Topic: Combating the Spread of Small Arms and Light Weapons
Country: Oman
Delegate Name: Joshua Haugen
School: Mattawan High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Oman position papers GLIMUN 2014 committees
The nation of Oman fully recognizes the threat illicitly traded SALWs present to the world. They undisputably inflame and prolong conflicts, and supply terrorists with the ability to pose a direct threat to peace and security of states. With hundreds of millions of SALWs roaming the world, prudent, swift and just action is needed if we ever seek to control this scourge that faces us all. Knowing this, the nation of Oman also realizes that a problem with national sovereignty exists, and so does one with the privilege of civilians to possess guns. This market for SALWs is lucrative. The underground nature of it extends through and beyond the borders of nations. The nation of Oman believes respecting this, and sovereignty of nations where this extends to, is of the utmost importance. The nation of Oman also sees the ability of civilians to own and use guns for defense and other purposes ought to be respected. Various people, worldwide, use guns for numerous reasons; protecting the ability of those who use it for good is also important the the nation of Oman. Finding a balance between this, sovereignty and fighting the illicit trade of these weapons is the goal for Oman, and we hope to accomplish this through effective collaboration.
The nation of Oman is no stranger to SALWs. Oman permits the usage of weapons with licenses, and regularly keeps tabs on the markets within our country for these weapons. Having limited requirements for the licenses for weapons allows only citizens with a good history to have the ability to purchase weapons, as it should be. Oman believes this is the most effective and just way to handle guns in our country, and it has given us an abundance of peace within our nation. Gun deaths in Oman are in the teens, and have been for numerous years1. The nation of Oman has always seen to that international agreements on combating SALWs trade must respect the citizens who have a legitimate purpose for having a weapon, as our nation has done. Such is why Oman has supported just treaties including The United Nations Firearms Protocol, but refused to sign unjust treaties such as The United Nations Arms Trade Treaty and the The Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development. The nation of Oman believes these actions act for the betterment of all, and having hesitations with the ramifications of overly-broad treaties is important.
No nation here wants another annual 500,000 dead at the hands of those with SALWs. Such is why improving the collection of information from various countries is key to ending this scourge. The nation of Oman sees this as the center of the issue facing us. If the U.N. has the ability to see the data, then we all have the ability to further address the issue with these weapons, as we will be able to see where they reign most strong. Advocacy efforts and education won’t bring a solution to this problem in the slightest. Data collection from countries ought to be this committee’s first step. Once this is accomplished in a respectful and sound method, the nation of Oman believes we can make significant progress with combating this scourge, as the U.N. will be able to locate the most afflicted areas of the illict SALWs trade. The nation of Oman hope this, coupled with other solutions, and a balance with sovereignty of nations and people, will be able to make this committee all the more effective.
1. UNODC. 2013. ‘Homicide in 207 Countries – Oman.’ Global Study on Homicide 2011: Trends, Context, Data; Statistical Annex (with online datasets). Vienna: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. 26 June.
