Topic: Combating the Spread of Small Arms and Light Weapons
Country: Haiti
Delegate Name: Norah Fanning
School: Forest Hills Northern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Haiti position papers GLIMUN 2014 committees
It is apparent that small arms and light weapons are a major rising problem in Haiti. SALW are by far the most instrumental factor of high murder rates in the Caribbean, with approximately seventy percent of murders occurring through the use of SALW. These are the weapons that fuel armed violence in the country and overshadow the developments of Haiti and its Caribbean neighbors. There are tens of thousands of illegal firearms civilians and political and criminal gangs in Haiti that pose a major threat to efforts to restore peace.
It is also a sad reality that Haiti simply doesn’t possess the resources to attack this problem with the vigor it deserves and therefore relies heavily on peace-loving neighbors and nations like the United States to create a safer and less violent country for all its citizens. Without intervention, the situation could deteriorate further still.
There have recently been very positive efforts made to fight this phenomenon. Haiti is very encouraged by the inclusion of small arms and light weapons and ammunition in the Arms Trade Treaty. It is also pleased with the conclusions of the Fifth Biennial Meeting of States to Consider the Implementation of the Programme of Action on Small Arms, specifically the addition of amendments that would make arms-exporting countries be legally bound to report arms sales and transfers.
In the future, emphasis should be placed on strengthened international assistance and cooperation, border controls, the sharing of best practices. This will allow Haiti to gain access to the resources and procedures it needs to effectively combat this growing and dangerous problem.
