Topic: Status of Defense Contractors and Non-National Combatants
Country: Canada
Delegate Name: Christina Jackson
School: Forest Hills Eastern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Canada position papers GLIMUN 2008 committees
Currently, numerous complications have escalated globally due to the status of defense contractors and non-national combatants. The ambiguous agreements made on the topic at the Geneva Conventions and the UN Mercenary Convention of 1989 leave the agreements open to translation when concerning the status of the captured contractor. Although multitudinous countries disagree upon the status of defense contractors and non-national combatants, Canada supports American based companies such as Blackwater when situations arise where protection is necessary.
Despite Canada’s lack of use non-national combatants, and as an ally of the United States of America, Canada supports the use of non-national combatants in an organized fashion. Canada also supports the decision made by the US of no supporting or ratifying Protocol I found in article 47.c agreed upon and created at the Geneva Conventions. However, in order to avoid such arguments and for further clarification, Canada would like to request that more specific regulations are to be placed upon the classifying of non-national combatants and the status of defense contractors to avoid future misunderstandings and confusion.
Canada proposes that the terms unofficial combatants and “illegal enemy combatants” be clearly defined for eventual use. The ambiguity presented between legal enemy combatants and illegal enemy combatants has caused this topic to be highly controversial. Although status of defense contractors and non-national combatants do not affect Canada directly, Canada would like to remain loyal to its ally, the United States of America, and request that a concrete definition of each be created, therefore, obtaining a better understanding of what different countries, specifically the United States, military contractors will be classified as.
