In 1952, the General Assembly, by its resolution 502 (VI) of January 1952, created the United Nations Disarmament Commission (UNDC) under the Security Council with a general mandate on disarmament questions. It was created as a deliberative body, with the function of considering and making recommendations on various issues in the field of disarmament and of following up on the relevant decisions and recommendations of the special session. It reports annually to the General Assembly.
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Issue to be debated in the UNDC at SzeMUN 2012:
The illicit trade in small arms and light weapons
Since the Cold War non-proliferation focuses greatly on weapons of mass destruction. However 90% of casualties in conflicts are caused by small arms, which results in up to half a million deaths annually. Currently this type of arms trade is legal, and many times these handguns, pistols or grenades are distributed in regions of tension.
With ongoing conflicts, the Committee has the task to reduce this threat. Comprehensive and mutual efforts are the only ones capable of putting an end to this, as even one source of arms can provide for a whole war. Yet those who are involved in arms trade make great profits, thus the International Community has to decide what is to be of greater importance, lives of people or earnings...
Useful links:
UNODA - United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs
http://www.un.org/disarmament/
UNODA - United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs - Small arms
http://www.un.org/disarmament/convarms/SALW/
United Nations Disarmament Commission
http://www.un.org/disarmament/HomePage/DisarmamentCommission/UNDiscom.shtml
Small arms - Report of the Secretary-General (2008)
http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S%2F2008%2F258
Small arms - Report of the Secretary-General (2011)
http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S%2F2011%2F255
The UN Programme of Action on small arms and light weapons
http://www.poa-iss.org/poa/poa.aspx
Protection of civilians
http://www.unocha.org/what-we-do/policy/thematic-areas/protection
Children and armed conflict
http://www.un.org/children/conflict/english/index.html
Improving the Effectiveness of the Programme of Action on Small Arms: Implementation Challenges and Opportunities (S. Parker)
http://www.unidir.org/bdd/fiche-ouvrage.php?ref_ouvrage=92-9045-011-D-en
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You can apply to participate in the UNDC both as a delegate and as part of a delegation. Please note that when you are in your chosen committee, your teammates will not be there with you! For further information, please check the Rules of procedure section. Eligible countries for the United Nations Disarmament Commission are the following: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Canada, China, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Ivory Coast, Mexico, Myanmar, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Serbia, Somalia, Turkey, UK, USA, Venezuela Please take a look at the complete Country list as well, to see how many delegates are needed to form the delegation of a given country. If you apply as a delegate, we advise you to choose a country that is present in 2-4 committees, so that we can find you teammates more easily.
