IMUNA 2017: Research Report - DC

International Model United Nations of Alkmaar 2017 9 th - 11 th of June 2017 IMUNA 2017: Research Report - DC Forum: Disarmament Commission Issue: Measures to put an end to landmines, cluster munitions and other indiscriminate weapons Student Officer: Nika Engelen Position: President Introduction According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. However, many people on this world live in insecurity, fearing that they might die at any time as a consequence of indiscriminate weapons. Indiscriminate weapons, such as landmines, cluster munitions and weapons of mass destruction, are greatly used in armed conflicts all over the world and they are very effective in doing great damage. The downside of this type of weapons is that it entails a lot of collateral damage and many innocent people die as a result. Ending this problem has been tried before, however, a solution to the casualties caused by indiscriminate weapons is yet to be found. Definition of Key Terms Landmine A bomb that is put on or under the ground surface and which explodes when it detects a person stepping on it or a vehicle driving over it. Cluster munition (or cluster bomb) 1

According to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) the term means a conventional munition that is designed to disperse or release explosive submunitions, each weighing less than 20 kilogrammes, and includes those explosive submunitions. Generally, the term cluster munition is used to describe any type of munition that releases smaller explosive munitions after it s launched, fired or dropped. Indiscriminate weapons Bomber releasing cluster munitions Indiscriminate weapons are weapons of a nature to strike military objectives and civilians or civilian objects, without any distinction. Types of indiscriminate weapons include (land)mines, cluster munitions, biological weapons, nuclear weapons, chemical weapons, certain types of missiles and rockets, poison, booby-traps and incendiary weapons. Background Information The problem of indiscriminate weapons is very broad, as it covers all types of indiscriminate weapons worldwide. Thousands of people die every year as a consequence of indiscriminate weapons, most of these as a cause of ongoing conflicts. The most important problem this type of weapons carry with them is that they re indiscriminate, which means they usually cost a lot of lives and the perpetrator cannot distinguish between victims, meaning lots of innocent people die and a lot of collateral damage is done as a result. Situations in which these weapons are used The most obvious situation in which indiscriminate weapons are used is in an armed conflict. When two parties are engaged in an active conflict, it is highly likely that often both parties use weapons to fight the opposite party. Indiscriminate weapons are very effective in this case, as these weapons do great damage, and are used in large numbers. An example of this is the GBU- 43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB) that was dropped by the United States of America on ISIS targets in Afghanistan, on 13 th March 2017. 94 ISIS soldiers were killed in this attack and three underground tunnels were destroyed. Not only are indiscriminate weapons used in conflict. Some countries, such as North Korea, possess weapons of mass destruction (WMD s), which are also indiscriminate by nature, and actively use these in tests. Proof of this are the five tests with nuclear weapons North Korea conducted since 2006. Although these WMD s have not yet caused any great casualties recently, the possession and threats of WMD s are very important as well, in order to effectively put an end to all types of indiscriminate weapons. Types of indiscriminate weapons 2

The most common types of indiscriminate weapons discussed in this report are landmines and cluster munitions, but several other types exist as well. Weapons of mass destruction (WMD s), which cover missiles, nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, are a common type of indiscriminate weapons as well. However, WMD s are not used as much as landmines and cluster munitions, as WMD s usually have an even broader effect, causing much more casualties and damage than normal indiscriminate weapons. Because of this, more guidelines exist for the use of WMD s, such as the Treaty of the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). A few examples of more types of indiscriminate weapons can be found in the section Definition of Key Terms, such as incendiary weapons and certain types of missiles. These types of weapons can be used by any person, most of the time, if that person has access to it, which is also another part of what makes indiscriminate weapons so dangerous. Major Countries and Organizations Involved All countries engaged in armed conflict All countries that are currently engaged in an armed conflict or possess indiscriminate weapons, especially WMD s, are a very important party in this issue. For example, according to the Cluster Munition Coalition, the armed coalition led by Saudi Arabia in Yemen used cluster munitions repeatedly in populated areas in 2015 and 2016. There has also been documented use of cluster munitions in Syria since 2012, and North Korea has been conducting tests with several WMD s since 2006. In order to effectively put an end to indiscriminate weapons, all these countries or other groups that currently use or possess such weapons need to cooperate. UNODA (United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs) A few of UNODA s objectives are the promotion of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation; strengthening of the disarmament regimes in respect to other weapons of mass destruction, and disarmament efforts in the area of conventional weapons, especially landmines and small arms, as stated on their website. UNODA works closely with other UN bodies on the topic of disarmament and it provides inter alia objective information and support to UN member states. CMC (Cluster Munition Coalition) The CMC is a global civic society campaign, which is working to eradicate the use of and casualties caused by cluster munitions globally. It does so by raising awareness amongst the public about cluster munitions, and trying to change government policy on the topic of cluster munitions, especially through promoting adherence to the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions. The campaign is a sister campaign of the ICBL and it is part of the organisation ICBL-CMC. ICBL (International Campaign to Ban Landmines) 3

