English Essays

Discursive Essay: United Nations Speech

Write a thought-provoking speech, to be delivered at a United Nations Youth conference in which you consider the defining struggles of our age.

His lifeless body cradled in a policeman's arms, a drowned boy, Alan Kurdi, on the beach became a symbol for the suffering of Syrian refugees and sparked the discussion of migration in today's society. This defining image, taken over a year ago, that promised to give the world a wakeup call; has it been pushed aside?

Welcome, you are the generation who can do something to solve the struggles of our age, to stop the deaths of innocent children who are seeking refuge, to stop the biased trade system. My name is Rebecca Robinson and I will be informing you of the inequalities that permeate our world today.

More than a million migrants and refugees crossed into Europe in 2015, initiating a crisis as countries struggled to cope with the influx, and created division in the EU over how best to deal with resettling people. The vast majority arrived by sea but some migrants have made their way over land. The flow of people has been unrelenting; with over 135,700 migrants reaching Europe by sea since the start of 2016, according to the UNHCR. Humanitarian solutions must be found to this ever-growing struggle of our time. In April 2016, Obama praised German Chancellor for being on, "The right side of history," with her open-border immigration policy. However, as Obama's presidency draws to a close, will America help this pressing issue of migration? Even the British Prime Minister, Theresa May has called for a 'hard Brexit' under which the country will be able to control who they let in and who they reject. Despite the agreements made by European countries to work together to help solve migration, several have redrawn and shadowed away from the commitment they once made.

The driving factor behind this is fear. Countries are in fear that they will be overwhelmed by the sheer number of migrants, which perhaps, is at the root of the problem of migration itself. People are not only concerned that migrants will take the government benefits they are given without working for it, but also that they themselves are paying for these welfare schemes through tax. The unfortunate and selfish fact is that people do not want their money spent on migrants. However, not all immigrants are searching for work or education, or simply a better standard of life. There are those who are fleeing their countries in fear of their own lives. Is it morally right to shut these scared, endangered, and desperate people out of our countries? Are we in a position to deny them life-saving food, water and shelter? This is why it is vital that we decide what type of immigration we want.

The ultimate solution is to resolve distress in other countries, such as Syria, where most of these refugees are coming from. However, peace is not simple, nor easy to achieve. We can't just completely push immigration to one side, something practical needs to be done about it. A system must be put in place in which people who are fleeing from countries at war are a priority. It is understandable that currently, migration is being handled in a disorganised manner, but limits need to be set, so that we can become organised. Equally, the issue of migration cannot be tackled by one individual country, or even Europe. It is the responsibility of countries worldwide.

Aside from refugees, there are immigrants trying to obtain a better job, education and higher standard of living. They think that if they move into a more developed country, with a more stable economy, that they will be better off. Is it wrong for someone to want this? The reason behind this want is the large gaps between the developed, developing and the underdeveloped countries. Among migration, another defining struggle of our age is unfair trade. Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Before you finish eating breakfast this morning you've depended on more than half the world," The half of the world we depend on is the poor half. These are countries with undeveloped industries that lack modern technology, yet they provide us with raw materials for our computers and phones. If we depend so much on the poor half of the world for everything we use, how is it that we are the rich ones?

Unfair trade is one of the reasons. In terms of working together to solve worldwide issues, trade is not a good example. These unfair agreements are set into motion by unfair negotiations. Naturally, there is a power imbalance between richer and poorer countries. Rich countries have been known to threaten to cut aid to poor countries if they vote against trade deals. Is it really too hard to believe that countries across the world cannot work with each other on equal terms? Although developed countries are threatening to cut aid, the majority of the countries on the other side of the deal would rather have more trade than aid itself. This lack of communication and injustice is why our endeavours to help the third world are failing.

We have to realise and admit that countries that we ourselves live in are not being fair to others. This is the first step to a viable solution. Trade between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific countries can lift people out of poverty, but only if it is governed by fair rules which allow the growth of industry and a higher standard of living in developing countries.

I hope this has given you something to think about and act upon. You are crucial to the solving of these problems. Without you, inequality and prejudice will persist in our society. Thank you for listening.