Arms Trading and Civilian and Civilian Infrastructure Arms control has had a long history, with some evidence of agreements limiting the use of arm stretching back to the early 10th century AD. Since the conception and creation of the United Nations with the goal of promoting world peace, the number of Arms Control treaties, either multilateral or bilateral, has increased significantly. Some important treaties included the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention and the 1997 Ottawa Treaty. While these treaties have been landmarks documents seeking to limit the proliferation and use of certain weapons, they rarely sought to limit the sale and trading of conventional weapons. As such, in the recent history of the United Nations, there has been a growing trend towards the sale and trading of convention weapons. The most important of these attempts is the 2013 Arms Trade Treaty. However, despite such attempts by the United Nations to regulate the trade of weapons, such trade is still rampant around the world. The arms trade has fuelled conflict around the world and has resulted to many civilian deaths, especially women and children, around the world, as well as the destruction of significant civilian infrastructure around the world.

Yemeni Civil War One of the conflicts in the world which demonstrates the detrimental affect arms trade has on the health and wellbeing of civilians is the Yemeni Civil War and the involvement of the Saudi Arabian led coalition. The Yemen Civil War, which started in 2015, is a conflict between two factions, The Houthis (and their allies) and the Hadi-led government (and their allies), both claiming to represent the Yemani government. In 2015, Saudi Arabia launched and led an intervention into Yemen with nine African and Middle Eastern countries in order to support the Hadi-led government. However, the war has since continue to exist and has resulted in a humanitarian crisis in Yemen, with 10,000 civilians killed, 3 million people displaced and 7 million reliant on food aid, including 500,000 malnourished children. The Saudi led coalition has been particular egregious in its use of weaponry, targeting hospitals, schools, markets, grain warehouses, ports and a displaced persons camp, The United Nations also stated in 2016 the majority of the civilian deaths were caused by the Saudi Arabian led coalition. There have also been widespread use of cluster munitions, which are indiscriminate weapons and have overwhelmingly targeted civilians, in breach of both the Geneva Convention IV and the Convention on Cluster Munitions (which Saudi Arabia is not a party to)

A significant factor which is fuelling Saudi Arabia’s ability to intervene in Yemen is the international arms trade, particularly that with the United Kingdom. Since 2015, the UK has granted weapons licences for 3.3 billion pounds worth or arms. The weapons provided include cruise missiles and planes. There have also been allegations of UK-made cluster munitions being used by the Saudi-led coalition, which if it were true would mean the UK has violated the Convention on Cluster Munitions (which it is a party to). Many international and domestic human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have criticised the UK for fuelling the war in Yemen. Amnesty International has also claimed that the UK has known that the weapons it has sold Saudi Arabia have been used against civilians, but has continued to supply Saudi Arabia regardless of this fact.

Syrian Civil War The Syrian Civil War has resulted in a significant amount of arms trading, often with the result that the Civil War continues to be waged and many civilians, especially women and children, are displaced, injured or killed.

Both the Assad Syrian Government and the Syrian rebels have committed human rights abuses and civilian deaths in the Syrian Civil War. The Assad regime has indiscriminately attack civilians (especially children) and civilian infrastructure (including hospitals and schools) through bombing, use of cluster munitions and other forms of military technology and arms. Further, on April 4th, the Assad regime conducted a chemical attack on the town if Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib, which killed at least 85 people, including 20 children. Since 2013, 1,400 people have been killed in chemical attacks by the Assad Regime. The rebels have also been known to use car bombs, mortars and rockets to indiscriminately attack civilians and civilian infrastructure in governmentheld areas. Russia Russia was known to have provided the Syrian Assad government with arms during the early stages of the Civil War in 2012. However, Russia states that it was simply fulfilling an arms deal made prior to the Civil War. Since then, the Syrian Civil War has mainly been as a “show room” for Russian military weapons and technology, as well as an ability to test weaponry and technology in military conditions Iran Iran has been known to be one of the most significant suppliers of arms to the Assad regime since 2012, including sales of anti-tank missiles, rocketpropelled grenades and mortars.

During the Battle for Aleppo there was extensive presence of Iranian-made goods, including military vehicles, sniper weapons and other personal weapons United States The United States had long been providing Syrian rebels with military technology and munitions. Munitions include ammunition, anti-tank missiles and guns. As recently as December 2016, the US decided to ease restrictions on arming the Syrian rebels, to opening the way to increased access of US arms, including anti-aircraft missiles.

