Topic: Combating the Spread of Small Arms and Light Weapons
Country: Central African Republic
Delegate Name: Grace Canfield
School: Williamston High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Central African Republic position papers GLIMUN 2014 committees
The most concerning issue relating to this topic is that the international community has found no comprehensive way to define the problem or the extent of the spread of small arms and light weapons. The guesses for the spread of small arms and light weapons put the amount of small arms at 640 to 850 million small arms existing worldwide. The spread of small arms presents such a pressing problem because while the actual spread is usually covert and hard to control or even to track, the havoc and destruction wreaked by small arms and light weapons is devastating, especially to unstable countries prone to civil wars or small-scale insurgencies.
The Central African Republic has a great interest in controlling the spread of small arms because Central Africans are arguably among the largest victims of small arms and light weapons. Our governmental system has become incredibly unstable due to insurgencies and coups staged behind small arms and light weapons, a majority of which were illegally obtained and are now being used nefariously to spread terror throughout our country. These arms are typically obtained through illegal means by the time they get to insurgents in our country, however the largest suppliers of small arms and light weapons are the United States and several large European countries. Of course these weapons were not originally manufactured for the purposes that they are now used for by insurgents and in civil wars.
The Central African Republic would like to see tighter security policies on the exportation and importation of these weapons. Sources of small arms exports should have more of a hand in the process of exporting and delivery of these weapons, and international law should be put in place that requires a stricter policy on exportation. Exporters should send agents to be sure that the correct source is receiving these guns, and agents should thoroughly investigate the consumers that they are selling large quantities of small arms and ammunition. The Central African Republic realizes that there is no way to prevent the illicit trade of small arms and light weapons, however we believe that it is necessary to cut the problem off at the source. It is vital that we reach a viable resolution to this problem, as it is putting civilians and children at risk not only in our own country, but in many countries in Africa and the Middle East.
