FORUM: General Assembly QUESTION OF: Multinational Corporations and Development SPONSOR: Argentina The General Assembly, Keeping

in mind that development today is linked to the globalization of businesses and the emergence of the Multinational Corporations (MNCs), Noting with regret that many Multinational Corporations exploit their workers, support child labour, oppose environmental laws and encourage pollution to save money, damage social networks, establish sweatshop production, and initiate the unequal distribution of wealth, Deeply disturbed by the fact the MNCs earned more money than the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of an entire country and simultaneously possess great power to influence communities and states, Realizing that in the process of urbanization, many people move into cities in order to find jobs with MNCs, which result in dense populations, unsanitary living conditions and greater use of automobiles and energy resources, which contribute to pollution in the atmosphere, Confident that Member States will be able to find a general consensus, 1. Requests that Lesser Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs), where MNCs have their production facilities, demand a minimum wage, or if already present, increase it; 2. Further requests that production facilities that produce hazardous emissions must be secured by, but not limited to, authoritative supervisors; 3. Urges Corporations and companies to a. treat each worker with equality, respect, and dignity eliminating: i) direct or indirect physical abuse, ii) sexual, racial, psychological, verbal, or any other harassment, iii) intimidation or degrading treatment, b. establish a work environment in which it is clear that such discrimination will not be tolerated with consequences such as revoking the operating license of the corporation; 4. Encourages for the creation of security arrangements for MNCs, sponsored by the United Nations to observe the law and standards of affected countries to ensure that the laws do not conflict with the international, environmental, or human rights; 5. Supports MNCs like Nike and Adidas that: a. dont pollute in order to save money, b. dont damage social networks, c. dont establish sweatshop productions that lead to local poverty, d. discourage and act against child labor,

e. oppose the unequal distribution of wealth; 6. Proclaims that the MNCs using child labor must create and implement a plan to eliminate child labor by: a. determining what will happen to the children who are no longer employed in the company, b. including drastic measures to withdraw children from the workplace, c. granting opportunities for education, social protection, and protection against poverty for the children and their families by: i) giving them an opportunity to employ older family members; ii) establishing education centers; 7. Calls for all corporations to make a code of conduct that takes adequate measures, stated in these guidelines, which will be approved and enforced by UN organs and organizations such as but not limited to UNICEF, Red Cross, and Peace Corps; 8. Trusts companies to respect environmental standards such as the prevention of: a) air pollution, b) water pollution, c) land use, d) hazardous wastes; 9. Further recommends MNCs to take appropriate measures in their activities to reduce the risk of accidents and damage to the environment by adopting innovative technologies that decrease dangerous environmental effects; 10. Decides to remain actively seized on this matter.