Commission: Disarmament
Session: Zonal MUN - 2014
Sponsor: China, France, Ukraine, Fiji
QUESTION OF: PROTECTING CHILDREN CAUGHT UP IN ARMED
CONFLICTS
The General Assembly,
Grieved by the fact that child labour has taken an upward trend due to
an increase in the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects
though it has stated that child labour legislations affect those under the age
of 12,
Expressing deep concern about the illicit manufacture, transfer and
circulation of small arms and light weapons and their excessive accumulation
and uncontrolled spread, which have a plethora of humanitarian, socioeconomic consequences and pose a serious threat to peace, reconciliation,
safety, security, amongst others,
Noting with regret that these children are the most vulnerable to early
mortality as a result of disease and malnutrition and they are the ones who
have less chance of becoming adults able to play a constructive role in the
contemporary society,
Recognising that the international community has a duty to deal with
this issue and acknowledging that the challenge posed in the illicit trade of
weaponry is multi-faceted and involves interalia, security, conflict prevention
and resolution,crime prevention, humanitarian,health and development
dimensions,
Deeply disturbed about its devastating consequences on offspring, many
of whom are victims of armed conflicts or are forced to become soldiers and
since 1990, 2 million children have died due to armed conflicts, 6 million have
been wounded and 22 million are war refugees,
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Commission: Disarmament
Session: Zonal MUN - 2014
Sponsor: China, France, Ukraine, Fiji
Deeply regretting the fact that children living in war-affected contexts
are less likely to be in schools or have access to clean water and basic
sanitation and the conflicts, they destroy crops, places of worships, schools
and despite perpetual efforts, contemporary forms of child labour persevere
and keep growing consistently thus leading to a drastic impact in the number
of illiterates resulting in an economic disruption,
Greatly concerned by kidnapping, mutilation, sexual abuse, attacks
against schools perpetuated in war-torn countries and noting with abhorrence
that children are targets of calculated genocide,
Gravely concerned about the family separation which is an example of
the cascade effect of vulnerabilities that leaves a child at higher risk of
recruitment into armed services and gangs,subsequent conflicts with the law
or other armed groups, neglect physical,sexual, emotional abuse or
exploitation,discrimination within the household or wider community,being
denied the right to education,
Conscious that there is an increase in the global awareness about
deliberate violations against children in armed conflicts, such as the
recruitment and use of children by armed groups, and once recruited, children
might be used as fighters or for non-combat purposes including sexual ones
or even human trafficking,
1. Seeks help from the world customs organisations and the states ,as well
as other relevant organisations, to enhance cooperation with the
International Police Organisation (Interpol) to identify those groups and
individuals engaged in the illicit trade in weaponry in order to allow
national authorities to proceed against them in accordance with their
national laws,
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Commission: Disarmament
Session: Zonal MUN - 2014
Sponsor: China, France, Ukraine, Fiji
2. Notes that China proclaims to support all the efforts by the United
Nations to support the safety of children in armed conflicts. China
believes that the United Nations should continue to focus on
international peace and security,to protect children from being harmed
or killed in armed conflicts,
3. Expresses its appreciation, since UNICEF has been working
collaboratively with the governments, multilateral organisations, nongovernmental organisations and civil society to improve the quality of
basic services that will improve the lives of children including the
provision of education, water, sanitation, nutrition and seeks to
strengthen the capacities of families and communities,
4. Expresses its appreciation since decision by the council of ministers of
the Southern African Development Community has been taken to
conclude its negotiations on a protocol on the control of firearms
,ammunition, child labour and other issues,
5. Suggests that in order to prevent these abuses ,recommendations that
all military and peace-keeping troops have special training on their
responsibilities towards women and men; also all cases of wartime rape
and sexual torture should be prosecuted as war crimes,
6. Solemnly affirms the developments and implementations,where
possible, effective disarmament ,demobilization and reintegration
programmes, including the effective collection, control,storage and
destruction of small arms and light weapons,
7. Suggests that schooling must be provided to millions of children
presently forced to work full time and education hopes to alter the
present bleak situation,
8. Reminds that education is of paramount importance to allow children to
be standard-bearers of the future and it offers children and their families
real choices than today’s horrendous conditions of domestic servitude,
cruel and hazardous labour and outright trafficking,
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Commission: Disarmament
Session: Zonal MUN - 2014
Sponsor: China, France, Ukraine, Fiji
9. Transmits the statement of Graça Machel, a Mozambican educator and
International advocate for children, “The impact of conflict on children
is everyone’s responsibility and it must be everyone’s concern”,
10. Suggests that efforts must be made to eliminate abusive, exploitative
and otherwise intolerable forms of child labour through legislations,
enforcement, advocacy of stricter law enforcement against bonded child
labour trafficking and raising public awareness and creating a broad
social alliance against child labour,
11. Reminds that children are every country’s most vital resource, i.e the
world of tomorrow will inherit the children of today.
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