About the committee
The First Committee
of the General Assembly is mandated to address questions on disarmament
and international security. Such concerns range from state conflict,
peacekeeping and world peace, to issues of nuclear non-proliferation,
drug trafficking and the arms trade.
Topics
Topic A: The question of addressing piracy and its root
causes
Seaborne piracy is an ancient practice, but in the 21st
century it has a distinctly modern face. One that involves private
enterprise, economics, security and state stability. Labelled as the
maritime ripple effect of anarchy on land, it is estimated that piracy
against transport vessels amounts to $US16 billion per year, with the
human cost equally as high. Despite international action, piracy is on
the rise. In 2009 alone, 206 attacks were carried out. Growing use of
sophisticated electronics, heavy weapons, and large oceangoing boats
means that groups are able to operate in an increasingly organised
manner, creating an additional danger that piracy might serve as a
potential platform for terrorist activities. In response, the
international community must not only determine the actions available to
states fighting piracy in this context, but work to eliminate the
practice on a broader scale, in all regions.
Topic
B: The question of the security implications of climate change
Climate change is commonly presented as an
environmental issue. Yet the realities of the effects of a far more
unreliable and variable climate pose profound risks to international
peace and security: exacerbating issues of poverty and violence over
resource scarcity; undermining the stability of nation states through
increased drought, disease and economic stagnation; and threatening our
very survival via natural disaster and humanitarian crises. Averting
large scale catastrophe from climate change related floods, droughts,
crop failures, mass migrations and exceptionally severe weather remains
the policy challenge for this century. Managing and responding to these
changes requires a cooperative effort from nations around the world, and
a well conceived plan of action from the UN system.
