All delegates who had requested the right of explanation will be granted time to explain their votes, not to exceed thirty seconds. The Moderator will then announce the outcome of the vote. Precedence of motions Precedence: Motions will be considered in the following order of precedence: 1. Point of Personal Privilege (Rule 25) 2. Point of Order (Rule 26) 3. Point of Parliamentary Inquiry (Rule 27) 4. Adjournment of the Meeting (Rule 17) 5. Suspension of the Meeting (Rule 17) 6. Unmoderated Caucus (Rule 14) 7. Moderated Caucus (Rule 15) 8. Motion to Change Speaking Time (Rule 19) 9. Introduction of a Draft Resolution (Rule 30) 10. Introduction of an Amendment (Rule 32) 11. Postponement of Debate (Rule 18) 12. Resumption of Debate (Rule 18) 13. Closure of Debate (Rule 16) At the start of final voting procedure, only the following points and motions are in order, in the following order of precedence: 1. Point of Personal Privilege (Rule 25) 2. Point of Order (Rule 26) 3. Point of Parliamentary Inquiry (Rule 27) 4. Reordering Draft Resolutions (Rule 36) 5. Division of the Question (Rule 35) 6. Motion for a Roll Call Vote (Rule 37)
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Sample poSition paper

Delegation: The Russian Federation Committee: Disarmament and International Security Committee Topic A: Separatism The Russian Federation considers separatism to be one of the gravest dangers facing the world today. Separatist groups threaten peace and security around the world. From developing countries like the Philippines to developed countries like Spain, the stability of both the internal structure of states and of the international world order is under attack. The danger of separatism has grown even greater in recent years, as separatist groups in many countries have become increasingly linked both with religious extremism and with international terrorist networks. Though separatism once could be considered an internal affair, it now must be seen within the context of international security. An attack on one country by a separatist group is frequently an attack on the international system itself, as separatist groups increasingly use terrorist tactics designed to destabilize an entire region. Thus, it is essential that the Disarmament and International Security Committee consider ways to address the destabilizing impact of separatism. In particular, Russia believes that the committee, while reiterating the UNs condemnation of separatism in general, must work to provide aid to states victimized by separatist groups and must facilitate the means by which the international connections of separatists groups can be analyzed. As a country particularly victimized by separatist movements, Russia strongly opposes any attempt to give legitimacy to any group that uses terrorist tactics and any move by the UN to recognize a so-called right to secession. The Russian Federation has contended with separatist terrorists in Chechnya and the North Caucasus for over a decade, and it believes that its experience in this region gives ample reasons for why the UN should never recognize separatist groups, except as agreed to by the victimized state. As Russia has learned over the course of the conflict in Chechnya, separatists are frequently aided by international terrorist networks, including those preaching religious extremism. For example, the perpetrators of the atrocity at Beslan in 2004 included two Arabs. It is believed that a great deal of the funding that goes to Chechen separatists comes from religious extremists in the Islamic world. Furthermore, Chechnya provides numerous examples of the vile tactics used by many separatist groups; whether by setting bombs in Moscow apartments, murdering children in Beslan, invading civilian neighborhoods in Nalchik, or raiding homes in Chechnya itself, Chechen separatists seem to stop at nothing to further their end. These are not freedom fighters. These are terrorists. The Russian Federation accepts that UN mediation can be extremely useful in ending wars, including wars of separatism; however, it insists that any UN presence can only come with the consent of the UN member state involved, and there should never be an assumption that the end-point of negotiations will be secession. Russia sees the Sudanese experience as the one that should be the framework for any future UN involvement in secessionist conflicts. UN mediation was largely responsible for ending the Sudanese Civil War, but only because the UNs presence at the negotiating table came as a result of a request from the Sudanese government, because the SPLA was seen to be the legitimate voice of the South Sudanese people, and because the SPLA was not a terrorist organization. The negotiations were successful, ended the war, and created a framework of autonomy for South Sudan; however, if any of these factors had been absent, peace would have been impossible. Therefore, Russia believes that while it is possible for the UN to establish a framework for dealing with separatist groups, it must also work to determine the legitimacy of those groups, the legitimacy of their demands, and any links between those groups and international terrorism; furthermore, it must remember that, from a political rather than military perspective, separatism is an internal issue, and must be treated as such.
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Sample Working paper

The purpose of the Working Paper is to clearly communicate the interests of one or more countries. Please note that there is no set format for working papers; the following is just one example of a possible working paper. To facilitate the process, working papers should include the name and topic of the committee and should list the countries which wrote the paper. Pending the approval of the Director, working papers may be copied and distributed to the committee. Committee: UN Conference on Trade and Development Topic A: Generalized System of Preferences Submitted by Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador believe that a GSP should be set up so that Lesser-Developed Countries (LDCs) receive preferential treatment from Developed Countries (DCs). To that end we propose: 1. Each DC reduce their tariffs to the lowest level possible. This level will be determined by the below created subcommittee, 2. Bilateral trade agreements should be pursued for further reductions in tariffs. 3. Trade preferences should be granted in the following areas: Agriculture Manufactures Semi-manufactures Raw materials 4. Decisions on product coverage by preference giving nations be made in consultation with the affected LDC. Annual reevaluation of coverage shall take place with the LDC with disputed going to the below-created subcommittee. 5. A subcommittee of UNCTAD should be created with equal membership of developed and developing countries. This subcommittee would have the following powers: a. To mediate disputes between preference givers and receivers b. Make recommendations which all countries should follow c. Serve as a forum for airing grievances relating to the GSP d. Report regularly to the Secretary-General Membership should be as follows: a. Five permanent nations from the DCs b. Five permanent nations from the LDCs and LLDCs c. Ten members elected annually by UNCTAD Voting rights will have to be worked out, but the UN format for subcommittees seems best. Of course, we are amenable to change.
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reSolution Format guide

