Topic: Reducing the use of Indiscriminate Weapons in Conflict
Country: Egypt
Delegate Name: Sydney Connors
School: Royal Oak High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Egypt position papers GLIMUN 2016 committees
The use of indiscriminate weapons in conflict is an incredibly complicated issue. These weapons cannot specify between military objectives and civilians which poses an immense threat to the lives of so many innocent people and causes a humanitarian dilemma. As well, the confusion between what is considered an indiscriminate weapon, makes it difficult to put a blockade on the use of indiscriminate weapons, as it presents a legal loophole for some countries to use weapons that are not categorized as indiscriminate and therefore are not prohibited under a treaty. Egypt supports not not only a preemptive ban on indiscriminate weapons systems, but also a moratorium on the development of these weapons.
To effectively debate these weapons systems, we have to be up to date on the research presented about them, but we can not effectively research these systems if there are new ones continuing to be developed every day. The development of technology in our fast-paced, ever-changing world is an incredible, but dangerous thing. Until a ban is achieved on indiscriminate weapons systems, there should be a halt in their development so that there can be substantial debate and the United Nations can reach a more accurate and up-to-date international consensus.
Egypt has more than once reiterated that “technology should not overtake humanity” as should be the basis for a ban on automatic weapons systems. There is the principle that weapons systems should never be used against civilians and civilian objects, but weapons of an indiscriminate nature violate this principle. There MUST be a ban on these weapons which pose such an immense threat to the lives of non-military personnel in conflict.
It is the duty of this committee to not only ban indiscriminate weapons but define the standards which constitute weapons used in armed conflict as indiscriminate. To do so we must halt the development of these weapons systems. We must evaluate the weapons systems already developed and in use which could be defined as indiscriminate. We must reevaluate weapons which fall into the gray area of discriminate/indiscriminate. Above all we must outline a prohibitory resolution that discourages the use of weapons found to be indiscriminate in armed conflict.
