C.P.R. Cooperation Prevention Resilience
The world at breaking point: truth or dare?
“Out of immense suffering, we have a once-in-a-lifetime window of opportunity,
… a window that could rapidly close. We have therefore reached an important
inflection point in history — a genuine moment of truth.”
António Guterres, UN Secretary General
This year’s ATSMUN theme is inspired by the urgency with which we need to tackle contemporary world issues. The title is based on a pun of the CPR, the first-aid life-saving medical technique, which has been turned into a three-fold potentially world-saving change of mindset, based on the principles of collaboration, prevention and resilience.
As António Guterres says, we are facing a turning point in history. Conflicts are escalating, wars are raging on. Millions of people worldwide are being denied their rights to the necessities of life, such as health, safety, protection against disease, clean water to drink, a plate of food, or a seat in a school, because of poverty, prejudice, violence, and exclusion. Famine, floods, fires, and excessive heat are just a few of the terrible repercussions of a changing climate that endanger our very life. In order to cope with these challenges and work towards reconstructing our world, there is an urgent need for cooperation, prevention, and resilience building.
No country can overcome these challenges alone; only by working together can the international community hope to make substantial progress. In particular, environmental crises like climate change require global cooperation and a collective effort to address their root causes. Similarly, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown how important international cooperation is in managing a public health crisis.
Secondly, prevention is key to avoiding crises before they even start. This means taking proactive steps to address the root causes of these issues, rather than simply reacting to their consequences. Prevention measures can include initiatives such as investment in education, economic development, risk reduction and public health programs. Such steps can help mitigate the risks and reduce the impact of any potential crisis on individuals and communities alike.
Lastly, building resilience is vital to ensuring that countries and communities can withstand and recover from crises when they do occur. Resilience can be built through a variety of means such as strengthening social safety nets, improving infrastructure, and investing in disaster preparedness programs. Such measures can help ensure that individuals and communities are better equipped to cope with the shock and impact of any crisis.
The world is in need of a profound change in perspective. We must work together, take proactive measures to prevent crises before they occur, and strengthen our social and physical infrastructure to build a more resilient world. Only in this way can we ensure a stable future for ourselves and future generations. The choice is ours to make; we need to act now, otherwise we may not have this chance again.
The ATSMUN Organising Team
