Republic of Botswana
Positions for the General Assembly Plenary
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- Furthering Water and Sanitation as a Human Right
As a country within a drought-stricken region of Southern Africa, the Republic of Botswana emphasizes the importance of ensuring clean, accessible water and that this fundamental human right is to be respected and safeguarded. These rights are necessary in order for the development of quality of life and should be a base foundation for improving the lives of millions of people. Nationally Botswana is currently working with the World Bank to spend 145 million USD to ensure that access to clean water within the country is maintained the further improved in a time period where rainfall has been considerably lower than average and where water scarcity has become a growing issue. Furthermore, through this plan, Botswana also intends to make water usage far more efficient, and therefore reducing both the long term costs of providing water and to reduce the overall amount of water wasted in order to allow the continued successful development of human wellbeing within the country to be maintained. Due to Botswana sharing multiple rivers with neighboring countries including South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, Botswana believes that this action will further improve international cooperation within the greater Southern Africa region by reducing hostilities involving water usage by Botswana reducing its own water usage, and therefore provide more water downstream to the stated neighbors. Botswana is critically concerned to the drought in the region, as a lack of water could result in the exceptional economic growth of Botswana being undone. These droughts, fueled by climate change, should heeded as warnings to all member states that water scarcity could threatened the wellbeing of humans far and wide, and not exclusive to specific regions of where water is scarce. Botswana believes that there should be multiple approaches used to tackle the issue. First, Botswana implores all member states to continue to respect and follow guidelines as stipulated the Paris Climate Change Agreement, as climate change is a direct cause of water scarcity. Second, further improvements to water usage should be followed through programs such as the partnership between the World Bank and Botswana that improves efficiency of water usage. Finally, Botswana implores that further action on multinational corporations should be enacted that prevent these corporations from drying up regions of the world in a brutal and unsustainable manner. Corporations such as the Nestle and the Coca-Cola Company should be held responsible for irrational water usage in poor and underdeveloped regions, as well as any hazardous waste they dump into rivers and streams. Therefore, in order to solve for the growing water scarcity in not only Botswana, but other countries as well, there must international guidelines that all member states should follow. Water is a something that does not recognize political borders, and therefore what effects one country, will inevitably affect many more.
II. Confronting Radiological Security Challenges with Advanced Detecting Solutions
Botswana is a country that recognizes and understands the security challenges associated with radiation. Botswana has ratified the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and therefore pledges never to research or produce nuclear weapons, which is in imperative in ensuring that radiation is not prolific. However, Botswana believes that an outright restriction of uranium and/or uranium mining would hinder growth both within Botswana and globally. Nationally Botswana intends to begin the mining of uranium as a further diversification of the economy away from diamonds, nickel and gold, which account for approximately 80% of Botswana’s exports. The mining of uranium could help improve the quality of life of the people of Botswana, as the income from the mining could be spent on education, healthcare, infrastructure and construction of sustainable sources of energy, such as solar energy. Furthermore, nuclear energy can become an effective transition between nonrenewable sources of energy that emit large amounts of greenhouse gases and renewable sources of energy with little or no greenhouse gas emissions. Material that emit radiation are also crucial components in the research of medical material, which can in turn improve the healthcare of millions of people not only in Botswana but globally as well. Nonetheless, Botswana intends to ensure the security and safety of radioactive material. The Radiation Protection Inspectorate (RPI) has also been working closely with the IAEA to improve nuclear and radiation safety within the country. According to the IAEA, Botswana has considerably improved upon the goals laid out by the last inspection in 2008, with the IAEA commenting that Botswana has laid out good practices such as creating a strong and cohesive safety culture within the RPI around radiation security. Internationally Botswana believes that the IAEA should have a major role in ensuring radiation security within all countries and the independence of the institution should be respected. The IAEA should continue to have unrestricted access to the facilities globally that are or a potential source of radiation. The IAEA has also laid out recommendations to the RPI in what can be done to improve radiation security, and Botswana believes that these policies should be a global policy. Firstly, all member states should have a comprehensive and clear plan laid out in the unlikely event of a radiation leak from a radiation emitting facility. Secondly all countries, in particular countries with nuclear power plants, should work in global collaboration to find a solution to nuclear waste that involves permanent disposal as well as the decommissioning of old nuclear weapons and nuclear sites. Secondly, all countries should maintain the independence of the internal agency responsible for ensuring the safety of nuclear material. The independence of these internal agencies is crucial to ensure that clear, accurate data can be retrieved and that these agencies can lay out clear objectives and recommendations without the policies and political ideologies of the national government influencing the agency. Botswana believes that uranium and other radioactive material can be an active participant in the betterment of human life, but also understands that there are specific and strict safety regulations that every country that wishes with radioactive material should implemented, and Botswana wishes to Enforce advocacy for the regulation of nuclear and radioactive material.