MUN Position Paper

Country: Guatemala
Committee: General Assembly: Second Committee
Delegate: Melannie U.

Opening Statement
For good food security people must have access to enough food that is nutritious and affordable,
but these conditions are not easy to achieve. So far we have made food progress with reducing hunger but
its still a problem. According to the World Food Programme In a world where we produce enough food
to feed everyone,795 million people - one in nine- still go to bed on an empty stomach each night and
one in three - suffer from some form of malnutrition. People suffering from food insecurity need our
help but in order to improve food security we must address many problems such as price changes, climate
change, agriculture development, and biofuels. We can overcome these obstacles by working together, to
become a better world.

National Actions
Guatemala does have a food insecurity problem. It suffers the highest malnutrition rate among
Latin American and Caribbean nations, and the fourth highest rate in the world, according to the World
Food Programme. This is because of its poor economy, natural disasters, and poverty. Another reason for
this dilemma is climate change. Recently there was a drought in Central America which affected
Guatemalas harvest. This caused a domino effect which worsened food insecurity. My country hasnt
really addressed this problem because they suffer from food insecurity and malnutrition as well. But they
are involved with many organizations and programs that are assisting them.

UN Actions and International Actions

There are many actions the UN and Guatemala have taken to address this problem. Guatemala
has been working with the World Food Programme (WFP) since 1974. They help people, help improve
agriculture, and improve the marketing practices of farmers. Another organization they have been
working is the office of Food For Peace (FFP). This programme provides food assistance to households
affected by El Nino. More specifically to helpless people in the dry corridor which is about 30,000
people. Other programs like the Maternal-Child Diet Diversification Program (PROCOMIDA) also hope
to reduce malnutrition in the country. Guatemala has tried to pass policies in order to improve food
insecurity. The UN Development Program and the World Health Organization provided specific policies
and programs to address the problem of malnutrition and food insecurity in Guatemala.
Recommendation for Action
Our country has faced malnutrition and food insecurity for a long time already. We have taken
part of many programs and organizations some of them have failed and others have succeeded. Guatemala
still need to take more big steps to reduce malnutrition and improve food security.

Reduce poverty
One of the reason kids dont get the right nutrition in this country is because they cant afford the
food. For example a mother of three who was affected by the rising price of rice and beans said The
things we eat every daywe dont make enough to pay for it all. from Americas Quarterly. With bad
income and a few advantages people in poverty dont get the proper food they need. One thing we can do
to solve this problem is to equally distribute wealth because 10% of the population is the wealthiest and
they own 50% of the national wealth, while the poorest 10% own less than 1% according to the Nations
Encyclopedia. Doing this can also raise minimum wage which will help families afford more food. So we
should make some new policies on this situation. Another solution for poverty is provide more jobs or
better education. Instead of programs focusing on providing food and other necessities, they should focus
on funding good education organizations so kids could have a brighter future and succeed more. Having
more jobs can also help because people will get paid and have more resources.

Improve agriculture
Guatemala is occasionally affected by droughts, climate change, earthquakes, etc. This affects the
agriculture which then affects food insecurity and malnutrition. If they can improve their agriculture they
can improve food insecurity. The nation could start off by giving the farmers more fertilizer. Fertilizer is a
big necessity especially when growing coffee trees which is an export worth $756 million and usually
farmers can afford enough fertilizer. Something else that can be done is give the farmers more training so
they can expand their knowledge and communicate with people to improve their work.

Resources

FINDING LOCAL SOLUTIONS FOR FOOD INSECURITY IN GUATEMALA AND

HONDURAS.Care,April 21-25 2014
www.care.org/sites/default/files/documents/Trip-Report-Learning-Tour-to-Guatemala-and-Honduras.pdf
Accesed 2-16-17

Walter, Matthew Dispatches:Food Insecurity in Guatemala Americas Quarterly, Americas

Society/Council of the Americans, Fall 2011
http://www.americasquarterly.org/walter Accessed 2-16-17

Agricultural Extension, Rural Development and the Food Security Challenge FAO Corporate
Document Repository.
http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/Y5061E/y5061e08.htm Accessed 2-16-17

Guatemala-Poverty and Wealth Nations Encyclopedia. 2017

http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Americas/Guatemala-POVERTY-AND-WEALTH.html
Accesed 2-16-17

Vargas, Miguel Guatemala World Food Programme. World Food Programme, 2017
http://www1.wfp.org/countries/guatemala Accessed 2-16-17

Food Assistance Fact Sheet - Guatemala USAID From the American People. September, 16, 2016
https://www.usaid.gov/guatemala/food-assistance Accessed 2-16-17