Anyways, my situation was pretty precarious considering the topics which were of child soldiers (Libya has used them in the past during Gaddafi's reign but has renounced the use however still has a problem considering that many of the pro and anti-government militias have little to no regulation on the ages of soldiers), the use of drones and the Central African Republic crisis. I half expected the Western liberal democracies to pounce on me when I went up on the stage to present my resolution because my country's faltering stability!
Thankfully none of them did but a bunch of other really interesting and dramatic stuff happened which I won't elaborate on now due to lack of time and the fact that this particular post is supposed to be about my position paper (which was written in one full 9 hour block in a caffeine fueled haze) so I'll just cut to the chase and present MAH LOVELY PRECIOUSSSSSSSS!!!
(Disclaimer: I don't claim to be an expert in any of these issues so if there are any changes in foreign policy since then and now and if there are any mistakes in my position paper, please excuse me)
Committee: General
Assembly
Country: Libya Arab
Jamahiriya
The
topics before the General Assembly today are: the Military Use of Children, the
Humanitarian Crisis in the Central African Republic and the Implication for the
Uses of Drones.
1. Military Use of Children
In almost every armed conflict that has
and is happening around the world, there was and still is the presence of
frightened children clutching weapons, committing acts and witnessing
atrocities far beyond their age level. With the current battle strategies which
centre heavily on urban warfare and the highly unregulated actions of rebel
fighters, the battle lines are blurry and children are at even more risk of becoming
child soldiers. Libya recognizes that we have used child soldiers in the past in
the Libyan civil war during Muammar Gaddafi’s reign but as the current
democratically elected government, we disapprove of the use of child soldiers
as shown by our signing and ratification of OPAC and numerous other anti-child
soldier resolutions. However, with internal conflict seeming imminent due to
the federalist militia rebels currently blockading our oil ports, we cannot
guarantee that child soldiers will not be used by the rebels although we strive
to keep our own government led forces free from underage soldiers. Unfortunately
we as the government have very limited control on whether irregular
paramilitaries and self-defence groups on our side but not under the
government’s payroll use teens as soldiers.
With an imminent threat to further use
of child soldiers from the rebel militias in Libya, and lack of government
resources to restrict child soldier use due to preoccupation with rebels
factions, Libya fears that the use of child soldiers will be quite rampant should
civil conflict begin due to lack of regulation, the nature of rebel groups, and
the current vulnerable situations of children which allows for recruitment by
rebel forces. This is of international concern not only because of the human
rights violations and the various physical/psychological effects on a
generation but also because the use of child soldiers may help the federalist
rebels, some of which are backed by radical Islamist groups and could provide
enough military power to topple government forces, prompting internationally
felt impacts. The historical origin of Libyan child soldiers comes from the
Libyan civil war in 2011, which resulted in a deeply unstable aftermath with
children living in highly vulnerable situations away from family and home thus
making them susceptible to military recruitment. Children and teens were used
during the civil war on both sides, and child soldiers in Libya has been so
normalized that there is no longer a cultural taboo against it.
Past actions to combat the use of child
soldiers by the UN include the creation of the Optional Protocol to the
Convention on the Rights of Child (OPAC)
which was signed and ratified by Libya and which provided a strong foundation
for the long term prevention of unlawful recruitment of children for military
use as well as providing assistance to current child soldiers. Although OPAC member
states are required to take all necessary actions for national implementation,
enforcement is rather poor. The Security Council Resolution 2143 (2014) and SCR 1998 (2011) both take measures to protect children; the former by
providing framework to protect children in conflict zones and the latter by
affirming the right to education and strengthening protection of schools
against military use. The Adoption of Arms Trade Treaty (2013) by the U.N. General Assembly signed by Libya prevented the
flow of arms to parties which used child soldiers, serving as a deterrence for
belligerent parties and UNICEF launched the “Children,
Not Soldiers” campaign to end child soldier recruitment by 2016, a campaign
that Libya strongly supports. Some issues not adequately addressed include displaced/orphaned
youths with a high risk of being recruited, and a societal internalization of
violence and war which leads to normalization of children being used as
soldiers.
Libya supports UN endeavours to end
child soldier usage and proposes solutions including; reducing child
vulnerability by providing safer environments for children especially in the
rehabilitation process of a country after a war (similar to post-civil war
Libya), a societal education process which reinforces that child soldiers are
taboo to use, rehabilitation for current and former child soldiers, and a
disincentive for rebel groups to use children by restricting funding, weapons
and supplies to rebel groups which use child soldiers. To implement these
solutions, international funding may need to be utilised to help rehabilitate
post-war countries and restart the economy and the societal attitude must be
shifted through media influence by the nation. Rehabilitation for current child
soldiers can only feasibly be achieved once the child is in the custody of the
government or NGOs, therefore since only injured child soldiers in the custody
of hospitals are reachable currently, the situation must be changed to allow
for greater access. Former child soldiers should also be rehabilitated. An
international crackdown must be implemented on terrorist organizations which
fund rebel groups in order to impose a blockade on rebel supplies to deter
groups from using child soldiers and diplomatic talks should begin as soon as
possible in Libya to prevent any further bloodshed.
