The United Kingdom has written a resolution within GA 1 that solely promotes NGOs as a resource for protecting water resources in impoverished countries. Titled The Euro-African Plan, it is a resolution that comprises of both short and long solutions, including temporary water filtration to prevent chemicals such as Agent Orange from contaminating water to providing money to countries whose water resources are at risk being of terrorists’ chemical weapon attacks. “We will be taking the reins due to our financial background,” the delegate from the UK said. “We are affiliated with NGOs and will fund through them instead of us cutting a check to the countries.”
In order to promote this plan, the delegate from the UK enlisted representatives from Austria, France, and the Central African Republic, all who have added clauses of their own to the resolution draft. The funds gained by the plan will go towards creating a peace corps to help with local surveillance and infrastructure practices. In addition to funneling money to African nations through NGOs, the plan will create economic enclaves that will rotate throughout the continent, a measure that both Austria and France say will prevent corruption and neocolonialism. These additions were a nod to the Belt and Road Initiative, which was introduced to counter the United Kingdom’s.
“[China] is appalled at these accusations of neocolonialism and imperialism,” the delegate from China said. China heralded the Belt and Road Initiative, which focuses on funding a base infrastructure for underdeveloped nations. It has implemented this plan previously in territories in the South China Sea, and claims that it has been effective. While it doesn’t fund the developing countries directly, the delegate from China compared it to “putting a wing over them,” and emphasized the mutual relationship it fosters. “While it’s for self-interest, it is also for developing nations,” the delegate from China said.
Egypt, a country that is deciding between which plan to support, would rather go through with The Euro-African Plan over the Belt and Road Initiative. Even though the delegate from Egypt recognized that China is a rich country, she preferred the duality of solutions provided in the United Kingdom’s Plan, which allows for immediate independence from first-world countries.
“Some [of China’s policies] I don’t agree with,” she said. “But the UK, I can relate to. They are trying to help the long term goals. They can impact Africans today.”