Topic: 2024-Indiscriminate Weapons
Country: Canada
Delegate Name: Shep Bowert
Disarmament and International Security Committee
Indiscriminate Weapons
Canada
Shep Bower
Forest Hills Eastern
An Indiscriminate weapon can be defined as a weapon deemed to have indiscriminate effects either because of the way it is used or the inherent characteristics of the weapon. Examples of indiscriminate weapons include landmines, cluster bombs, and chemical agents. These weapons are particularly dangerous to society because they fail to differentiate between military personnel and civilians. Indiscriminate Weapons have been heavily employed since World War 2, and they continue to kill multitudes of civilians including attacks in Ukraine, Syria, and Yemen. Also, indiscriminate weapons like landmines have long-lasting impacts on civilizations due to explosive remnants of War (ERW) that still kill thousands of civilians each year.
In the late 20th century, multiple treaties including the Ottawa Treaty (which banned mines) and the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) were adopted to protect civilians from these dangerous weapons, however, there is an ongoing use of cluster munitions in densely populated areas during conflicts currently, and there is a lack of universal adherence to these treaties.
Canada has been a major advocate for the ban on indiscriminate weapons and has played a large role in addressing the humanitarian impact of these weapons. Canada hosted the Ottawa Convention in which they banned mines by creating the Ottawa Treaty in 1997, and Canada was one of the prime movers behind the Ottawa Treaty itself, which created a global standard for disarmament and civilian protection. In addition to its major role in the Ottawa treaty, Canada was also a key supporter of the CCM, which prohibits the use of cluster bombs. Also, Canada has provided funding to Countries like Afghanistan which are affected heavily by indiscriminate weapons, and global mine action programs across the globe. Canada wants to focus on the humanitarian impacts of these weapons and emphasize the protection of civilians in conflict zones from indiscriminate weapons.
to ensure civilian protection, Canada proposes a multilateral approach to address the threat these indiscriminate weapons impose. First, Canada calls for universal adherence to the Ottawa Treaty and the CCM because, with universal adherence to these treaties, the indiscriminate weapons themselves would be banned. Second, Canada proposes that the UN should ensure that countries take accountability for their actions by creating a new global tribunal that will punish countries that are found using these indiscriminate weapons. Finally, Canada calls for the UN to increase funding for humanitarian aid, since there are still many active ERWs in countries and indiscriminate weapons being used. Canada looks forward to working with its fellow delegates to create a solution for this problem.
