Panjab University Campus Students Council

Presents

Panjab University
Model United Nations
2k16

General Assembly
Disarmament and International Security
Committee (DISEC)

Secretary General: Brijesh

Singh Maan

Event Co-ordinator: Nirjog

Background Guide
As one of the six main committees of the United Nations General
Assembly, the First Committee, that is Disarmament and International
Security Committee (DISEC) deals with the issues relating to disarmament,
global challenges and threats to international peace and security and seeks
to solve these challenges in the international security regime. With all the UN
member states maintaining a presence in the committee, DISEC is among
the largest committees in the United Nations and works closely with the
United Nations Disarmament Commission and the Geneva-based Conference
on Disarmament.

I: Addressing the Risk of Nuclear Proliferation in the

Middle East
The nuclear proliferation in the Middle East is a complex issue
concerning many interests. Nearly every Middle Eastern country is a party to
the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, also known as the
Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and none are confirmed to have
nuclear weapons. However, this does not make nuclear proliferation in the
region any less of an issue. Several complicated nuclear situations exist in
the Middle East, and they have significant affects on the politics of the
region.
When assessing the risk of nuclear proliferation, political and
governmental stability is an important factor to consider. While Turkey does
not possess nuclear weapons, the Incirlik air base in Turkey houses
1
NATO/American nuclear weapons under NATOs nuclear sharing policy.
Recently, an attempted coup caused the Turkish government to cut power to
2
the Incirlik air base. In the event of a successful coup or takeover, there is
always a possibility of nuclear weapons being seized and proliferated.
Israel has also been intentionally unclear on whether it has nuclear
weapons, but it is widely believed that the country does indeed have a
3
nuclear arsenal. Israel is also not a party to the NPT and doesnt recognize
the international norms and laws of nuclear proliferation. This has caused
significant tensions in the region where Israel is often at-odds with its nonnuclear neighbors. This has caused Egypt to threaten its withdrawal from the
4
NPT as well. To ease some of these geopolitical tensions, Israel has agreed
to take part in the NPT meetings as an observer, but is still not agreeing to
5
be a party to the treaty.

1
2

"NATOs Nuclear Deterrence Policy and Forces." NATO. December 3, 2015.

Starr, Barbara. "Turkey's Power Cut off to Incirlik Air Base a Problem for Pentagon." CNN, July
19, 2016.
3
Borger, Julian. "The Truth about Israel's Secret Nuclear Arsenal." The Guardian, January 15,
2014.
4
Borger, Julian. "The Truth about Israel's Secret Nuclear Arsenal." The Guardian, January 15,
2014.

Charbonneau, Louis. "Middle East Nuclear Weapons Ban Proposal Stumbles at U.N." Reuters, May 11,
2015While technically part of South Asia, the influence between nuclear-

capable Pakistan and other Middle Eastern states is also quite troubling.
Recently, there have been a few worrisome reports from intelligence
agencies of a potential deal between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia concerning
sharing/supply nuclear weapons. Pakistan, a country not party to the NPT
and which possesses nuclear weapons, is reported to have promised Saudi
Arabia the right to buy five or six warheads if it feels threatened, in exchange
for Saudi Arabia paying up to 60% of the Pakistani Nuclear Program.

Both

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have denied this, however, if the deal is in fact
real, it would be a violation of the NPT for Saudi Arabia (a party state to the
NPT). Nevertheless, an argument has been made that even if the potential
deal were real, it would be a similar weapons-sharing agreement to that of
NATO in which the weapons would belong to Pakistan but be stored in Saudi
8

Arabia, and therefore legal.

To understand the potential nuclear desires of Saudi Arabia, it is
9
important to consider their perceived threat from its geopolitical rival, Iran.
Iran is widely suspected to be developing nuclear weapons, despite its
ratification of the NPT. There is also evidence to suggest that Pakistan has
been supplying nuclear technology to Iran, and concerns have been
10
expressed that Pakistan could even transfer weapons to Iran.
It is hoped
that the recent deal between Iran, the P5 and Germany, and the European
Union will delay Irans capability to produce nuclear weapons.
There has been considerable UN action to address nuclear
proliferation. The Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, while not perfect, has
been extremely successful in curbing the rapid spread of nuclear weapons
that took place before its establishment. All but five UN member states are
signatories, and nuclear proliferation has significantly slowed since its
ratification. Its key principal is to request that nuclear states not transfer
their weapons to non-nuclear states, and that non-nuclear states refrain from
11

