Topic: Reducing the use of Indiscriminate Weapons in Conflict
Country: Colombia
Delegate Name: Alexander Staley
School: Fishers High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Colombia position papers GLIMUN 2016 committees
Our world in its current state has too much war, whether it be in the war-torn Middle East, or at home due to terrorists, sects like the FARC, or the revolutionary armed forces of Colombia. The world, however, has imposed restrictions on what can and cannot be used in and have been deemed war crimes. These restrictions, however, do not go far enough. Scud, Patriot, incendiary and nuclear weapons are all destructive and indiscriminate in nature, nuclear fallout, fires spreading to unpredicted places and environmental effects could make these weapons far more dangerous than intended. All of these weapons combined have had and in the future could have extremely adverse effects on citizens of states at war, or even possible non-state actors.
While some nations may argue that the restrictions on weapons used in war go too far, it is clear to the Republic of Colombia that they do not go far enough. The first step in reducing the loss of innocent civilian life is a reduction in the use of indiscriminate weapons- which can only be accomplished through means such as the nonproliferation act, which Colombia urges all nations to sign, as well as new, more restrictive guidelines to protect citizens in acts of war. While some nations may feel that their sovereignty is threatened through these restrictions, the great loss of life that would ensue is a great price to pay for a small amount of privacy. Through the use of UN observers and the cooperation of every nation state, the disarmament of weapons that pose a great threat to unintended loss of life must begin now, and the production of such weapons must stop immediately. Even worse, these weapons have a chance of falling into terrorist or other non-state actors hands who wish to use these weapons to increase the loss of life and decrease the wellbeing of millions of people. By disallowing the production of dangerous, but not currently classified indiscriminate weapons such as scud and incendiary weapons, Colombia believes the total loss of life in war will be reduced and the total civilian loss of life will be reduced significantly.
While most nations likely agree with Colombia, that a restriction needs to be made on these indiscriminate weapons, the way we must go about this may vary from nation to nation. While the non-proliferation act covers nuclear arsenals, the existing chemical, biological. Incendiary and other quick to act, guided missiles need to be dismantled. Having transparent, unbiased parties to oversee the safe destruction of these dangerous devices is necessary. While UN observers will be taken advantage of, if some countries only possess limited resources in being able to dismantle their weapons, third parties or nation states who have passed these transparency tests should be able to dismantle these weapons to expedite this process.
Colombia strongly advocates for peace in the world, and the lengthening of the list of indiscriminate weapons, and their quick and total disarmament is imperative to securing the safety of the world. Through the use of peaceful, nonpartisan parties this goal can hopefully be accomplished in a reasonable, but somewhat quick amount of time. While some nations may claim that sovereignty prevents them from removing these weapons, human rights easily trump some states privacy over weapon holdings and supplies.
