Topic: Reducing the use of Indiscriminate Weapons in Conflict
Country: United Kingdom
Delegate Name: Camila La Mont
School: Instituto Educativo Olinca
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All United Kingdom position papers GLIMUN 2016 committees
It is known that the International Court of Justice, highest court of the United Nations, has recognized the international humanitarian law of distinction in attacks, also known as the principle of distinction, which states that all military attacks should target military objectives only and be able to fully distinguish between the aforementioned and civilians, making it, therefore, forbidden under International Humanitarian Law to use indiscriminate weapons or launch any type of indiscriminate military attack altogether.
It is evident that the use of indiscriminate weapons is more prominent in nations experiencing internal armed conflict, however, generally speaking, bombs are not usually dropped by nations experiencing severe political, social and military stability and although the use of bombs is not inherently considered an indiscriminate military act, it could argued that when a bomb is dropped, there is no certainty as to who will be affected by it.
Position
The United Kingdom abides by its Manual of the Law of Armed Conflict, which established restrictions, limitations and technicalities constituted by the Ministry of Defense, which regards International Law and the United Nations Charter. These manual serves as a reference work for all members of the United Kingdom’s military and members of the Ministry of Defense.
The United Kingdom has signed and ratified numerous treaties that prohibit the use of indiscriminate weapons in conflict, such as; The Geneva Gas Protocol (ratified in 1975), which forbids the use of Chemical or Biological weapons against other nations to all of its signatories, the Conventional Weapons Convention (1980), which calls for the regulation of mines, booby traps and similar weapons, the prohibition of the use of air-delivered (such as bombs and rockets) weapons against targets in populated areas, among other restrictions and regulations.
The United Kingdom strongly advocates for the sanctioning of individuals or organisms that fail to comply with; The United Nations Charter, International Humanitarian Law and basic ethical war restrictions.