Libya believes that the use of child
soldiers is a grave problem and gladly supports UN solutions in prevention,
rehabilitation, media publicity and deterrence of child soldier usage.
2.
Humanitarian Crisis in the Central African Republic
With food insecurity, disease, a
crippled economy, a weak government and religious tensions that escalate to
ethnic cleansing, the Central African Republic is in bad shape. Currently, 1
million of their 4.6 million population is displaced, with at least 2 000 dead
from violence, 42% of their population suffers from food insecurity, and the
C.A.R. is 179th in the Human Development Index, making it one of the
most impoverished countries in the world despite their abundant wealth of gold,
diamonds and cotton. Libya, as an ally of C.A.R. recognizes the dire state the
Central African Republic is in and will do what we possibly can to restore
peace and security in the region as well as protect the currently targeted
minority Muslim population within C.A.R. from the Christian Anti-Balaka militias.
We recommend renewed economic ties with C.A.R. which were previously disrupted
due to coups and hope to bring C.A.R. out of economic stagnation and stand by
C.A.R.’s side as an ally, both politically, economically and in our hearts.
The roots of the humanitarian crisis lie
in the turbulent history of C.A.R., beginning from its independence in 1960
from France with no adequate ‘easing-in’ process for the fledgling country. Due
to inadequate leadership, C.A.R. suffered through coups, economic mismanagement
under President David Dacko, violent internal conflicts and religious/ethnic
tensions due to badly drawn borderlines and lack of national identity, which
caused the prevalence of religious identity and ethnocentrism. In 2013, Seleka
(Muslim rebel militia group) seized the capital Bangui and exiled the Christian
President Francois Bozize, replacing him with a Muslim leader, Michael Djotodia,
all the while looting, raping, pillaging and killing many Christians. In the
security vacuum caused by the deposal of Bozize, anarchy reigned and the
Christian majority of 83% of the population resented a Muslim leader. As a
result, Christian militias were set up initially to protect themselves from the
Muslim rebels, but later turned to revenge attacks and ethnic cleansing on the
Muslim population, prompting a vast exodus and the humanitarian crisis we have
today. All the current problems can be traced back to a few root causes; the
hasty borderlines drawn which resulted in ethnic and religious tensions, no
governing education after independence, economic mismanagement, self-serving
interferences from France, Chad and Libya (during Gaddafi’s reign) and a lack
of programs boosting multiethnic relations. If this crisis is not solved soon,
the international community may be affected, with neighbouring countries like
Chad bearing the brunt of refugees, as well as sparking anger on the African
continent between religions and further destabilizing the surrounding area.
Past actions taken have included Security
Council Resolution 2127 (2013) which
authorised the deployment of MISCA (International
Support Mission in the Central African Republic) to protect citizens,
restore state authority and create conducive conditions for humanitarian
support. A trust fund had been set up for MISCA which member states,
international bodies and NGOs can contribute to. The Security Council also
decided that for 1 year, all states are to prevent direct/indirect supply, sale
and transfer of arms to the Central African Republic and the mandate for
efforts headed by BINUCA (Integrated
office of United Nations General) has been extended 1 year, allowing for
more peacebuilding, national reconciliation, reconstruction and recovery. The
UN World Food Programme has been involved in the wake of food shortages and
insecurity and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees as well as the UN
Commission on Human Rights have been documenting and reporting on human rights
violations and the current refugee situation. Several NGOs have become involved
as well, with Free the Children raising awareness of youth refuges and the use
of child soldiers, Action Against Hunger which distributes a high protein food
called Plumpy Nut to children in Bangui and over 200 NGOs from C.A.R. which are
working internally to restore stability and rights.
Despite efforts, certain problems still
exist; the tensions between Christians and Muslims must be addressed, Muslim
refugees aided, international help is needed to help govern and assist the
interim President Catherine Samba-Panza, the food shortage addressed and
militias to be disbanded, disarmed and replaced with third party troops. The
economy and poverty must be fixed and either a new national identity happens or
the borders must be redrawn.
Libya proposes several solutions to
restore peace and stability. Firstly, religious tensions must be addressed
through positive media portrayals of inter-religious interactions and cultural
exchange programs need to be set up to open the doors to communication and to
dispel prejudices. The government cabinet would benefit from study of successful
governing strategies and international experts in economic and political
management could exchange ideas and aid the current C.A.R. cabinet. Since
C.A.R.’s GDP is 55% dependent on agriculture, Libya and aid organizations could
provide them with funding, seeds and farming equipment, but not distribute food
too abundantly and freely among the populace as that would rob local farmers of
incentive to sell and cause charity overreliance. Militias currently exist to
protect a certain area and are often unregulated, allowing for many human
rights violations, thus disarmament is crucial and more feasibly achieved once
promised that a regulated third party (the UN troops) would do their job
instead, thereby fulfilling security needs without militias. Should the
Christians and Muslims continue to carry out ethnic cleansing and C.A.R.’s
national identity is unable to be forged, a redrawing of state borders ought to
be considered. Libya promises that if more Muslims seek exodus outside of the
C.A.R., we would be happy to take them in and provide for them as well as
pledging to help Chad in managing the refuge crisis by contributing funds.