Heading The title should be in capital letters, above the main body of the resolution. The title consists of a number (signifying the first or second topic area being discussed), followed by another number (identifying the individual resolution). For example, the first draft resolution on the first topic area discussed would be titled Draft Resolution 1.1 accordingly. The committee Director will assign the number once the resolution has been approved. On the left margin and two lines below the title should be: (1) the committee name (2) the topic addressed by the resolution, and (3) the signatories of the resolution. NOTE: There are no sponsors of a resolution. Body The resolution is written in the format of a long sentence. Just as grammatical rules make a language more uniform in its usage, so is the resolution in its format. The resolution begins with The General Assembly, for all GA committees and with The Economic and Social Council, for all ECOSOC committees. The Regional Bodies and the Security Council use their own names as the introductory line. The rest of the resolution consists of phrases and clauses with the first word of each phrase/clause underlined. The next section, consisting of Preambulatory Phrases, describes the problem being addressed, recalls past actions taken, explains the purpose of the resolution, and offers support for the operative clauses that follow. Each clause in the preamble begins with an underlined word and ends with a comma. Operative Clauses are numbered and state the action to be taken by the body. These clauses all begin with present tense active verbs, which are generally stronger words than those used in the Preamble. Each operative clause is followed by a semi-colon except the last, which ends with a period. Any sub-operative clauses (or sub-sub-clauses, etc,) also should end with a semi-colon. There should be no periods in the body of the resolution. Content Of course, the most important characteristic of the final resolution is the content, which will be carefully scrutinized by the Director before approval. A well-written resolution demonstrates: Familiarity with the problem. Relevant background information and previous United Nations actions are included. Recognition of the issues. Arguments on the topic are specified early. At a minimum, the resolution should address in some form all the issues listed in the Questions a Resolution Must Answer section of the Study guide. A clear and concise style. Every clause and phrase should have a purpose. Good form. Each phrase and clause should follow the exact format described above.
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preambulatory phrases Affirming Alarmed by Approving Aware of Believing Bearing in mind Cognizant of Confident Contemplating Convinced Declaring Deeply concerned Deeply conscious Deeply convinced Deeply disturbed Deeply regretting Desiring Emphasizing Expecting Expressing its appreciation Expressing its satisfaction Fulfilling Fully aware Fully alarmed Fully believing Further deploring Further recalling operative Clauses Accepts Affirms Approves Authorizes Calls for Calls upon Confirms Considers Declares accordingly Deplores Draws attention Designates Emphasizes Encourages Endorses Expresses its appreciation Expresses its hope Further invites Further proclaims Guided by Having adopted Having considered Having considered further Having devoted attention Having examined Having heard Having received Having studied Keeping in mind Noting further Noting with regret Noting with satisfaction Noting with deep concern Noting further Noting with approval Observing Realizing Reaffirming Recalling Recognizing Referring Seeking Taking into account Taking note Viewing with appreciation Welcoming
Further reminds Further recommends Further requests Further resolves Has resolved Notes Proclaims Reaffirms Recommends Reminds Regrets Requests Resolves Solemnly affirms Strongly condemns Supports Takes note of Trusts Urges
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Sample reSolution
DRAFT RESOLUTION 1.1 Committee: Commission on Information Regulation Topic: International Newsflow Imbalance The Economic and Social Council, Recalling its Resolution A/36/89 of 16 December 1981, The Declaration on Fundamental Principles Concerning the Contribution of the Mass Media to Strengthening Peace and International Understanding, Further recalling Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Everyone has the right to...receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers, Recognizing that the problem of newsflow imbalance is that two-way information among countries of a region is either nonexistent or insufficient and information exchanged between regions of the world is inadequate, Realizing the need for all sovereign nations to maintain their integrity and still play an active role in the international system, 1. Recommends that a three-level information interchange system be established on the national, regional, and international levels to ameliorate the current problems of newsflow imbalance, to operate as follows: a. Each regions member nations will report their national information and receive the information of other nations in their region from the regional level of this interchange system; b. Nations will decide the character of the newsflow media best suited to the need of their sovereign territory, be this printed, audio, or audio-visual; c. Regional News Gathering Agencies will serve to gather information from the nations in their region, and these boards will have no editorial discretion and will serve to forward all information to the International Board; d. Each regional agency will be composed of representatives from every member nation of the nation of the region; e. The primary function of the International Board will be to translate information accumulated from the regional news gathering agencies; f. The secondary purpose will be to transmit all information gathered back to the member nations via the regional news gathering agencies; g. In order to expedite the transfer of information from the international to regional level the international board will utilize a UN frequency on a European Economic Community satellite; 2. Urges the establishment of the University of International Communications, which will be based in Geneva, Switzerland, with the following aims: a. The University and branches will be established with the express purpose of bringing together world views and facilitating the transfer of technology; b. All member nations of the United Nations will be equally represented at the University; c. Incentives will be offered to students of journalism and communications at the University to return to their countries to teach upon completion of instruction; d. The instructors of the regional education centers will be comprised of a multi-partisan coalition of educators from throughout the world; 3. Calls for the continued use of funds from the International Program for the Development of Communications, Special Account, The United National Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the UN Development Programme, and other sources of funding including national governments and private donors; 4. Recommends that the distribution of funds be decided by the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC).
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