Topic: 2024-Indiscriminate Weapons
Country: India
Delegate Name: Anish Kulkarni
As stated by the Red Cross, Indiscriminate Weapons are weapons that cannot be directed at a specific military target, or if its effects cannot be controlled. The Republic of India, a nation deeply committed to peace and international stability, has always championed disarmament and the regulation of weapons that cause indiscriminate harm. India’s defense policies in this matter are firmly rooted in adhering to international humanitarian law. As a nation deeply committed to the principles of nonviolence and equity, We approach this issue of indiscriminate weapons with a nuanced perspective rooted in its unique geopolitical realities and historical experiences. While we aspire to a world free of weapons that cause indiscriminate harm, our policy on retaining certain defensive capabilities must be in regard. We firmly believe that disarmament must be equitable, inclusive, and universally implemented to ensure the safety and sovereignty of all nations.
Historically our nation has seen the dangers of these weapons. In 2019 cluster bombs were used in civilian areas in the Poonch and Tajouri sectors in our Line of Control. We are also seeing this currently in our territories of Jammu and Kashmir with cross-border infiltration threats causing significant casualties on 15.6 million people. Due to these atrocities, The Republic of India deems it plausible to use indiscriminate weapons to define the lines of national sovereignty with surrounding nations when physical barriers are insufficient.
However, because we value humanitarian law, We follow multiple international safety protocols to use these such as marking mined areas, maintaining minefield records, and removing mines when the situation stabilizes; as we modernize as a nation we are stepping back on reliance on these weapons and are becoming more reliant on broader security measures such as fencing, sensors, and surveillance technology. Additionally, We are a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and the first country to meet the destruction deadlines set under the treaty. We are also a party to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) which seeks to ban or restrict weapons that cause unnecessary suffering or have indiscriminate effects.
India, therefore, recommends multiple solutions to the DISEC Committee of the UN. Firstly we would emphasize that all nations adopt the No First Use (NFU) Nuclear Doctrine, stating that nations will not use nuclear weapons unless first attacked with them, serving their sole purpose as a deterrent. Secondly, India recommends that the UN strengthen the CCW’s framework to include emerging technologies such as cyber warfare and expand its regulations on indiscriminate weapons. Thirdly, India would urge the UN to prioritize a phased approach to global disarmament under strict international oversight in a systematic and equitable manner.
