Good Morning..

... and what a fine morning it is!

You can smell the excitement and anticipation in the crisp, cold air. Today is the first day of the HSMUN 2012 Conference! We can't wait to see your bright eyed, bushy tailed selves :)

Some last minute thoughts on small arms:

A June 2006 UN conference (to Review Progress Made in the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms sand Light Weapons in All Its Aspects) attempted to curtail the flow of weapons throughout the world - with knowledge that the UN Security Council's Permanent 5 are the most prominent suppliers. An estimated 1000 per day are killed because of this clandestine support of rebel groups. China, for example, is the main supplier of small arms to The Sudan (88%). As of 2006, the number of Sudanese small arms imports from China jumped 137 times from the 2001 level. One might argue that China has thus aided in the genocide that Sudan's government has apparently perpetrated in its Darfur region [indirect/alleged].

The UN's major Security Council members are not the only culprits. In November 2008, Iraqi Kurds acquired three planeloads of small arms and ammunition from Bulgaria. Ty he Kurds seek autonomy from the Iraqi government and independence. Introducing weapon s in to that volatile military theatre is only adds to Iraq's contemporary problem with controlling violence within its borders.

The US expressed what was implicit in the policy objectives of the other four veto blocking States; its Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs reported to the UN General Assembly that the US would object to any steps to establish the international recognition of ammunition or ban governments from giving or selling arms to rebel groups of their choice. In his words: "While we will of course continue to oppose the acquisition of arms by terrorist groups, we recognize the rights of the oppressed to defend themselves against tyrannical and genocidal regimes and oppose a blanket ban on [such recipient] non-state actors."

(Slomanson, Fundamental Perspectives on International Law)

Some last minute items to consider:

- Closed Conference: conference considerations will be purely internal and open to no external events (worldwide events that happen outside of the conference cannot be used during the debates).

- Business wear: get out those black dress socks... The Delegate of the Levis will not be recognized :P

See you all tonight!!

Cheers,

The DISEC Team