Matthew


 * 1) Identify their character. (1 pt)
 * 2) Identify the country which their character represents - with particular attention to the state's geography, economy, population, and social structure. (1)
 * 3) Identify the character's previous occupation and other pertinent background information. (2)
 * 4) Identify 3 references that reflect your character's ideas. (Basically, who supports your positions?) These references could be chosen from among the list of debate participants. Should you use someone outside the list, please see me before you submit your resume. (4)
 * 5) How does your character measure against these four benchmarks?
 * 6) Safety and Rule of Law (3)
 * 7) Participation and Human Rights (3)
 * 8) Sustainable Economic Opportunity (3)
 * 9) Human Development (3)
 * 10) * This section of the resume is going to be different for each individual. Essentially, you're going to try and tie your character to certain themes present in modern Africa. This information is more thoroughly explained on the Mo Ibrahim website.
 * 11) Become totally familiar with the character's arguments.


 * Name: Mark Bowden **

Somalia, a country located in the Horn of Africa, with a population of over 10 million people. It is a country of plateaus, plains, and highlands with hot conditions and irregular rainfall. This is a major contributor to the food security problems found there. The country is populated by mostly Somali which control the country through the Somali Democratic Republic in the absence of a central government. The unstable civilian government had lead to problems before finally collapsing at the start of the Somali Civil War. It began in 1991, when a coalition of clan-based armed opposition groups ousted the nation's long-standing military government and the conflict is still continuing today, 22 years later.
 * Country Representing: **

Mr. Bowden previously served as Director of Civil Affairs in the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) and as Chief of the Policy Development and Studies Branch in the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. From 1999 to 2001 he was Conflict Management Adviser for Africa in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of United Kingdom. Earlier in his career, Mr. Bowden worked for Save the Children Fund, including as Country Director in Bangladesh, Head of Regional Office for East Africa and Africa Director.
 * Previous Experience: **


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">References: **
 * 1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">UN (United Nations) - Is a leading member of the UN for Somali relief efforts
 * 2) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Save the Children - A previous member of Save the Children and is doing work that follows their ideals for creating better lives for the people there.
 * 3) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Somali Government - Is providing aid for the people of the country in a time of need.


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Benchmarks: **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The issue of food security is closely related to the concept of Domestic Armed Conflict since the problem has persisted from a civil war ongoing in Somalia for years. This conflict means the Somali government can’t put as much funds towards feeding the people because of the rebel terrorist groups. The regions occupied by the terrorist groups prevent certain relief aid groups from coming in to help since they belief that the groups have ulterior motives. Since the large drought in Eastern Africa in 2011 the al-Sahbaah has let more groups like the one Mark Bowden is part of, into these areas while still keeping others out. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The food security combined with the war has made many civilians flee into neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia. The war keeps the famine from being worked on so it’s starting to follow the refugees into Kenya and Ethiopia. So not only is the war effecting Somalia, it’s influencing the entire eastern africa regions.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Safety and Rule of Law: **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">While food security doesn’t directly affect the people of Somalia rights, the instability of it does. When you combine the famine with the ongoing civil war in Somalia, the government has a lot to do with limited funds and time. The unstable government has no power to enforce the rights so they are little more than words on a paper. The government has imposed <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">martial law, freedom of speech, press, assembly, association, religion, and movement throughout the country. They banned any form of political demonstration and outlawed opposition parties. There is also not any guaranteed right to privacy. Police brutality has escalated to torture even being used on civilians. All throughout the country to unstable government due to famine and civil war is unable to provide all the human rights the people deserve. The human rights situation is getting better though as the TNG has granted more civil rights to people, including the discriminated against women.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Participation and Human Rights: **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The economic situation over in Somalia is actually better than one might expect. The economy is growing quite rapidly but the people still live on less than 1 US dollar a day. The money is used to fuel the war leaving only so much to help the relief of the famine. Since most of the people are nomadic with livestock that helps counteract the food shortage since they can produce their own. The rainfall was more than anticipated for 2012 so the crops and livestock have begun to be plentiful again. The economy has mostly survived due to the coastal location allowing for easy transportation of goods around the world. Even with the healthy economy the problems there are taking their toll and the debt is rising each year.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sustainable Economic Opportunity: **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Somalia’s human development is one of the lowest in the world. The people there feel like they have a right to education and a job but the government can’t provide for them. Education isn’t prioritized of the much larger issues in the country. Unemployment is at 54% throughout the country which has risen since 2001. 60% of all the youth there want to leave the country to try to find better living conditions. The country has so little opportunities that according to the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, Somalia is ranked to lowest in all four of these categories in all of Africa. The health and welfare systems are basically much non existent due to the lack of food needed to keep the rising population feed. Somalia’s water supply and sanitation (WSS) sector <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">hardly exists outside of the relatively stable Somaliland and Puntland regions. The remaining two thirds of the country is devoid of any real WSS institutional organization or oversight. Most Somalis obtain water from boreholes and shallow wells that get contaminated by nearby latrines. Water was already scarce in the country with is hot climate and limited rainy season. All this unclean water has caused water based diseases to start to get a foothold in the country.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Human Development: **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Works Cited

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"CSIRO." Facing Africa's Food Security Challenges. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2013.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Food Security." WHO. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2013.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Secretary-General Appoints Mark Bowden of United Kingdom Deputy SpecialRepresentative for Afghanistan." UN News Center. UN, 21 Sept. 2012. Web. 01 Mar. 2013.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Somalia Human Development Report 2012: Empowering Youth for Peace and Development." Somalia Human Development Report 2012. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2013.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Tran, Mark. "Top UN Official Warns of Continued Risk of Famine in Somalia." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 16 Jan. 2012. Web. 01 Mar. 2013.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Welcome to the United Nations: It's Your World." UN News Center. UN, n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2013.