Topic: 2024-Indiscriminate Weapons
Country: Morocco
Delegate Name: Ella Fabyanic
Topic: 2024-Indiscriminate Weapons
Country: Morocco
Delegate Name: Ella Fabyanic
Great Lakes Invitational Model United Nations Conference
Delegation of Morocco
Disarmament and International Security Committee
Indiscriminate Weapons
Indiscriminate weapons have been utilized historically, but the dangers of these weapons are increasing, along with the casualties. Indiscriminate weapons are defined as weapons that cannot distinguish between military objectives and civilians. Several states have argued that a weapon should be considered indiscriminate if it has uncontrollable effects or if the damage would be expected to cause incidental civilian losses. Dozens of militaries continue to use these devices in combat, never mind the consequences (Weapons). There are several treaties, laws, and agreements that are intended to reduce the use and therefore effects of indiscriminate weapons, but without legal ratification, they are practically useless.
Globally, more than 500 people die every day because of violence committed by firearms (Arms). This is miniscule compared to what could actually happen. Twelve billion bullets are produced every year. That is nearly enough to kill everyone in the world twice (Arms). To help lower the risk of the abuse of firearms, treaties such as the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and the Arms Trade Treaty have been put in place to work against the extensive violence. Morocco attended as an observer of the first meeting of states for the TPNW, in 2022. The delegation then participated in the negotiation of the TPNW at the United Nations in 2017 and was a part of 122 states that voted in favor of its adoption (Morocco). Along with the TPNW, there is also the global Arms trade that is imposing strict rules to regulate international arms transfers. This treaty has been in force for over five years, yet global arms trading is still on the rise and continues to fuel human rights abuses. This is because some of the largest arm’s exporters like Russia and the USA have not ratified the treaty. Even countries that have ratified the treaty fail to comply with it, and transfer weapons and munitions to places where they risk being used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law, including possible war crimes. Morocco has faced specific instances of Indiscriminate weapons due to past wars across the Sahara Desert that is legally their land. In total, it is estimated that nearly half a million people internationally are killed per year with firearms. These deaths are enacted by not only state repression but also criminal gangs (Global).
Since the Delegation of Morocco has experience with the situation, we have a valid reason for reaching out to help fight this problem. Morocco does not want to halt the entirety of global arms trade, since this is trade has formulated nearly 95 billion dollars (Arms). The current implementations of the TNPW and the ATT are no longer enough, therefore Morocco recommends making this one joint initiative to save time, money, and personnel that would be put into starting another program. If the delegations can decide on a way to bring reasoning to the countries that have not yet ratified these programs, then there is a high chance that globally we can help put an end to the unnecessary casualties that have become existent due to indiscriminate weapons.
Works Cited
“Arms Control.” Amnesty International, 3 Nov. 2023, www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/arms-control/.
“Global Arms Trade Treaty – A Beginners’ Guide.” Amnesty International, 17 Aug. 2021, www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2013/03/global-arms-trade-treaty-a-beginners-guide/.
Morocco | Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, www.icanw.org/morocco. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.
“Weapons That Are by Nature Indiscriminate.” IHL, ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/customary-ihl/v1/rule71. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.
