Montessori Model United Nations A/C.1/11/BG-97.B General Assembly Eleventh Session Distr.: Upper Elementary XX September 2016 Original: English First Committee Disarmament and International Security This committee wants to create a more peaceful world. Its members talk about dangerous weapons, find threats to peace and solutions to world security. They focus on finding ways to make the world more secure. This committee believes cooperation improves the world. They might talk about keeping weapons from terrorists or how less arms can make the world safer. Also, countries find ways to reduce They want to create a world where the fear of war is much less but where people are safe from terrorism and violence. Countries can do this by working together. They have passed resolutions on ammunition, military spending and missiles. Agenda Item 97.B Nuclear Disarmament Nuclear arms cause more damage than regular bombs. A small nuclear weapon can destroy an entire city. They are weapons of mass destruction. Countries used nuclear weapons only twice in history. During World War II the U.S. dropped two nuclear bombs on Japan. This caused more than 129 000 deaths. Many countries made nuclear arms. Some countries made them for protection. Other countries made them to show they were powerful. When one country built arms the other countries would build more. This became known as an arms race. History The first five countries to make nuclear arms were the U.S., Russia, the U.K., France and China. These five countries are called the nuclear weapon states. The UN supports nuclear disarmament. Disarmament means to get rid of arms. In 1961 the General Assembly passed a resolution. It said using nuclear arms are against international law and should not be used. The UN urges countries to get rid of these Since 1961 three more countries developed weapons: India, Pakistan and North Korea. There are now more than 22 000 nuclear weapons in the world. This is a threat to all countries. These weapons can destroy our world. On June 12 1982, 1 million people protested against nuclear arms in New York City. This was the largest anti-nuclear protest ever. In Europe, 600 000 people protested in 1983. There are many groups against nuclear arms such as Greenpeace.
In 2000, members of the U.N. agreed to the Millennium Declaration. They agreed they should get rid of nuclear arms. In 2006, North Korea tested a nuclear weapon. In 10 years North Korea has made more tests. They also threaten to use their Recent Developments In 2006, the President of France said his country might use nuclear arms. France would use them if a terrorist attacked or if a country used weapons of mass destruction. In 2015, President Francois Hollande said France needs nuclear arms to prevent attacks. The U.S. plans to modernize their nuclear arms. This will cost $1 trillion over 30 years. The U.S. is building a national missile defense program. It will destroy missiles from before they reach the U.S. This makes some countries nervous like Russia. Countries want to make a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East. This would help some of the tensions in that area. Israel will not admit if they have nuclear In the past, Iraq, Libya and Syria tried to create nuclear People think Iran is creating nuclear weapons in secret. Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaties & Agreements ü Stop the spread of nuclear arms. ü Use nuclear energy for peace. ü Signed in 1968. ü India, Pakistan, Israel, and South Sudan have never signed ü North Korea signed but left in 2003 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty ü Ban ALL nuclear explosions. ü Not yet in force. ü Needs to be ratified by China, Egypt, Iran, Israel, the U.S., India, North Korea and Pakistan. Nuclear Weapon Free Zones (NWFZ) ü Area of the world with no nuclear arms. ü Countries must sign a treaty. ü Countries need to allow inspections. They need to prove they have no nuclear ü 56% of the world is in one of these zones.
Worldwide Nuclear Weapons Statistics Nuclear Weapon States Number of Warheads 1 Treaty on Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons 2 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty 3 United States 7100 Signatory Russia 7700 United Kingdom 215 France 300 China 260 Signatory India 120 Non-Signatory Non-Signatory Pakistan 120 Non-Signatory Non-Signatory North Korea 8 Non-Signatory Non-Signatory Suspected Nuclear Weapons States Israel 80 Non-Signatory Signatory Former Nuclear Weapons States 4 South Africa 6 (disassembled) Belarus Kazakhstan Ukraine 81 (transferred to 1 400 (transferred to 5 000 (transferred to States that share US Nuclear Weapons 5 Germany 10-20 Belgium 10-20 Italy 60-70 Netherlands 10-20 Turkey 60-70 States Suspected of Developing Nuclear Weapons Programs Iran N/A Signatory 1 Kimball, Daryl. Nuclear Weapons: Who Has What at a Glance. Arms Control Association. Arms Control Association, 23 June 2014. Web. 4 April 2016. 2 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. UNODA: United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs. UNODA, n.d. Web. 4 April 2016. 3 Comprehensibe Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. UNODA: United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs. UNODA, n.d. Web. 4 April 2016. 4 Kristensen, Hans M. Nuclear Forces Guide. The Nuclear Information Project. Federation of American Scientists, n.d. Web. 4 April 2016. 5 Nuclear Disarmament NATO. Nuclear Threat Initiative. Nuclear Threat Initiative, 16 July 2015. Web. 4 April 2016.
Guiding Questions 1. Does your country have nuclear arms? If yes, why would your country would want to keep its weapons? If no, why might your country want others to disarm? 2. Look at some of the following treaties: Antarctic Treaty, Outer Space Treaty, Moon Agreement, Seabed Treaty. How did these treaties help prepare for the Comprehensive- Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty? 3. What do you think the countries in the Middle East would need to agree to in order to create a NWFZ there? 4. The Secretary-General of the UN has a five-point proposal on nuclear disarmament. Read it here: WMD/Nuclear/sg5point.shtml. How can your country help make those ideas a reality? 5. Some people believe nuclear arms have made the world safer. What are some reasons this might be true? What are some reasons this might not? 6. Four countries have not signed the NPT. Why have they decided not to? 7. Look at where your country is on a map. Who are its neighbors? If those countries have nuclear arms would they feel at risk?
Resources Title Hyperlink How is it helpful? United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs The Secretary-General's Five-point Proposal on Nuclear Disarmament Why Countries Build Nuclear Weapons in the 21st Century North Korea Warns U.S. it's Ready to Use Nuclear Weapons 'Any Time' WMD/Nuclear/sg5point.shtml http://thediplomat.com/2013/07/ why-countries-build-nuclearweapons-in-the-21st-century/ http://edition.cnn.com/2015/09/1 5/asia/north-korea-nuclearprogram/ Gives broad information about disarmament. Shows the UN Secretary- General s ideas about getting rid of nuclear arms. A newspaper article that explains why some countries choose to create nuclear arms even today. Gives an overview of North Korea s nuclear program. Explains how North Korea is threatening to use nuclear Arms Control Association https://www.armscontrol.org/ Offers background information about the issue. The Fact Sheets are very helpful. Five Ways that Nuclear Weapons Could Still Be Used http://www.theguardian.com/co mmentisfree/2015/aug/06/nucle ar-weapons-70-years-bombinghiroshima-war A Guardian newspaper article that explains why the threat of a nuclear war or disaster is still possible. International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Disarmament Education The Peace Doves https://www.iaea.org/ education/ http://www.nobelprize.org/educa tional/peace/nuclear_weapons/g ame.html This group wants to completely ban nuclear It provides resources about disarmament. Resources for young people studying disarmament. The UN produced it. A flash game that quizzes you on your knowledge of nuclear disarmament facts.