Country: Zambia
Committee: Disarmament and International Security
Topic: Intra-State Ethnic Conflicts
The issue of intra-state ethnic conflict is a pressing one that must be addressed and
continually monitored due to constantly fluctuating circumstances across the globe. The
argument can be made that any military conflict has some sort of a cultural clash at its
roots; however it is clear that battles in which hatred for the opposition at an ethnic level
is explicit are always the most violent and devastating. Any time that ethnic tensions lead
to violence there is the possibility of genocide, and furthermore it is particularly difficult
for the international community to address ethnic conflict given its delicate nature. On a
domestic level, ethnic conflict can be relatively easily contained or ended; however once
an ethnic conflict crosses international borders; various treaties, alliances, and ethnic
standpoints may lead to regional, or even global, conflict. As any ethnic conflict poses
this threat, its is necessary that the international community take the appropriate steps in
order to prepare for and reduce ethnic conflict. All developed states are committed to
ending ethnic conflict, though where they differ in foreign policy is between diplomacy
and intervention. For the most part, developing countries have flexible policies on ending
ethnic conflict that vary in different situations. Depending on the extent of a nation’s
foreign interest or the severity of humanitarian crises in a nation where an ethnic conflict
is taking place, a developed nation may choose a different course of action. Developed
countries usually are or border the countries in which ethnic conflict takes place, and so
their policies usually reflect their situations. Most nations neighboring ethnic conflict are
wary of spreading violence, and thus are open to NGO aid or intervention on the part the
international community. As for states in which ethnic conflict is occurring, if there is an
authoritative government, it may not desire foreign influence. The international
community has generally always been highly involved in ending ethnic conflict. To name
a few, the Nazi regime of Germany in the 1930s and 1940s was met with a coalition of
nations, and much more recently the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has
used military force to end conflicts such as those in Bosnia and Serbia. Without the
interest of the international community, however, many ethnic conflicts are at risk of
being left alone, as was the case for the Rwandan genocide during 1994. The United
Nations has passed several resolutions on ethnic conflict; both circumstantially specific
such as A/RES/60/170 passed concerning the Congo, and on general issues such as
A/RES/58/182 on the Effective Promotion of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons
Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities.
In preventing ethnic conflict, Zambia is committed to promoting nationalism in hopes
of having the citizens of Zambia identify with Zambia before ethnic backgrounds. Upon
declaring independence from the United Kingdom in 1964, the government of Zambia
was faced with uniting an ethnically diverse population. During its control of Zambia,
British authorities had labeled different groups of Zambians and clearly delineated
between the groups, however by promoting a nationalist image the government of
Zambia successfully avoided major ethnic conflict. The copper mining industry of
Zambia attracted workers of different cultural back rounds into the same workplaces and
urban areas, and the government of Zambia took measures such as instating a boarding
school system for grades 7-12 in order to bring Zambia’s diverse youth together. Some
nations may support strictly military or diplomatic action in dealing with ethnic conflict;
however both methods may not be effective depending on the situation. In order to truly
end intra-state ethnic conflict, preventative measures such as those taken in Zambia must
be set in motion. Zambia would support any resolution that promotes nationalism or
cultural understanding and unity, and is open to military response on the part of the
international community in ending ethnic conflict. As a host nation of refugees in Africa,
Zambia is concerned with ensuring the rights of refugees, and supports the actions of
NGOs and humanitarian agencies of the United Nations in aiding refugees and their
accommodating host nations.