Topic: 2024-Private Military Contractors
Country: Jordan
Delegate Name: Siya Gupta
The delegation from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan recognizes the complex role of Private Military Contractors (PMCs) in global security and humanitarian efforts. While PMCs provide valuable expertise, security, and logistical support, their use raises critical concerns regarding accountability, legal oversight, and the militarization of aid. Jordan has experienced both the benefits and challenges of engaging with PMCs, particularly due to its strategic location near conflict zones in Syria and Iraq.
Jordan’s involvement with PMCs has been marked by collaboration in security training and humanitarian missions. Facilities like the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center (KASOTC) serve as regional hubs for military training, hosting PMCs to enhance operational capabilities. However, incidents such as the mismanagement of weapons under the US led “Timber Sycamore” program highlight the risks of unregulated PMC activities, including the diversion of arms to the black market, which has threatened Jordan’s security and stability.
Jordan firmly supports international efforts to regulate PMCs and ensure their compliance with humanitarian laws. The UN Working Group on the Use of Mercenaries has emphasized the need for greater oversight, stating that the absence of regulation “raises significant risks to human rights and international security.” Building on this, Jordan advocates for a legally binding framework that outlines the roles and responsibilities of PMCs, ensuring transparency and accountability in their operations.
PMCs must also be restricted from fully militarizing humanitarian missions. Jordan has witnessed how the blending of military and humanitarian objectives can erode trust between aid workers and local communities. To mitigate this, Jordan proposes global regulation, which is the establishment of a legally binding international treaty to define PMC operations, requiring licensing, registration, and regular reporting. As well as accountability mechanisms such as the creation of an international tribunal to address PMC-related misconduct and ensure justice for affected parties. And acknowledging the oversight in humanitarian aid, while suggesting mandating that PMCs in humanitarian missions operate strictly in non-combat roles, such as securing supply lines, without interfering in aid delivery. We emphasize all this with a final call for regional collaboration, enhancing cooperation among Middle Eastern states to monitor PMC activities, share intelligence, and prevent illegal operations.
Jordan calls on Member States to work collaboratively with the UN to ensure PMCs contribute positively to global peacekeeping efforts while safeguarding sovereignty and human rights. With these measures, the international community can harness the benefits of PMCs without compromising ethical and legal standards.
References:
Here are the requested URLs:
https://press.un.org/en/2018/gashc4246.doc.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timber_Sycamore https://www.eda.admin.ch/dam/eda/en/documents/aussenpolitik/voelkerrecht/Montreux-Dokument_en.pdf
https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/wg-mercenaries https://ti-defence.org/gdi/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/GDI2020_Overview_Jordan_251119.pd
