Topic: Preventing Recruitment of Foreign Fighters by International Terrorist Groups
Country: Luxembourg
Delegate Name: Jack H. Somers
School: Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Luxembourg position papers GLIMUN 2014 committees
The nation of Luxembourg is greatly concerned about the spread of international terrorist organizations like ISIS and other Al-Qaeda splinter groups. While some European nations may feel immune to the effects of such groups, we recognize that many recruits are citizens of EU nations. The lack of international cooperation to reduce recruitment is highly disappointing. It is pertinent that the current members of the UNSC are sympathetic to the states most effected by ISIS and similar organizations.
One key tool that the United Nations has is humanitarian aid and/or social programs. By implementing immigrant outreach programs, nations may effectively inspire trust in their immigrant populations. While many programs that fit this description currently exist, they are unfortunately on a local level, without a greater international standing. However, with the advancements in social media, a network for immigrants feeling out of place in their new home country could be established. If the United Nations were to oversee an international network of immigrant community programs, the UNFPA would be most suited to run such an effort. Undoubtedly, many nation such as Luxembourg would be willing to help coordinate and possibly fund this endeavour. A positive point of this idea is that we could build on pre-existing immigrant outreach programs and give them international standing and prestige. ISIS uses social media to recruit new member, thus it would only be logical and effective to use it to reach out to immigrants feeling isolated.
There is also the more direct action of increasing border security and monitoring international travel to a greater extent. Being the Security Council, we have the authority to have nations restrict their borders. However, Luxembourg believes that an overzealous show of force would send the wrong message and only prove some of the points raised by Abu Muhammad al-Adnani ash-Shami in his many speeches. These men claim that the United Nations and western society are limiting their freedoms and this course of action would show that they are on some level right. It would be prudent to simply educate governments on methods of preventing violence and offering them the option of humanitarian aid. This could be accomplished in a variety of ways from NGOs to other nations that share bilateral relations to even the United Nations itself.
Luxembourg is greatly looking forward to discussing this highly important issue with other members of the Security Council. We hope that other nations can offer economically and socially feasible solutions to this conflict that do not resort to petty uses of violence and focus on international cooperation.
