Dear Delegates,
It is a pleasure to welcome you to the 2014 Montessori Model United Nations Conference.

The following pages intend to guide you in the research of the topics that will be debated at MMUN 2014 in
committee sessions. Please note this guide only provides the basis for your investigation. It is your
responsibility to find as much information necessary on the topics and how they relate to the country you
represent. Such information should help you write your Position Paper, where you need to cite the references in
the text and finally list all references in the Modern Language Association (MLA} format.

The more information and understanding you acquire on the two topics, the more you will be able to influence
the Resolution writing process through debates [formal and informal caucuses], and the MMUN experience as a
whole. Please feel free to contact us if and when you face challenges in your research or formatting your
Position Papers.
We encourage you to learn all you can about your topics first and then study your country with regard to the
two selected topics. Please remember that both committee members need to be well versed and ready to debate
both topics.

Enjoy researching and writing your Position Papers.

We look forward to seeing you at the Conference!

MMUN Secretariat Team

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Disarmament and International Security

First Committee

The First Committee deals with disarmament, global challenges and threats to
peace that affect the international community and seeks out solutions to the
challenges in the international security regime.

It considers all disarmament and international security matters within the scope
of the Charter or relating to the powers and functions of any other organ of the
United Nations; the general principles of cooperation in the maintenance of
international peace and security, as well as principles governing disarmament and the regulation of armaments;
promotion of cooperative arrangements and measures aimed at strengthening stability through lower levels of
armaments.

The Committee works in close cooperation with the United Nations Disarmament Commission and the Geneva-
based Conference on Disarmament. It is the only Main Committee of the General Assembly entitled to verbatim
records coverage.

Source: http://www.un.org/en/ga/first/

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International Terrorism
Topic Background

The fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the subsequent end of the Cold War
dramatically changed the global security environment. The short period that followed
shifted focus from interstate affairs to internal affairs. In this time period, many believed nothing else could
endanger global security as much as the Cold War had. Underneath this seeming calm, however, a new set of
global threats was brewing. And this came as a rude awakening for the international community in the form of
the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11th, 2001. This act of terror demonstrated to the
international community just how capable terrorist organizations had become.

Terrorism as defined by the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency is “premeditated politically motivated
violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents.” However, one
country’s terrorist is another country’s freedom fighter, and one of the greatest difficulties in combating
terrorism is first defining it.

One of the factors that contributed to terrorist growth has been the development of modern day warfare.
Weapons of mass destruction, biochemical warfare, and cluster munitions are just a few of the weapons
terrorists may now acquire. One of the biggest challenges for the United Nations and the international
community is to ensure terrorist organizations do not have access to weapons of such destructive magnitude.
Stemming from non-state actors, international terrorism has grown to include terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda,
Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab, and Hamas. Nearly every region of the world now has terrorist organizations present.

Past Actions

Following the aftermath of the September 11th attack, on September 28th, the United Nations Security Council
adopted resolution 1373. This resolution dealt mostly with the financing of terrorist groups. It called for
member states to freeze terrorist financial assets, criminalized the collection of funds for terrorist purposes, and
called upon the international community to unanimously condemn terrorist acts of aggression. One of the most
important provisions included in resolution 1373 was the creation of a Counter-Terrorism Committee. This
committee was conceived with the purpose of overseeing the implementation of this resolution.

To address the issue of weapons of mass destruction falling into terrorist hands, the General Assembly adopted
resolution 57/83 in 2002. This was the first ever text on the prevention of chemical, biological, and nuclear
weapons from terrorist acquisition. Furthermore, in 2004 the Security Council unanimously passed resolution
1540 which obliged member countries to refrain from supporting non-state actors in the development,
acquisition, and manufacturing of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons

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In 2004, Secretary General Kofi Annan proposed a five pillar strategy leading up to the
2005 September World Summit. His five pillars included dissuading groups from
resorting to terrorist acts, denying terrorist’s access to the means for carrying out an
attack, deterring states from supporting terrorist organizations, developing state
capabilities to combat terrorism, and defending human rights in the context of terrorism
and counter-terrorism.