As a global network of non-governmental organisations, the ICBL is a campaign that focuses on banning anti-personnel landmines and ending the suffering and casualties caused by these weapons. It does so by raising awareness about landmines and advocating at both national and international levels. The ICBL is closely affiliated to the CMC, as a sister campaign, and it is part of the organisation ICBL-CMC. Timeline of Events Date Description of event 1992 The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) is formed. September 18th, 1997 The Anti-personnel Landmine Convention (APLC) is adopted. 2003 The Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) is formed. May 30th, 2008 The Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) is adopted. Relevant UN Treaties and Events I. Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), 30 May 2008 II. Anti-personnel Landmine Convention (APLC), 18 September 1997 Previous Attempts to solve the Issue There have been several attempts previously taken to solve this issue. Both on the topic of landmines and cluster munitions, two treaties have been created: the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) and the Anti-personnel Landmine Convention (APLC). The CCM particularly prohibits all use, stockpiling, production and transfer of cluster munitions, while it also concerns issues like assistance to victims and clearance of areas affected by cluster munitions. As of 2017, it is signed by 108 member states. As the CCM, the APLC too prohibits all use, stockpiling, production and transfer of antipersonnel mines. Its main objective is to end all current suffering and casualties and prevent future suffering caused by landmines, and it urges acceded states to destroy all landmines and assist victims of landmines. 162 member states have signed the treaty. Not only have there been treaties to solve this issue: there are or have been several action groups and campaigns to end the use of indiscriminate weapons worldwide. One outstanding organisation that focuses particularly on ending the use of and casualties caused by cluster munitions is the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC). Similar to the CMC is the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBM), a network of non-governmental organisation seeking a solution to the casualties and suffering caused by landmines. (For more information about both parties, see: Major Countries and Organisations Involved). 4

Possible Solutions As this is a very broad issue, a lot of solutions are possible. One of them would be urging all member states to ratify the CCM and APLC and promoting strong adherence to these conventions, as both of them contain effective and sustainable solutions to the problems of cluster munitions and landmines, respectively. However, these conventions have been made separately and only concern the issues of landmines and cluster munitions specifically, not indiscriminate weapons as a whole. Addressing this problem as a whole might work even better, instead of only focusing on landmines and cluster munitions, as is done in the CCM and APLC. A complication one might find concerns the issue of landmines specifically. As landmines are buried under the ground and only explode when it detects a person stepping on it or a vehicle driving over it, many landmines have not yet come into contact with a person or vehicle, thus have not exploded and remain under the ground surface. This forms an immense threat for people who might not know that landmines are buried under the ground. A sustainable solution for the issue of landmines should thus not only include prevention of future use and production of landmines, but also the clearance of areas currently contaminated by landmines. Part of solving this problem could be setting up a special international team, which clears specific areas from landmines in a safe and effective way, with as little as possible damage made. In order for the solutions to work effectively, all states and groups that use and/or possess landmines, cluster munitions, or any other type of indiscriminate weapon should cooperate fully. The only way to end all suffering and casualties caused by indiscriminate weapons, all states should eliminate this type of weapons from their arsenal, so there are no indiscriminate weapons left worldwide. To ensure this full cooperation, there should be international law requiring states to do so. If not, a possible solution for states to cooperate would be implementing sanctions on that state, in order for the world to be a safer place without any use of indiscriminate weapons by any country. Bibliography "About Us UNODA." United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs. United Nations, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2017. <https://www.un.org/disarmament/about/>. "Cluster Munition." Weapons Law Encyclopedia. Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, 30 Nov. 2013. Web. 17 Apr. 2017. <http://www.weaponslaw.org/glossary/cluster-munition-definition>. "Cluster Munitions UNODA." United Nations. United Nations, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2017. <https://www.un.org/disarmament/convarms/clustermunitions/>. 5

"Convention Text." The Convention on Cluster Munitions. The Convention on Cluster Munitions, 27 Sept. 2016. Web. 18 Apr. 2017. <http://www.clusterconvention.org/theconvention/convention-text/>. "Indiscriminate Weapon." Weapons Law Encyclopedia. Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, 7 Dec. 2013. Web. 17 Apr. 2017. <http://www.weaponslaw.org/glossary/indiscriminate-weapon>. "Overview and Convention Text." Convention on the Prohibtion of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction. AP Mine Ban Convention, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2017. <http://www.apminebanconvention.org/overviewand-convention-text/>. Smith-Spark, Laura. "Afghan Official: 94 ISIS Fighters Killed by 'mother of All Bombs'." CNN. Cable News Network, 15 Apr. 2017. Web. 17 Apr. 2017. <http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/15/asia/afghanistan-isis-moab-strike/>. "Use of Cluster Bombs." Cluster Bombs CMC. Cluster Munition Coalition, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2017. <http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/en-gb/cluster-bombs/use-of-clusterbombs/a-timeline-of-cluster-bomb-use.aspx>. "Who We Are." The CMC About Us CMC. Cluster Munition Coalition, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2017. <http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/en-gb/about-us/who-we-are/the-cmc.aspx>. "Who We Are." The ICBL About Us ICBL. International Campaign to Ban Landmines, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2017. <http://www.icbl.org/en-gb/about-us/who-we-are/the-icbl.aspx>. Appendix/Appendices I. Full text of Convention on Cluster Munitions: http://disarmament.un.org/treaties/t/cluster_munitions/text II. Full text of All-personnel Landmine Convention: http://disarmament.un.org/treaties/t/mine_ban/text III. Website of Cluster Munition Coalition: http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/ IV. Website of International Campaign to Ban Landmines: http://www.icbl.org/ V. Website of UNODA: https://www.un.org/disarmament/ You can find more information about landmines and cluster munitions under the section conventional arms on this website. VI. States possessing, pursuing or capable of acquiring weapons of mass destruction: https://fas.org/irp/threat/wmd_state.htm 6