receiving or creating their own weapons. However, this does not stop nonstate actors (such as terrorist groups) from creating or acquiring nuclear
weapons. That is why the UN Security Council adopted Resolution numbering
1540, aiming to prevent non-state actors from acquiring weapons. The
resolution requires member states to refrain from providing non-state actors
with weapons or aiding in the development of nuclear weapons and to be
accountable for nuclear materials and materials that could be used in the
production of nuclear weapons within their territory.
6
7
8

12

Borger, Julian. "Pakistan's Bomb and Saudi Arabia." The Guardian, May 11, 2010.
Ibid
Deming, Kyle. "No Price Is Right: Why the BBC Is Incorrect about a Saudi Arabia-Pakistan
Nuclear Weapons Deal." Project on Nuclear Issues. November 13, 2013.

9
10
11
12

Borger, Julian. "Pakistan's Bomb and Saudi Arabia." The Guardian, May 11, 2010.
Goldberg, Jeffrey, and Marc Ambinder. "The Ally From Hell." The Atlantic, December 2011.
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, New York, 1 July 1968.
S/RES/1540 (2004)

Nuclear proliferation in the Middle East is complicated by the many

interests and actors, as well as by rumour and rumoured secret deals and
treaties. In order to address this issue, member states will have to come
together to make nuclear non-proliferation a priority, and perhaps to
alleviate political tensions in the region.
Questions to consider: What are the geopolitical tensions and rivalries
associated with an increased desire to acquire nuclear weapons? How can
nations promote transparency in their peaceful use of nuclear energy to
alleviate tensions and suspicion? In what ways can the UN address the
potential for unlawful transfer of nuclear technology to non-state actors?
II. The Role of Commodities and Natural Resources in
Fuelling Conflict
Greed for a hold over natural resources plays a huge role in creating
and prolonging conflict in the world. In the past 60 years, at least 40% of civil
13
wars have been tied to natural resources.
Almost a third of UN
peacekeeping operations over the past 20 years have been related to
14
conflicts prolonged because of revenues from natural resources.
The
United Nations has a duty to prevent and ameliorate conflicts; therefore
examining the role of commodities and natural resources in conflicts is an
essential one that could more quickly resolve many conflicts around the
world.
There are many commodities and natural resources over which
different nations and organizations fight, but some of the most common
include mineral oils, diamonds, conflict minerals, water, drugs etc. The
Global Policy Forum defines conflict resources as natural resources whose
systematic exploitation and trade in the context of conflict contribute to,
benefit from or result in the commission of serious violations of human
rights, violations of international humanitarian law or violations amounting to
15

crimes under international law. No matter which of these resources and

commodities are being fought over, the issue remains the same: control over
the resource. This means that commodities and resources fund whichever
16

forces control them.

While some resources may be considered more than others, there are
many natural resources which have been directly tied to conflict. One such
situation is the Taliban control of opium in Afghanistan. The United Nations
believes that the Taliban derives much of its budget from the narcotics trade
17

in Afghanistan
and that the Taliban has taken control of large opiumproducing regions for this purpose. Another highly lucrative resource is
diamonds. Known as conflict diamonds or blood diamonds, this multi-billion
dollar trade has provided funds to

13

United Nations Environment Programme, From Conflict to Peacebuilding

the Role of Natural Resources and the Environment, 2009.
14
Lessons UNlearned. Report. Global Witness. 2010.
15
"Definition of Conflict Resources." Global Witness. August 2007.
16
Lessons UNlearned. Report. Global Witness. 2010.
17
Shah, Taimoor, and Mujib Mashal. "Bountiful Afghan Opium Harvest Yields Profits for the
Taliban." The New York Times, May 4, 2016.

purchase arms for warlords and rebels in Angola, the Democratic Republic of
18

Congo, Cte d'Ivoire, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

The Kimberley Process
Certification Scheme, however, has been successful in addressing this issue,
as well as Security Council sanctions on UNITA in Angola, the RUF in Sierra
19