As an age long ally of the Central
African Republic, Libya will do all we can to restore peace and stability.
3. Implication
for the Use of Drones
The past few years have seen a
revolution in military design and strategy, aided by the invention and active
usage of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) colloquially known as drones. With its
diverse array of uses, from the civil and recreational to the military, drones
remain a controversial and game changing gadget. Libya, having experienced
drones attacks during the Libyan Civil War in 2011 and having had intense
pressure from the U.S. to launch drones in our country both for reconnaissance
reasons and for assassination purposes in the war against terrorism, is
thoroughly opposed to the use of military drones which are armed and carry out
targeted killings. We also object to foreign drones infiltrating our country in
peace time and although we allowed U.S. reconnaissance drones into Benghazi,
Libya in 2012 to search for the killers of U.S. ambassador Christopher Stevens,
we recognize that it was an exceptional circumstance and do not approve of
closing down our facilities (such as the airport closed down because of U.S.
drones in the aforementioned case) for the sake of a foreign state’s
intervention with our citizens.
Libya’s relationship with drones has
changed through the ages; from gratitude at NATO drones toppling the dictator
Muammar Gaddafi and allowing a democratic government spring up after decades of
oppression to current reluctance for foreign drone intervention in a more
stable state. We recognize the reason why foreign states deploy strikes here – to
fight against the terrorist groups – but we see that their strategy of
launching drones in our country is unreasonably intrusive to our state functions
and security, may exacerbate terrorist activity and recruitment, demeans and
delegitimizes our government which currently is at a very delicate position and
violates our sovereignty. Libya’s government currently is in urgent need of
support from our people and for diplomatic tactics meant to defuse the
situation between us and the federalist rebels, therefore, by allowing foreign
drones in which actively hunt down and kill certain Islamist groups in our
predominantly Islamist country, we may foster even more internal strife and
could cause a tipping point to another civil war which could further
destabilize the surrounding area. Should Libya fall due to internal strife
aided by unpopular drone policies, there is a dire economic situation as our
oil (we are one of the largest producers of oil in Africa) will be squandered
and terrorist/criminal activity will skyrocket in times of war. In addition,
Libya, at an ideological level is opposed to the use of foreign drones as we
see that drone use takes away the deterrent for starting a foreign war or
launching pre-emptive strikes, because it’s financially and collaterally more
feasible to launch attacks, leading to more recklessness and frequency of
attacks.
Past actions that dealt with drones
include the General Assembly resolution “Protection
of Human rights & Fundamental Freedom while Countering Terrorism” (2013),
signed by Libya which urged drone use to comply with international law, the
Charter of Human rights and the principles of distinction and proportionality
as well as ensuring accountability. Libya also closed off its airports and
airspace to aid the U.S. in finding the killers of Christopher Stevens, U.S.
Ambassador and temporarily allowed spy drones from the U.S. into our country.
We see that the root cause of drone use is
that we have active terrorist groups like the Al Qaeda within our country and
traveling between borders. We don’t approve nor support those terrorist groups,
nor do we appreciate foreign intervention but we recognize that we don’t have
enough resources to combat them ourselves or set up our own drone program.
Accountability is also an issue, as is the legal justifications for each drone
strike launched, the lack of a distinct line between “civilian”/“terrorist” and
“guilty”/”innocent” as well as the issue of national sovereignty.
To solve these problems, Libya proposes
stricter international law regulations on the deployment of drones, especially
deployment in foreign areas and urges each strike to have direct accountability
to the highest offices of both countries for approval. Each strike must be at
least 90% sure that the victim is a terrorist with a direct link to previous
terrorism or imminent and certain future terrorist threat, thus the accidental
killing of civilians will be cut down. We propose transparency among government
offices about where the drones are deployed, who is being spied upon/killed and
who approved of the action and if any of those principles were violated
(civilians killed), the offending government is to issue a comprehensive and
truthful report to the United Nations, the host country and the international
media. Spy drones launched are to strictly gather information on terrorist
activity only and are regulated to not spy on the host country’s government to
preserve national security from other states and full disclosure of what
information was gathered by spy drones are to be provided to the country being
subjected to drone intervention. To solve the root problem of terrorism and in
extension, cut down on the use of drones in our politically delicate area, we
should install stricter border control policies as many supplies, weapons and
jihadists regularly stream into our country from the east. International
funding may be required to aid Libya’s own military and police forces, so that
we can keep our citizens safe while still maintaining the image of national
sovereignty without direct intervention from other nation states and the
current jihadists need to be starved of weapons and supplies by the tackling of
arms proliferation and the weapons black market in Libya and the surrounding
countries through a better internal security system in Libya.
Libya has a long history with drones,
but to gain international security and stability, we urge that foreign powers
refrain from delegitimizing our government through drone intervention and that
we take matters into our own hands for combating terrorism while be aided by
the international community in terms of funding and supplies.