The Balkans The Balkan region has been an important pipeline of arms to the Syrian Civil War, with several Eastern European countries selling arms to Middle Eastern countries which are known to ship arms to Syria, Libya and Yemen. And this arms trade has contributed significantly to the length of the Syrian Civil War. The countries of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Montenegro, Slovakia, Serbia and Romania have approved 1.2 billion euros of weapons and ammunition exports to Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE and Turkey. These countries are known to be key markets for the arm trade to Syria and Yemen and its highly likely that these Balkan arms are diverted to Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Libya. Indeed, social media photos and videos show Eastern and Central European weapons and ammunitions (some of the ammunition produced as recently as 2015) being

used by various groups including the Free Syrian Army, Ansar al-Sham, Jabhat al-Nursa, ISIS, pro-Assad regimes and Sunni forces in Yemen. Many, if not all, of these groups have been accused of committing serious Human Rights Violations, including killing and harming civilians.

Africa Africa is of particular concern in terms of arms trading because of potential impact such trade can have on the fragile stability in the continent. In 2015, African governments and rebel groups important 45% more weapons than in 2005. The leading importers of military hardware were Morocco, Algeria and Sudan. The issue of the arms trade is the violence and destruction which is associated with the arms imports. An estimated $18 billion a year of civilian infrastructure is destroyed by conflict, which is fuelled by the arms trade. More than just the destruction of infrastructure, the economic and civil consequences of the arms trade deeply scare Africa as businesses are closed and children are deprived of an education, South Sudan is an prominent example of the detriments that the legal arms trade can have. The importation of convention arms into South Sudan has inflamed conflict in the region and the legally important weapons have been used to commit violations of international humanitarian and human rights law and has resulted in the deaths of many civilians.

2014 Arms Trade Treaty (AAT) The Arms Trade Treaty entered into force in December 2014 with the attempt to regulate the international trade in conventional weapons. The AAT is a treaty designed to limit the trade of weaponry which could be used to destabilise international peace or harm civilians and civilian infrastructure. The treaty currently has 130 signatories and 91 Parties. An important section of the AAT is Article 6 which deals with prohibitions to arms trading, and involves prohibitions where: • Such trade would violate a states obligations under international law • Such trade would violate an arms embargo • The state has knowledge that such arms would be used in the commission of a war crime, crime against humanity, a breach of the Geneva Conventions or used against a civilian or civilian objects The treaty also has significant provisions for requiring each state to implement screening processes for imports, exports and shipment of arms.

Above Map: Countries which have signed or ratified the AAT • Yellow: Signed • Light Green: Ratified • Dark Green: Acceded

The Question of the Arms Trade and Civilians Recalling UN Resolution 61/89 Having adopted the Arms Trade Treaty, Guided by the Geneva Conventions, Alarmed by the ease by which weapons are able to be traded, Fully Aware of the link between the arms trade and conflict across the world, Convinced that the arm trade fuels conflict around the world, Deeply Concerned about the impact the arms trade and conflict has on civilians, especially women and children, and civilian objects and infrastructure, Deeply Disturbed by the use of chemical weapons in Syria, Deeply Regretting the current humanitarian crises in Yemen, Syria and South Sudan, Noting with deep concern the current trade of weapons to the Middle East, especially to Saudi Arabia, Deeply Conscious of the arms trade through the Balkan region, 1. Calls Upon all member states to immediately sign and ratify the Arms Trade Treaty; a. Trusts all nations will implement all the recommendations and requirements of the Arms Trade Treaty; 2. Designates the use of chemical weapons by the al-Assad regime against the civilian population of Syria as a crime against humanity; 3. Confirms that all the Balkan states of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Montenegro, Slovakia, Serbia and Romania have directly contributed to the conflict in Syria, Yemen and Libya; 4. Calls Upon all nations to cease and desist in selling, exporting or aiding any Middle Eastern member states currently engaged in conflict, especially the United Kingdom; 5. Proclaims that all nations who sell or export arms and who have a reasonable suspicion that those arms could be used against civilians or civilian objects, have committed an act of aggression and have violated the Geneva Conventions IV; 6. Approves the creation of a new United Nations body to regulate the sale of arms, the United Nations Control of Arms Committee (UNCAC)

a. Affirms that all United Nations member states are required to submit by annual reports to UNCAC on any arms trading they are currently engaged with b. Affirms that UNCAC will have the power to recommend to the United Nations Security Council all measures which UNCAC deems necessary, including, but not limited to, sanctions.