Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
STEM education is important to me and to you.
There is a sense of unification that has not been felt in any other committee, which seeps into every surface of the UNICEF committee. I believe it is because the purpose of this committee, the very reason for its existence, is to develop health and education targeted toward children. The future of the United Nations is dependent on how the children of today are being educated and raised, which is why the UNICEF committee takes its job very seriously and does so with passion.
In talking to the sponsors of the P.A.T.H.W.A.Y.S plan, they had the eagerness and intellect of true humanitarians. The delegates from Italy and Germany detailed an elaborate and comprehensive plan to deliver crucial STEM education to children worldwide. An anonymous fund would be established so that countries can donate to support the valiant efforts of NGOs, which in turn deliver support and educational material to their country, guaranteeing a high return on their investment. The tailoring of their plan to each individual country’s needs is a clever addition and ensures the universality of their plan. The People’s Republic of China already has exemplary educational programs in place, such as the 1986 Law on Nine-Year Compulsory Education. This law requires enrollment in an educational institution for all children ages 6-15 and ensures complete literacy for children by the time they turn 20. Overall, China’s views align with the mission of the P.A.T.H.W.A.Y.S plan.
Before I turned my time over to the sponsors of the C.A.R.E.S plan, I asked Italy a simple question: “What part of the C.A.R.E.S plan would you like to change?”. Her response shows how unified this committee is for children’s education. “I think that both plans offer a good pathway for all countries to develop and improve STEM education, infrastructure, and the status of the country as a whole. Although we have two plans, I believe that both of them can work together to help solve the education crisis”. When I began to talk to the delegates from France and the Russian Federation, countries that the great country of China does not typically align with, it was clear that the goal of the UNICEF committee could be understood universally, across language and cultural barriers, and across political divides. The C.A.R.E.S plan focuses on integrating refugees and displaced people into their host country, supplying them with the tools and support they need to improve their writing, language, and work skills. Implementing STEM and technical curriculums in communities and countries that need, it offers refugees and displaced people the opportunity to earn a degree that can then be used to contribute to the host countries’ workforce.
China strongly agrees that refugees should be encouraged to contribute to the overall prosperity of their host country, and does this by providing direct financial support to these individuals. This is intended to cover the essential food, shelter, and health needs of nearly 85% of the refugee population in the absence of other providers of assistance. China admits nearly 30x more refugees per year than the United States and hopes that the universal support and passion for assisting refugees and displaced persons continues and grow stronger in the future.