2013 YMCA MODEL UNITED NATIONS – PRECONFERENCE SUBMISSION
Name:Jane Doe Delegation:XXX
Country:Bulgaria Committee: Historical Security Council A/B
Part I – Country Information
The Republic of Bulgaria is located in South- Eastern Europe and is bordered by Romania, Greece, Turkey, Macedonia, Serbia & Montenegro. In 1991, the population of Bulgaria was 8,632,000 people. The Bulgarian Constitution, which created its parliamentary democracy, was created on July 12, 1991. The transformation of the Bulgarian economy from one of central planning to one of a market-based system still has not reached its goal. With rising inflation, unemployment higher than 72,000, an unskilled labor force, and numerous environmental problems, Bulgaria is in dire need of reform. Socially, tension between the Roma, Turkish, and native Bulgarian people is waning. Eastern Orthodox Christianity is the official religion of Bulgaria, but religious freedom is allowed.
Part II – Positions on Topics: Historical Security Council A/B
Topic 1: Persian Gulf War
After the invasion of Kuwait at the hands of Iraq, many measures were taken to ensure this would not occur again such as the various economic sanctions imposed and weapons inspections. Resolutions 661 and 687 were mainly responsible for this and have been expanded since the nation’s evacuation. Bulgaria, however, believes that these consequences, especially the provisions implementing severe sanctions have outstepped their boundaries. Bulgaria would like to protest these harsh measures due to the harmful effects they have had on the Bulgarian economy and the general hardships that it has caused the Iraqi people.
To resolve the matters at hand, a number of approaches can be taken to ensure both humanitarian and economic goals. The sanctions imposed on Iraq have not only destroyed its economy but has created damaging effects on the economies of other countries linked to Iraqi trade. These sanctions have also created widespread malnutrition among the residents, lack of emergency medical equipment, and disease from unclean water. These consequences have resulted in excess deaths of children with estimates up to 500,000. Environmental damage from the bombings also plagues the nation. The Security Council must lessen the severity of these sanctions to help perpetual economies and alleviate the travesties faced by these people as well as provide environmental relief to further aid the remedies of the hardships being suffered by innocents.
Bulgaria understands it is not the only country suffering from damages to its economy as a result of the sanctions imposed on Iraq. These nations are requested to aid in the support for the measures stated above to provide for the economic prosperity of many. The tragedies occurring within the borders of Iraq should also attract the attention of countries wishing to prevent the unnecessary and unjustified deaths of innocents as a result of the brutality being upheld by proponents of these measures. The United States and United Kingdom may still have some vested interest in these sanctions and hesitance in providing other reliefs but these deaths and disruptions in trade cannot be ignored any longer.
Topic 2: End of Apartheid
While Bulgaria has not faced the type of strict segregation policies that South Africa has faced, it can relate to internal conflict between differing peoples. Under previous governments, Bulgaria did not recognize the Roma and Turks to their full extent. Education was denied to some groups, and tensions were present throughout Bulgarian culture. Minority representation is still denied to many, and in this Bulgaria can relate to the current state of South Africa. As both Bulgaria and South Africa are in new terrain, Bulgaria recognizes the need for restructuring of South African government and anti- discrimination laws to be put in place. Bulgaria may not see full immersion of all ethnic groups into society as a necessity, but it understands that equal opportunity is essential and that government sanctioned segregation is not right. Measures to condemn government actions similar to Apartheid in South Africa would be appropriate.
Although Bulgaria does not believe the United Nations has the right to interfere with overarching social issues within a nation in general, it does believe that the Security Council may provide measures to counter future Apartheid laws. Preventing this kind of situation in other nations with internal strife is a goal that should be attained. Banning any national laws forcing the segregation of groups would help move towards that goal. The UN should also consider aiding South Africa in purging corrupt officials from their government. Corruption can be difficult to weed out, and the UN may have the authority to do so. During this session of the Security Council, Bulgaria would also like to discuss UN aid to any nation with economic hardships that South Africa is presumably facing. The United Nations must do everything in its power to prevent atrocities such as those that were present in South Africa for so many decades and help provide a better future for their nation.
The United States of America is one that agrees with the concept of equal opportunity and has made strides of their own against segregation and inequality in the past few decades. The whole of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization would most likely agree with Bulgaria that measures must be taken to ensure this scale of segregation must not occur in the future. However, some areas in the world may feel that it is not the right of the UN to handle restructuring of the South African government or any domestic policy. More isolationist cultures will see this as overstepping the UN’s boundaries and disagree with any type of UN aid to faltering nations. Many Eastern European nations will side with Bulgaria’s stance on end of Apartheid goals of the UN.
Topic 3: Collapse of the USSR
Considering the deficiencies in the Soviet Union’s ability to govern itself along with the shortcomings in its ability to exercise control over its satellite states leading to its downfall, Bulgaria has been swept up with the wave of democratization sweeping through Eastern Europe. With debt and unemployment at peak heights, Bulgaria recognizes a need for more economic independence and freedom. In our transition to a market economy, this nearly unprecedented movehas been quite cumbersome. Bulgaria recognizes a need for industrial modernization, remedies for growing unrest in factories and failing industrial competition, and a general push towards healthy capitalism. Implementing more efficient democratic elections gearing towards lessened communist and socialist influence is also a measure that Bulgaria believes will provide a foundation for a new chapter of democracy and economic prosperity in our nation along with developments in Bulgarian military.
This transition from an established socialist economy based highly in agriculture to a market economy consisting of a more fully developed industrial backbone is quite rare and as such, will need external assistance in its implementation. Considering the critical economic hardships our country is facing, the need for measures to bolster our developments in our transitions is equally critical. Bulgaria thereby asks for aid in creating the legal basis for ownership, the legal framework for foreign investment, and programs for de-monopolization so as to facilitate competition.Advisors to better prepare our Agency of Privatization in carrying out its duties is also looked upon.Guidelines and measures to ensure the new tradition of a well rooted democratic structure as apposed to a socialist one is a necessity under which Bulgaria hopes to align itself.
Bulgaria would like to look to its western allies for aid in pushing the policies mentioned above through. Of these allies, most notably is the United States requested to help. Since Bulgaria’s push towards democracy, the US has provided consistent aid in our modernization such as the Support for East European Democracies (SEED) Act in 1989 and institutions such as the American University in Bulgaria, Peace Corps, and Fulbright Program. The US sees Bulgaria as a potential military ally should we develop our armed forces so we ask for more aid with regards to this. Bulgaria is also looking towards countries from its newfound alliances such as those within NATO and EU for assistance. A new modernized and western orientated Bulgaria would aid the US and many of these countries through newfound trade and Bulgarian favor.
Sources
1. Elenkov, Ivan, and Daniela Koleva. "Historiography in Bulgaria After the Fall of Communism: Did "The Change" Happen?" May 23, 2013 <
2. "US Relations with Bulgaria" US Department of State. January 7, 2013. May 24, 2013 <
3. Levenson, Alfred. "Bulgaria's Transition to a Market Economy " May 24, 2013 <
4. Handley , John . "Bulgaria and the 1990 Gulf War Coalition" American Diplomacy . July 2002. May 22, 2013 <
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