Position Paper

I.Territorial disputes over the South China Sea

The South China Sea is the site of several complex territorial disputes that have been the cause of
conflict and tension within the region and throughout the Indo-Pacific. Territorial disputes in the South
China Sea involve both island and maritime claims among several sovereign states within the region,
namely Brunei, the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), Malaysia, the Philippines,
and Vietnam.
The interests of different nations include acquiring fishing areas, the potential exploitation of suspected
crude oil and natural gas under the waters of various parts of the South China Sea and the strategic
control of important shipping lanes.
Although Greece is not directly involved in the matter there is a similar dispute between Greece and
Turkey known as the Aegean dispute, which has had a large effect on Greek-Turkish relations since the
1970s. Regarding Greeces position on the whole set of topics in that case, it views them as separate and
purely legal issues, requiring only the application of existing principles of international law. Up to the late
1990s, the only avenue of conflict resolution that Greece deemed acceptable was to submit the issues
separately to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China on 1 October 1949, the Chinese Government has
been consistently and actively maintaining its sovereignty over the South China Sea Islands. Both the
Declaration of the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Territorial Sea of 1958 and the
Law of the People's Republic of China on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone of 1992 expressly
provide that the territory of the People's Republic of China includes, among others, the Dongsha Islands,
the Xisha Islands, the Zhongsha Islands and the Nansha Islands. All those acts affirm China's territorial
sovereignty and relevant maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea.
Unfortunately, although the UNCLOS(United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) has plenty to say
about the maritime disagreements, there is nothing in it to resolve sovereignty disputes over land and no
chance that the claimants will submit their claims to the International Court of Justice or another
arbitration body.
To this day, there have been several armed clashes between nations in the South China Sea, resulting in
the death of many civilians in the area, which is to be considered an alarm signal to nations all around the
world, whether they are directly involved or not.
Greece recognizes the fact that each country in the region should have to benefit from the eventual
measures taken to overcome this matter. Therefore, Greece suggests the dispute should be settled
peacefully, making use of the international law where possible and acknowledging each countrys rightful
territorial claims, taking into account historical and economic data.

II.Reducing Trade Barriers

Trade barriers represent government-induced restrictions on international trade and economists generally
agree that trade barriers are detrimental and decrease overall economic efficiency.
Free trade is encouraged by a number of agreements and organizations set up to monitor trade policies.
The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) encourages free trade by regulating and reducing
tariffs and by providing a forum for resolving disputes. This highly successful initiative achieved
substantial reductions in tariffs and quotas, and in 1995, its members founded the World Trade
Organization (WTO), which encourages global commerce and lower trade barriers, enforces international
rules of trade, and provides a forum for resolving disputes.
Also, in 2015 the International Trade Centre launched NTM Business Surveys, a database listing nontariff barriers from company perspectives to help users identify regulatory and procedural obstacles to
trade in 23 developing countries.
World gains from eliminating existing global trade barriers are in the hundreds of billion annually with
approximately one-third of these gains accruing to developing countries, the World Bank reports. This
represents more than twice the annual flow of aid developing countries receive.
In the case of Greece, its trade deficit declined by 10% of GDP between 2007 and 2012, removing one of
the great economic imbalances of the pre-crisis years. This reduction was achieved exclusively through
import compression while exports fell over that period, which worsened the economic crisis.
Since 2009, however, policymakers and the public have focused almost exclusively on the budget deficit
and scant attention has been paid to the trade deficit. The budget deficit was rapidly reduced but the trade
balance remains a problem: it has declined by less than other countries and the pattern of improvement
creates concerns about its sustainability. Specifically, the reduction of the trade deficit was driven
exclusively by lower imports while exports have actually fallen since the crisis erupted which suggests
that Greece is not adjusting to the post-crisis economic environment.
A greater and more sustained effort to deepen the integration of developing countries into the global
trading system through lower trade costs and fewer barriers between countries is essential to eliminating
extreme poverty, according to a joint World Bank Group and World Trade Organization report released on
June 30, 2015.
In conclusion, Greece believes that trade as a key enabler of developing country growth, recognizing that
efforts to lower trade barriers will need to be complemented by efforts to maximize gains for the poor.

III.Post-conflict recovery

Post-conflict reconstruction aims at the consolidation of peace and security and the attainment of
sustainable socio-economic development in a war-shattered country.
The challenges faced by post-conflict countries are more serious in several respects than those faced by
poor but peaceful developing countries. They include severely weakened state capacity, destroyed
physical, human and social capital, distorted economic incentives, widespread poverty and massive

unemployment. Some also have to cope with criminal networks that plunder their resources, and former
warlords who resist relinquishing power. These conditions place war-torn countries at continuing risk of
relapsing into violent conflict.
Coping with this issue, however, poses significant challenges requiring assistance from the international
community. This is why the United Nations (UN) system places such great emphasis on supporting
different facets of conflict prevention and recovery and peacebuilding efforts in so many countries.
Integral to this agenda is the United Nations Development Programmes (UNDP) work, together with UN
and other development partners, on supporting countries in the aftermath of conflicts through activities
such as helping to restore livelihoods, shelter and government capacities.
The first port of call for post-conflict countries that are embarking on economic recovery programs is the
donor community (primarily bilateral and multilateral institutions) and the first goal is always
regularization. Organizations like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund cannot do business
with countries having outstanding debts, so a critical part of the regularization involves debt relief. This
would be the case of Greece, where, deep cuts are likely to contract the economy and make growth less
likely, supposing it would have to resort to post-conflict recovery measures.
Although not facing with the need for post-conflict recovery measures, Greece is going through a period
of economic recovery. Therefore, Greece acknowledges that the international community should strive to
identify acceptable options, measures and objectives in order to boost recovery in post-conflict areas.