Economic and Social Council

TOPICS

Topic A: Dealing with the Brain Drain Phenomenon in Developing Countries

The colloquial term “Brain Drain”, more formally known as “Human Capital Flight”, refers to the phenomenon of qualified or highly trained people leaving their countries behind in pursuit of better standards of living. Several factors precipitate brain drain on the geographic level including political instability, poor quality of life, limited access to health care, and a shortage of economic opportunity.

The ongoing Puerto Rican debt crisis in 2019 is illustrative of the impact of growing concern regarding brain drain, considering that the exodus of skilled medical professionals hit the island hard. The ECOSOC Committee has acknowledged this vexed issue, taking the stance that international cooperation is of the essence to solve the matter, and we are looking forward to hearing what the delegates’ points of view are.

Topic B: Addressing the Issue of Shadow Economies

The shadow economy of a state, also called underground or informal, encompasses all illegal and unreported activities that produce income and do not contribute to the Gross Domestic Product of said state. International concern is rising as new studies show that the average size of the shadow economy is 31%, with the lowest point in Austria (8%) and its peak in Bolivia (60%).

This also sheds light on the legal loopholes that are exploited, and on excessive regulation and tax burden, which are considered to be the main reasons why the underground economy came to life in the first place. With all these in mind, we are looking forward to seeing how the delegates of the ECOSOC Committee solve the matter at hand.

Country Matrix:

Canada	Nigeria	South Africa
Colombia	Pakistan	Switzerland
France	Panama	United Arab Emirates
Greece	People’s Republic of China	Ukraine
India	Philippines	United Kingdom
Kenya	Romania	United States of America
Mexico	Russian Federationn Federation