Background Papers UNODC

Terrorists have been one of the greatest threats for humanity, since they are held responsible for the loss of thousands of human lives. In the past few years there have been many terrorist attacks and in some of them weapons of mass destruction have been used. Terrorists have been interested in acquiring WMDs. This WMDs are deadly; they can cause inestimable damage, harming a large number of humans and ecosystems at the same time. As a result of the easy access to WMDs, the threat of terrorist attacks has increased. WMDs and their link to terrorism is one of the most feared threats of modern times.

Background to the Topic

After the attack of September 11th, where terrorists attacked the twin towers in New York City, the United States of America officially claimed that they are in the middle of a war against terrorism. These countries consider extremist Islamic nations as the ones being responsible for these attacks. On the other hand such terrorist groups believe that it is their duty to kill as many as civilians as possible of the most developed countries.

Terrorist training camps are locations where terrorists learn the main principles of terrorism and the use of weapons. Many of these camps have been found in Pakistan and Afghanistan. These camps can be found all around the world even in developed countries. Potential terrorists who attend to these camps are people from all around the world.

There is no legal way to find the material needed to produce weapons of mass destruction. It is clear that there is a black market in which such technology is available. Countries like Iran and North Korea that are suspected to possess weapons of mass destruction like the ones that may be able to support this kind of market. Nations are working hard to find out about these markets, and especially the ones that have suffered terrorist attacks.

It is clear that terrorists have the possibility to produce biological and chemical weapons, since the raw material needed can be easily found. The production of nuclear weapons, a scenario that most of the countries believe is unlikely to become true, but certainly not impossible, is what really worries the most developed countries. In any case, Al Qaeda is considered as the terrorist group that has gone the furthest in designing biological and chemical weapons, but also in obtaining access to nuclear capabilities.

Individual Perspectives

- UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Having suffered several terrorist attacks, the United States of America has set combating Weapons of Mass Destruction and terrorism as one of its primary goals. The Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate (WMDD), created by the FBI, handles cases related to WMD terrorism and WMD proliferation. Its National Strategy to Combat WMDs is based not only on non-proliferation measures, but also on consequence management preparedness. The USA has taken many steps towards the direction of implementing this strategy both on a pre-emptive and on a sedative level, the most important being the invasion of Iraq.

- RUSSIAN FEDERATION

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, control over the WMDs that the country used to possess as well as all relevant information and technology were temporarily lost. As a result, the aforementioned elements became vulnerable to theft by regional terrorist groups. Due to its possession of the largest stockpile of

WMDs worldwide, which is of limited transparency, the Russian Federation’s role in combating WMDs and terrorism is of vital importance. Its national security strategy includes arms control agreements and WMD reduction programs.

- PAKISTAN

The international community has repeatedly expressed its concern regarding Pakistan’s development and proliferation of nuclear weapons and has demanded additional measures that will strengthen the security of its nuclear program. Given the intense presence of al-Qaeda in the country and despite the fact that the Taliban has stated that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program is not one of their targets, there is still an increased possibility of Pakistan’s weapons falling into the wrong hands. At the recent Conference on Disarmament, Pakistan asked for universal, non-discriminatory and legally binding security measures by nuclear and non-nuclear states.

- INDIA

India is the only known country with nuclear weapons that has not signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. It has made nuclear deals with several countries on a bilateral level enabling it to maintain its current WMD status. Although the country has declared a nuclear no-first-use policy basing its nuclear doctrine on minimal deterrence, its recent nuclear developments pose a risk to global security given the escalation of tension between India and Pakistan.

- NORTH KOREA

Six years after withdrawing its signature from the nuclear non- Proliferation treaty, North korean government announced the development of its nuclear program. Due to the absence of nuclear security measures in the country, the threat of terrorist groups acquiring its WMDs or producing new ones with the use of its raw materials is more than prominent. It is said that North Korea is providing its neighbor countries with nuclear material to enable horizontal WMD amplification on a large scale. The country is suspected to Support the WMD black market, together with Iran and Afghanistan.

-AFGHANISTAN

It has been the nation that is considered to have the strongest links with terrorist groups. In Afghanistan there have been found, in the past, training terrorist camps, many of which have been destroyed mainly by the United States of America. Another reason why Afghanistan is believed to be such a dangerous country in terms of terrorism is the power that Taliban have over the region.

Questions to the Delegate

a) Has your delegation been affected by terrorism? How?

b) Which are the main terrorist groups in your country?

c) Which are the main anti-terrorism agencies in your country and have they done anything against this problem?

d) Does your delegation have any relation with the black market?

e) Why did previous attempts of the international community to deal with the

threats of WMDs fail? (it is not necesary to answer if there is no available data)

f) What is your delegation doing to stop this problem?

g) What will your delegation do to stop this problem?

Bibliography

1. http://treaties.un.org/doc/db/Terrorism/english-18-15.pdf

2. http://wmdcenter.dodlive.mil/

3. http://www.idsa.in/cbwmagazine/GrowingThreatofWMDTerrorism_hvpant_

0708#.UMdf76BzlR4

4. http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/terrorism/wmd

5. http://web.mit.edu/cis/pdf/Audit_6_05_Macfarlane.pdf

6. http://ifri.org/files/Securite_defense/prolif_paper_Trenin.pdf

7. http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/21902.pdf

8. http://www.nti.org/media/pdfs/pakistan_nuclear.pdf?_=1316466791

9. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/keyword/weapons-of-massdestruction

10. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/key-facts-about-new-starttreaty

11. http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/publications/articles/Nonstate%20Actors_Terr

orism_and%20WMD.pdf

12. http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/about-unodc/index.html?ref=menutop

Topic A:

Measures to prevent terrorists of acquiring weapons of mass destruction.

