postion paper

Committee: General Assembly 1st Committee (Disarmament and Security)

Topic: Illicit Trafficking of Small Arms

Country: The Republic of Sudan

Delegate: Jeffrey Mena & Manuela Martinez High School for International Business and Finance



“Poverty is the worst form of violence” once said by Mohandas Gandhi during his non-violent independence movement in India . To allow poverty to exist makes those poor people feel vindictive towards those who have more. Therefore they are more willing to conduct violent actions such as killing others because they have nothing to loose; might as well die trying to gain something. In some cases people would use small arms to threaten people and get what they want. Ever since World War I, the number of deaths from trafficked arms has increased dramatically. Partly because countries all over the World have superfluously made an abundance of light weapons and arms than is needed for national security. This allows people to get a hold of these weapons easier through trade and cause havoc in their country. Sudan feels that if poverty wasn’t such a big issue, than people wouldn’t tend to resort to violence to get what they want. It’s a matter of fighting for resources and who ever has the weapons, sure enough gets the resources. Countries with limited resources are too poor to provide for themselves so they resort to violence.



Thousands of people have been killed in Sudan from trafficked arms. Civilians’ fighting for resources and tribes against other tribes’ violence makes it difficult to ensure safety in Sudan . Central to this human catastrophe is the legacy of combat: landmines, unexploded ordnance, and caches of munitions and weapons. If security were guaranteed, people would see no point in acquiring guns and would be willing to negotiate to surrender such guns to the state. With people fighting for resources and others protecting themselves with small arms it would be a difficult task to stop this issue.



The Nairobi Protocol was created by African regions in order to reduce the circulation of small arms and light weapons. Sudan has signed as a signatory in this protocol taking full responsibility towards the conflict. Article 12 of this protocol promotes to voluntarily surrender light weapons and small arms so that they can be destroyed and cause no more harm. Article 13 in this protocol promotes education and awareness programs and states that these programs should promote a culture of peace and be involved as well as cooperate with all sectors of society. By signing this protocol Sudan is vowing to adhere to it and reduce the trafficking of arms and the deaths caused by it.



In 2001, the UN formed the Program of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons, with the goals of making illicit gun production and possessions a crime, destroying surplus small arms, tracking existing arms, and better enforcing arms embargos. This program clearly was ineffective therefore Sudan would like to call the international community together to strengthen this program so that in could be effective. Sudan feels that is poverty were diminished than the trafficking of arms would be as well because civilians would see no need in fighting for resources when it’s in an abundant amount. Sudan also feels that one country can’t get all the blame for every country is culprit of this crime.