Tedi+ENV+2+Issues


 * Issue 1:** ** Review of the Kinshasa Declaration on Great Apes **

** The Kinshasa Declaration of Great Apes was signed on the ninth of September 2005 at a meeting in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, between the representatives, as listed on the Declaration itself, of “the great ape range States, donor and other States, international and intergovernmental organizations, academic and scientific communities, non-governmental organizations, industry and the private sector.” Moreover, the main aim of the Kinshasa Declaration, while not directly stated in the Declaration, is ultimately implied as being the preservation of the Great Apes. To clarify, the Great Apes are the species of animals placed under the Hominidae family, which include humans, chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, and gorillas. Evidently due to the nature of the organization it does not deal with humans but more specifically with the other apes of the family. **  ** Morocco itself has not signed the or ratified the Kinshasa Declaration on Great Apes, which from a diplomatic point of view is a sound gesture seeing as the great ape population of the nation is limited to parks and zoos. In fact, only 24 nations have signed this Declaration thereby avowing to protect the great apes. Nations which have signed include France, Spain, and the United States; some of Morocco’s largest trading allies. In terms, of the Kinshasa Declaration however, the largest threat to gorillas, while by some may be considered continuous human expansion, is actually the shooting, killing, and trapping of these animals. According to Ian Redmond, who works for the Great Ape Survival Partnership (GRASP) and was the UN Ambassador for the Year of the Gorilla in 2009, in a report conducted in cooperation with BBC Wildlife, he states that “the slaughter of gorillas for food rivals habitat degradation as the worst threat to the species’ survival.” This is because of the slow reproductive rate of the gorillas, for example if one were to shoot a silverback male than it might be “15 years before a subordinate male has grown up and taken its place.” Thus, in its efforts to then preserve the gorilla community, and in the ultimate hope of reviewing the Kinshasa Declaration, Morocco sees it as imperative for the review to tackle the issue of the illicit killings of such endangered animals by ultimately trying to impose stricter regulations into the accessibility of the gorilla’s natural habitats. **

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 * Issue 2: **Evaluating the water policy and strategy of the UNEP

Water, an obvious necessity to our survival due to the simple fact that we as organisms are composed of around 62% water and that most of the chemical reactions necessary for life happen in aqueous environments, is an important and very relevant issue to Morocco. In Morocco the rapid growth of the economy and demographic development, especially in the last two decades, accompanied by things such as urbanization, a growing industry, and a growing agricultural field, has indeed begun to stress its environmental and natural resources. This added stress has begun a process of increased degradation in natural resources such as fresh water. Now being labeled as a “water-stressed” nation, Morocco’s per capita supplies of water are decreasing and rural areas are of course getting less water. Additionally, this decrease in water supplies has caused major losses in irrigation as well as in the water drinking systems. Today about 20% of the world’s population lacks access to safe drinking water, and this high percentage, according to a UN World Water Development reporter can be blamed on environmental changes as well as a lack of resources in trying to better the issue. In 2006, the UNDP sought an extra 4 billion dollars a year to spend on its fresh water program, which goes to show the huge deficit that exists in providing water for all. Moreover, on a report released in 2006 by the UNDP, water-borne diseases kill more people than HIV/AIDs and malaria combined. In view of these issues, Morocco strongly believes that due to continuing global water issues, a review of the UNDP’s water policy is needed in order to increase its efficacy.