The intention of UNA-Spain is to focus the debate in two areas where, on one hand, the relevance and importance of the suggested issues, and on the other hand, the controversy of the proposed topics, would make of these conferences both a challenge and an incentive for the participants. The will of the Association is to achieve a notorious representation of Asian countries, China and India in particular, as they are the main topic of the conferences and they could not only complement the information, but also add a first hand vision on the questions to be raised.
The topics of debate that the Association is proposing are the following:
Human Rights: economic growth or respect to human rights?
China and India are two giants at the economic level and top powers on the commercial area; in addition to that, they have high rates of growth (especially China). For all those reasons, both countries are nowadays two of the most important ones in the world. However, this economic leadership poses notables doubts on the field of human rights. At the moment, the most well-known case is the Chinese one, which perhaps is taking even more importance due to the celebration of the Olympic Games. But, despite the existing differences, both countries raise similar situations: an enormous disparity on the growth among each country, alarming levels of poverty, deplorable work conditions in general terms, and a worrying situation regarding social rights. These elements demonstrate a view that questions the “benefits” of this economic growth: Are these countries really progressing? Or is this growing, that only reaches certain sectors of the population, against human rights?
Environment: development or sustainability?
The environmental question, which is closely related to the growth of a country, raises several exciting dichotomies. First of all, are China and India developing countries or can we consider them as developed ones? Secondly, on the subject of environment, even if they are considered developing countries; can they be compared, concerning their “pollution potential”, to the countries that are usually deemed as developing ones? These are not irrelevant questions; in fact, depending on the answer, direct effects at a global level would be raised as a result. And that is another element to add to the debate: In consequence of the elevated power of these two countries, could the rest of the world assume the environmental risk that China and India represent? Is that risk more or less important than the right of being developed? Then, should the development be considered from another point of view?
anim id est laborum
Useful links:
China and India general information documents from the Library of Congress of the US
http://countrystudies.us/india/
http://countrystudies.us/china/
Human Rights:
Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights.
China: www.ohchr.org/EN/countries/AsiaRegion/Pages/CNIndex.aspx
India: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/countries/AsiaRegion/Pages/INIndex.aspx
United Nations Special Rapporteur reports 2008. Human Rights in China
www.falunhr.org/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1696&Itemid=0
India. Report of the Special Rapporteur on torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/commission/torture94/cat-india.htm
UNICEF. The State of Asia-Pacific’s Children 2008
http://www.unicef.org/sapc08/docs/SAPC_Full_Report.pdf
Tibet Justice Centre. (includes United Nations Briefing Papers)
www.tibetjustice.org/reports/index.html
Human Rights watch
China: http://hrw.org/doc/?t=asia&c=china
India: http://hrw.org/doc/?t=asia&c=india
HRW publication “Hidden Apartheid Caste Discrimination against India’s Untouchables””
http://www.hrw.org/reports/2007/india0207/index.htm
Amnesty Internacional reports
India: http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/asia-and-pacific/south-asia/india#report
China: http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/asia-and-pacific/east-asia/china#report
Asian Centre for Human Rights
www.achrweb.org/
South Asia Human Rights Index
http://www.achrweb.org/reports/SAARC-2008.pdf
UC Berkeley Library. Human Rights in South asia
www.lib.berkeley.edu/SSEAL/SouthAsia/humanrights.html
US Department of State Report on Human rights Practices
China: www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78771.htm
India: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61707.htm
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
www.sipri.org/
Asia in Global security
http://anniversary.sipri.org/HLE/masako.html
Environment:
UNDP China Annual Report 2006
http://www.undp.org.cn/downloads/keydocs/AnnualReport2006.pdf
United Nations Environment Programme Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific. Regions and countries reports.
http://www.rrcap.unep.org/
China Environment Forum
www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?topic_id=1421&fuseaction=topics.documents&group_id=233293
article "Repercusiones de la fábrica del mundo sobre el medio ambiente y la salud humana" www.wilsoncenter.org/topics/docs/044 TURNER-ELLIS.pdf (It's in Spanish but it's worth to have a look)
Article “China, India and the Doubling of the Global Labor Force: who pays the price of globalization?”
http://hussonet.free.fr/freeman5.pdf
article ”China, India, and Brazil: activists debate climate change”
http://www.opendemocracy.net/globalization-climate_change_debate/article_2520.jsp
Greenpace article “IEA projections on energy in China and India fail to reflect future reality of combating climate change”
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/press/releases/iea-projections-on-energy-in-c
Book “Dancing with Giants: China, India, and the Global Economy”
http://books.google.es/books?hl=es&lr=&id=foqqed2TPz8C&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=china+india&ots=YQ2CdnVKma&sig=nRkT1BYjD6sB6XEXssdmtAEJ09o#PPP1,M1
World Bank’s report “The International Balance Sheets of China and India”
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTCHIINDGLOECO/Resources/kflows_lane_march29.pdf
World Bank’s article “China, India and the World Economy”
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTCHIINDGLOECO/Resources/Srinivasan-China_India_and_the_WE_03-15-06.doc
World Bank’s report “Cost of Pollution in China: Economic Estimates of Physical Damages”
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTEAPREGTOPENVIRONMENT/Resources/China_Cost_of_Pollution.pdf
Book” The Chinese Economy After WTO Accession”
http://books.google.es/books?hl=es&lr=&id=EczmMiC2HO8C&oi=fnd&pg=PA273&dq=china+india&ots=yikimX7N3-&sig=YER9ToLE-BY9NeLxP0dQq2ORNl4#PPR6,M1
Social Science Research Network article “Global Growth and Distribution: Are China and India China and India Reshaping the World? ”
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1029852
Comparative study of China and India
http://www.icainstitute.org/ijeb/Jorge%20Martinez-Vazquez.pdf
Deloitte’s comparative study
http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/cda/doc/content/US_ChinaIndiaReality_Research.pdf
Worldwatch institute. “State of the World 2006: China and India Hold World in Balance”
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/3893
world energy outlook.
http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/2007.asp
The econimst. Article about China, India and climate change
http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=11488548
Environment Statistics Country Snapshot: China and India
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/environment/envpdf/Country%20Snapshots_apr2007/China.pdf
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/environment/envpdf/Country%20Snapshots_apr2007/India.pdf
Summary of the Greenpeace report about China
http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/china/en/reports/summary.pdf