Leone, and Liberia for its support of the RUF. A number of UN resolutions
have been particularly effective including S/RES/1689, S/RES/1647,
S/RES/1343, and S/RES/1521 which impose bans on diamonds from Liberia;
S/RES/1643 which imposes prohibition on the import of diamonds from Cte
dIvoire; S/RES/1306 and S/RES/1171 which imposed embargoes on Sierra
Leone; S/RES/1295 and S/RES/1173 which prohibit import of diamonds from
Angola not controlled by the government; and finally S/RES/1459 which
officially endorsed the Kimberley Process.
Conflict diamonds are not the only material, states have tried to limit
the sale of within their borders. Conflict minerals, namely tantalum,
tungsten, tin, or gold mined from ore, which are extracted in the Democratic
Republic of Congo and its surrounding countries, are intimately tied to the
20
long civil war in the DRC. These minerals can be found in mobile phones,
electronics, light bulbs, balloons, and even jewellery commonly sold
21
throughout the world.
While civil penalties have been brought against
companies that do not remove conflict minerals from their supply lines, the
process is surprisingly difficult and involves collecting data from processing
22
centers across the world.
Oil is one of the most discussed natural resources in conflict. The most
famous oil conflicts are in the Middle East, but conflicts involving oil are
prevalent in the Niger Delta, Southern Thailand, Algeria, Colombia, Sudan,
23
Iraq, and Kuwait. Oil production can be highly lucrative, so governments
and rebels alike vie for control of its production and sale.
Water, as one can imagine, is also a highly valuable commodity. About
three fifths of all water flowing in rivers is shared by two or more countries;
24
disputes can arise quickly in such an environment.
A recent, highly
publicized incident involved Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia.
Ethiopia planned to build Africas largest hydroelectric dam but Egypt
opposed the project citing concerns that it would worsen water shortages in
Egypt. While Egypt stopped short of

18
19

"Conflict Diamonds." Amnesty International.

"Security Council Diamond Sanctions and the Kimberly Process." Security Council Report.
September 28, 2006.
20
Browning, Lynnley. "Companies Struggle to Comply With Rules on Conflict Minerals."
The New York Times, September 7, 2015.
21
Browning, Lynnley. "Companies Struggle to Comply With Rules on Conflict Minerals." The New
York Times,
September 7, 2015.

22
23

2008.

Ibid
Ross, Michael L. "Blood Barrels: Why Oil Wealth Fuels Conflict." Foreign Affairs, May/June

24

Levy, Barry S., and Victor W. Sidel. "Water Rights and Water Fights: Preventing and
Resolving Conflicts Before They Boil Over." American Journal of Public Health 101, no. 5 (May
2011): 778-80.

25

threatening war, the threat was implied.

Finally in March of 2015 the
leaders of Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia signed a deal to end the dispute,
26
avoiding an armed conflict.
The United Nations has passed several resolutions on the role of
natural resources in conflict, including S/RES/1625. In this resolution Article 6
states that the Security Council [reaffirms] its determination to take action
against illegal exploitation and trafficking of natural resources and high-value
commodities in areas where it contributes to the outbreak, escalation or
27

continuation of an armed conflict. Another resolution, S/RES/1653 (2006),

begins by expressing the Security Councils awareness of the illegal
exploitation of natural resources and the illicit trade in those resources.
The proliferation and trafficking of arms is one of the factors fuelling and
exacerbating conflicts in the Great Lakes region of Africa, and especially in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo and goes on to call upon the
countries of the African Great Lakes region to combat cross-border
28

trafficking of illicit small arms, light weapons and illicit natural resources.
Natural resources and commodities can provide a revenue stream to
fund armies and governments, making them incredibly valuable. This value
causes a great deal of conflict, where civilians might be caught in the
fighting between forces vying for control of this revenue streams. The United
Nations must continue to examine the ways in which natural resources and
commodities affect and prolong conflicts in order to resolve them more
quickly.
Questions to consider: How does the control and trade of commodities
shape international and domestic conflict? Have there been any successful
mechanisms created that can be replicated for other commodities? In what
ways, can the United Nations address national and international conflicts tied
to the natural resources?

25

"Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan Sign Deal to End Nile Dispute." BBC News, March 23, 2015.

26
27
28

Ibid
S/RES/1625 (2005)
S/RES/1653 (2006)