MONITORING AND COUNTERING THE ILLICIT ARMS TRADE

CURRENT EVENTSProminent gun control advocate (California senator Leeland Yee) arrested for arms trafficking with the Philippines

UN meeting on the Program of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons in June

CURRENT EVENTSMultiple illicit arms shipments seized in Libyan airports in the past month; Libyan arms fueling Syrian conflict

UK amendment to gun laws in order to comply with the ATT

CURRENT EVENTSSomalia allowed the sale of weapons to foreign arms traffickers, criminals and terrorists; UNSC considering arms ban

Yemen tries to crack down on smuggling

POSSIBLE BLOCSThese countries support strict gun control laws: European countries, Australia, Korea, China, Japan, Brazil, Nigeria, Peru

These countries want to stop the illicit arms trade, but are against strict civilian gun control laws since many citizens hold guns: USA, India, Pakistan, Argentina, Turkey, Morocco

POSSIBLE BLOCSThese countries are centers of the illicit arms trade, but lack enough resources to monitor and counter it fully: Haiti, Rwanda, Bangladesh, Azerbaijan, Guatemala, Ethiopia

The governments of these countries have been extensively involved in arms smuggling, and would be against anything stopping them: Qatar, Libya

LANDMINES

CURRENT EVENTSThe UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) ran a simulation called “Sweeper” that used a phone app to simulate the experience of traveling a mine zone; 4/4.

27 “powerful landmines” were found in the north-eastern Indian city of Gaya during a sanitizing operation; police arrested a Maoist commander based on a “tip-off”; 4/5

CURRENT EVENTSThe UN called for half a billion USD for funding annual de-mining activities, seeing a current 367 million gap in the budget

Landmine awareness conference held in Medellin, Colombia to support victims of landmines

BLOCS/GROUPS(Alleged) usage of land mines that call for investigation in these nations: Yemen (confirmed), South Sudan, Sudan, TurkeyStates that use landmines, yet remain outside of ban treaty: Syria, Myanmar

BLOCS/GROUPSNations where non-state groups have used landmines: Afghanistan, Colombia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, YemenPotential producers of landmines: China, Cuba, India, Iran, Myanmar, DPRK, Pakistan, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, USA, Vietnam

THE QUESTION OF PREVENTING THE PRODUCTION AND PROCUREMENT OF CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS

CURRENT EVENTSSyria’s chemical weapons handover deadline for weapons in presently inaccessible locations extended to April 27, 2014

Half of chemical weapons stockpile in Syria removed

CURRENT EVENTSBenue Coalition for Peace and Security urge Federal Government for UN investigation on usage of chemical weapons

EU gives 5.3 million USD to Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq for reinforcement of potentials in facing weapons of mass destruction

KEY ORGANIZATION(S)OPCW (Organisation for the Production of Chemical Weapons) – primary organization working to prohibit and destroy chemical weapon stockpiles and related facilities

GROUPS/BLOCSStates that have signed but not ratified the Biological Weapons Convention: Central African Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Haiti, Liberia, Myanmar, Nepal, Somalia, Syrian Arab Republic, United Republic of TanzaniaStates that have neither signed nor ratified the BWC: Andorra, Angola, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Guinea, Israel, Kiribati, Mauritania, Federated States of Micronesia, Namibia, Niue, Samoa, South Sudan, Tuvalu

GROUPS/BLOCSStates that have signed but not ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention: Israel, MyanmarStates that have neither signed nor ratified the CWC: Angola, Egypt, North Korea, South Sudan