Topic: Trade in High-Tech Weapons Systems
Country: Georgia
Delegate Name: Abby Vander Vliet
School: Forest Hills Eastern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Georgia position papers GLIMUN 2016 committees
The Conference of Disarmament (CD), a multilateral disarmament negotiating forum dealing with multilateral arms control and disarmament problems reporting to the general assembly, is failing to decrease tension and instability around the world and diminishing the prospects for new arms control measures. The CD is jeopardizing existing arrangements creating turmoil in the world today. While legal trade of weapons in situations such as the Special Operations Forces Exhibition & Conference (SOFEX) is accepted and weapon trade being one of the largest global industries, there is also the issue of illegal trade. With countries willing to pay any price for high-tech weapons, even if it is not legal to do so. Because of this many nations are being used as transit countries for illegal trade and being placed in positions of violence and and anxiety.
Georgia is a transit country for illegal transportation of weapons threatening not only the country of Georgia, but also regional and international security. Because Georgia is located in between large, wealthy countries attempting to gain military advantage, there is danger that territories in Georgia occupied by Russia and Ukraine could be used for illegal arms trades. Georgia was a co-sponsor of developing a legally-binding Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). Georgia signed the ATT on 25 September 2013 and ratified it in December 2015. The ATT creates a safer international trading environment by establishing regulations and approval processes. Georgia is one of thirty four state parties to the Open Skies Treaty signed on 24 March 1992. This treaty established a program of unarmed aerial surveillance flights over members territory. Designed to enhance mutual understanding and confidence by giving all participants a direct role in gathering information about military forces, Open Skies promotes openness and transparency of military forces and activities.
Georgia recognizes that the modern arms trade is a major part of global exchange and urges the committee to continue endorsing it. However, Georgia also acknowledges illegal arms dealing to be a reality, and that effects of it have resulted in non-state actors obtaining dangerous weapons. Therefore, it is necessary to regulate legal arms deals more diligently to prevent illicit weapons exchanges. The actions taken in this committee will influence the world economy as well as determine the next steps for regulating the business of war.
