October 15th, 2019 | UNEP passed Draft Resolution 1.1, which is a plan sponsored by the United Kingdom and other countries that extensively details preventative and reactionary measures that countries affected by droughts should enforce. While the bill competed with draft resolutions 1.2 and 1.3, which were introduced by countries like Kenya and Japan, the United Kingdom pointed out that their plan was the most economically feasible.
“With such expensive technologies, where would the funding come from?” the delegate from the United Kingdom said, in reference to draft resolutions that competed against hers.
A review of Draft Resolution 1.1 shows that what drew most support from the committee and garnered enough votes was the inexpensive nature of some of the clauses. The delegate from the United Kingdom highlighted the use of “shade balls”, a technology that “decreases evaporation by 99% in reservoirs, wells, and lakes.” This clause appealed to both undeveloped and developed nations, as the United States pointed out that even developed nations suffer from water shortages because of overuse. However, the United Kingdom said that the flexibility of the use of shade balls extends the benefits of this clause from lakes in underdeveloped nations to reservoirs in developed nations, bridging the gap between them.
The United Kingdom’s plan also depends on mutual support from countries, but it also ensures that clauses like the ”mutually beneficial resource loan[s]” would promote cooperation between developed nations and undeveloped nations. In order to prevent corruption, the plan includes a failsafe: a committee designed to keep countries accountable for what they spend. For example, if a country were to misuse funds intended for shade balls, they would be tracked extensively by the committee.
The United Kingdom also promoted cohesion between countries by detailing plans to have educators travel between borders, educating citizens on water conservation measures that would suit their specific location. Because of the accessibility and flexibility of the plan’s clauses, UNEP approved this draft resolution and is currently hearing others on the docket.