Country: Angola
Committee: The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Topic: Improving Access to Clean Water
Angola’s history is scarred with conflicts arising from the abuse and mismanagement of natural resources, such as iron ore, petroleum, uranium, and diamonds. Angola is oil-rich while our people are dirt-poor. We stand at 149 out of 186 on the 2016 Human Development Index poverty scale. In rural areas, which contain 11.4 million people (38.5% of our total population), only 6% of households having access to electricity and 38% do not have access to safe water sources. Approximately 15 out of every 100 children do not survive beyond the age of five, leaving us with a child mortality rate is around 17%. These challenges are especially difficult for our president Joao Lourenco, who entered the office in September 2017. President Lourenco biggest challenge is reforming 38 years of cronyism and corruption under former President José Eduardo dos Santos. During his 38 years in power, infrastructure has not been developed while tens of billions of petrodollars disappeared. The 2014 oil slump made our situation worse reaffirming that we are unable to pull ourselves up on our own. Additionally, we do not get enough rain. We only get 32 days of rain with more than 0.1mm of rainfall meaning only 2.7 days of quality rain, sleet, and snow per month. Not enough to maintain adequate crop yields.
3) Extra Supporting Material
Sometimes, a Position Paper will need a 4th paragraph of extra supporting material covering additional angles that don’t fit into the main three. This can be a case study, some topic-specific information about your (or another) country. It can be hard data needed to support paragraph 2 or justify paragraph 3; this 4th paragraph still comes before the final section where you describe your desired policies.
The key is that the 4th paragraph needs to display a clear contribution to the Position Paper, show clear thinking and, in the end, be supporting of the Call to Action/policy that is being advocated for. Collectively, all of the sections of the Position Paper should show how the delegates unique, country-specific research and analysis furthers the understanding of what was originally read in the committee study guide.