These five pillars were the key ideas leading up to the 2005 September World Summit. The summit was the first
time a unanimous condemnation of terrorist acts was reached. The international community agreed to condemn
terrorism “in all its forms and manifestations, committed by whomever, wherever and for whatever purposes.”

Following the World Summit, the General Assembly was tasked with developing a universal counter-terrorism
strategy. With the help of the Secretary General, this document, the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism
Strategy, was conceived on the 8th of September in 2006.

This strategy has four basic principles, including tackling conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism,
preventing and combating terrorism, building state capacity to combat terrorism, and ensuring respect for
human rights while countering terrorism. Since the passing of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, it has
become the main blueprint for counter terrorism initiatives. The strategy is reviewed on a biennial basis by the
General Assembly in which countries reaffirm their condemnation of terrorism and reevaluate the effectiveness
of recent strategies.

Aside from the development of this universal strategy, there has been more specific activity by other
international organizations. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International Maritime
Organization (IMO), and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) are just a few bodies that have
developed a network of international agreements which constitute the basic legal instruments against terrorism.

Other conventions have addressed specific topics within counter terrorism. The Convention on Cluster
Munitions, Biological Weapons Convention, and the Non Proliferation Treaty on Nuclear Weapons address
specific weapons and their relative availability for acquisition by terrorist groups.

Possible Solutions

With millions of innocent civilians dying every year, terrorism remains a great evil in the world. It is the
responsibility of the United Nations to address this issue. Counter terrorism efforts in the past have been met
with limited success. But there are several areas in which the committee can develop possible solutions to end
the use of terrorism:

• Defining Terrorism: The United Nations has long worked without a formal definition in combating
terrorism. However, without a working definition on terrorism there is ambiguity in what may or may
not be considered terrorism. In times of crises, this ambiguity slows down the decision making process.
Developing a universal term for terrorism will be difficult as every country perceives terrorism in a

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different way. Working off of definitions present in national governments will
be the best approach to conceiving a universally acceptable definition of
terrorism.

• Regional vs. International: There has been much work on the international
policy of counter terrorism. However in recent years, this broad universal
approach may not be seen as most effective. While terrorism is international in scope, the international
community may be met with better results if counter terrorism strategies were broken down by region.

• Diplomacy vs. Force: As is the spirit of the United Nations, diplomacy should always be the first
weapon of choice. However, there is always difficulty with arranging diplomatic talks with terrorists.
Delegates will be faced with the choice of sending in armed forces in an attempt to deal with terrorist
acts of aggression. Sometimes, this may be the only course of action, but more often than not delegates
should explore other diplomatic options first. Delegates should discuss potential ways to attract terrorist
groups into diplomatic conferences.

• Information Technology: Delegates should look to problems and solutions the Internet may offer.
Cyber-terrorism has grown exponentially in the past few years with many terrorist groups organizing via
the Internet. Additionally, the Internet also provides a venue for communication throughout the
international community. It may be used to coordinate attacks or garner public support. Although it may
be a double-edged sword, proper use of the Internet will further the UN in its fight against terrorism.

The committee must identify what has worked and what has not worked. It is only through international
cooperation that it can effectively tackle the issue of terrorism. The international community must declare
unanimously that the international community will not stand for such acts of aggression and that terrorist acts
can and will be punished.

Further Research

Guiding Questions
● Has terrorism affected your country? What has your government done about terrorism? What is your
government’s definition of terrorism?
● What role does the Internet play on counter terrorism efforts?
● What are some failings of the United Nations Global Counter Terrorism Strategy and how can we rectify
them?
● How can we better allocate resources and use various UN organizations or NGO’s to combat terrorism?

Research Sources
• United Nations – Global Issues – Terrorism: http://www.un.org/en/globalissues/terrorism/
• Council on Foreign Relations – Terrorism: http://www.cfr.org/issue/13/
• Global Policy Forum: http://www.globalpolicy.org/war-on-terrorism.html

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Website: www.montessori-mun.org
Email: info@montessori-mun.org