Download Committee: G-20

Committee: G-20
Country: Argentina
Delegates: Maura Rocks, Blinne Sweeney
Topic 1: Reforming the International Monetary Fund for Global Education
A century ago, Argentina had a booming and bustling economy filled with prosperity. The 21 st century,
however, has provided Argentina with a slew of economic maladies, including high inflation and
external debt. In 2001, the most severe economic crisis to ever hit Argentina occurred, leaving the
country’s economy, government, and social order in shambles. By 2002, more than half of
Argentineans, a whopping 60%, were living under the poverty line. Argentina, with the help of the
International Monetary Fund (IMF), began to rebuild, gaining back an average of 8.5% GDP per year,
growing into one of the largest and most powerful economies in the world, and thus a member of the G20.
In terms of education, Argentina reports a high a very high literacy rate of over 97% and an average of
16 completed years of schooling. The Argentinean school system is one that is very unique and
specialized, and it is one that boasts high performance rates across the boards. Funding for Argentinean
schools is excellent, yet certain under-populated, remote areas of Argentina remain below education
standards.
In the present, Argentina has its focus directed on the members of the population who do not receive the
adequate amount of education needed to compete in the country's booming economy. These
impoverished Argentineans have no hope of eradicating themselves from this poverty without a basic
education. Argentina, additionally, does not want these impoverished people to fall into the dirty, illegal
drug-trafficking game. By working to improve school systems throughout the country and allocating
4.9% of the country's GDP to education, Argentina is on the right track to having a fully-educated and
literate population, yet, due to the world’s most recent recession, it is still in need of monetary aid to
equalize education throughout the country. The limited scope of Argentina’s educational problems,
however, has led the country to also consider aiding other Latin American countries, especially
neighboring countries and trade partners.
Argentina proposes the IMF allocate more money, not simply to the impoverished areas of Argentina,
but, more importantly, to Latin American countries who present a higher need. The International
Monetary Fund for Global Education has its goal in providing basic education to the world, yet it abides
by a strict, three-year loan policy and budget. Argentina believes that the only way the IMF will
successfully provide adequate education to the millions of uneducated people in the world is to repeal
this policy. For illiterate, uneducated citizens falling deeper into poverty, three years is an eternity to
wait for a change in the budget. Argentina believes that, while waiting for much-needed funding and
support, these citizens will fall deeper into poverty, or they will join the dangerous, illegal sport of drugtrafficking. Both situations are completely avoidable with the simple repeal of this specific IMF policy.
Argentina, additionally, believes fully in national sovereignty and recognizes the IMF’s loan practices as
being extremely limiting to benefitting countries. Through control of how the loans are spent in the
school systems, the IMF chokes the power of the government. Countries in need, especially in Latin
America, run the risk of receiving aid from the IMF and being suffocated by the strict code by with the
IMF abides. Argentineans, in retrospect, benefit from an amazing, unique, specialized school system,
and believe that all countries deserve proper, specialized education. If this constricting nature of IMF
lending were to be eased and, subsequently, transformed into a more flexible, accommodating policy,
Argentina may look favorably into lending money to the IMF in the future. Argentina believes,
moreover, that the IMF can be reformed and it must for the sake of the millions uneducated in the world.