Topic B:

The Illegal Drug Use and its Health Consequences.

Introduction

Illegal drug use has become a worldwide problem since it has increased mainly in more developed countries. In the past few years people who use illegal drugs have been dying or having health problems because of an overdose. People have been interested in acquiring this illegal drugs because they want to try new things or impress other people. This illegal drugs are deadly; they can cause inestimable damage to all people that consume them. People start consuming this drugs because drug dealers convince them by telling you that “drugs will make your life a party” and that “they will make you feel different”, they don’t care if the drugs ruin your life as long as they are getting paid. If illegal drug use continues increasing by 2050 on quarter of world population will be into drugs.

Background to the topic

Between 1920 and 1933 alcohol was banned in the United States. This causes the growth of criminal organizations such as the American Mafia. Because of this the American Mafia started selling illegal substances, since they started earning a lot of money many other criminal organizations where created. From this point until now the market of illegal substances has been increasing.

People take drugs because they want to change something about their lives. Some of the reasons young people have been taking drugs are for example, to fit in, to escape or relax, to have “fun”, to seem grown up, to rebel, to experiment, etc. Most of the people think drugs are a solution to their problems. But eventually, the drugs become the problem. Many illicit drug users may think that the only bad thing about doing drugs is that they are illegal and if you get caught, you can go to jail. The truth is there are negative health effects associated with every illegal drug out there and some of them can even be fatal.

Top consumed drugs and its health effects:

1. Marijuana

Society tends to believe there is no harm in using marijuana, but scientific research tells us differently. Studies have shown that smoking weed can have negative effects on the brain, the heart and the lungs. Although no link has been confirmed between smoking marijuana and the risk of developing cancer, marijuana smoke contains three times the amount of tar found in tobacco smoke and 50% more carcinogens, so smokers might want to consider that the risk may exist.

2. Methamphetamine

The health effects of methamphetamine use may be the most noticeable and visible of any of the commonly abused illegal drugs, because it has such a dramatic effect on the outward appearance of chronic users. After a relatively short period of use, methamphetamine will begin to show on the faces of some users and begin to affect their oral health to the extent they develop what is known as meth mouth. But those are just the outward signs.

3. Cocaine

The health effects of cocaine use may not be as noticeable as those of meth use, but they can be just as dangerous. Although cocaine overdose is rare, long-term use of the drug can lead to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Other health problems can occur depending on how the drug is used -- snorted, ingested or injected.

4. Ecstasy

Although ecstasy is a designer drug, negative health effects associated with its use are similar to those experienced by amphetamines and cocaine users. MDMA can cause a long list of psychological and physical problems, which can range from sleep disruption to severe anxiety, from nausea to blurred vision and from increased heart rate to high blood pressure. But the main danger with ecstasy use is that it is often mixed with other drugs, which can have unexpected consequences.

5. Heroine

Most of the health effects associated with heroin use are not due to the use of the drug itself, but related to the manner in which it is used. Users who inject heroin can suffer many negative health effects related to infections that develop due to the use of non-sterile injection techniques. The biggest health concerns involved in the use of heroin is the fact that it is highly addictive and that it is easy to overdose on the drug.

6. LSD

There are really very few studies about the health consequences associated with the use of LSD. Most of the physical effects produced by LSD use are relatively mild, and it is the psychological effects that are much more dramatic. The main problem with LSD use is that its effects are unpredictable. A regular user of LSD can suddenly experience an acute adverse reaction, known as a "bad trip," at any time.

Individual Perspectives

Iran: Heroin

Located between Afghanistan and the West, Iran is smack bang in the middle of a major opiate smuggling route, and this has impacted upon the country’s growing drug problem. Since the revolution, the number of heroin addicts in Iran has risen sharply to an official estimate of around 3.5 million. Hossein Dejakam, a former addict who set up the Aftab Society, believes a lack of professional expertise is one of the factors contributing to wide spread abuse.

United States: Prescription pills

The misuse of prescribed medication in order “to get high” is the nation’s most prevalent drug problem after marijuana use. It’s estimated that up to 20% of people in the US have used prescription pharmaceuticals—narcotic painkillers, sedatives, tranquilizers and stimulants—for reasons other than why they were prescribed. In 2000, about 43 percent of hospital emergency admissions (that’s about half a million people) were the result of prescription drug abuse. Data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) show that “nearly one-third of people aged 12 and over who used drugs for the first time in 2009 began by using a prescription drug non-medically.” The Obama administration has responded to the growing crisis with its 2011 Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Plan, which outlines action in four major areas designed to combat abuse: education, monitoring, proper medication disposal and enforcement. But the rest of the world might be thinking that the day the US takes addictive medication out of the free-market economy is when this little problem will start to be resolved.

Mexico: Meth

Mexico used to be sitting pretty as a nation largely untouched by addiction problems, despite housing a considerable number of drug cartels, meth labs and other entrepreneurial spirits. Mexico was a provider, not a consumer, if you want to get all socio-economic about it. However, since 2007, that’s started to change as increased US border control has forced traffickers to look closer to home for viable markets. This doesn’t, however, seem to change the ongoing debate that exists between Mexico and the US—where the US point all the blame at Mexico for providing them with illegal narcotics, and Mexico has to shoulder the blame for the US’s enormous drug consumption problem. The problem, of course, is that such squabbles tend to obfuscate the growing numbers of addicts in Mexico, the newness of this problem, and the lack of viable treatment options for them.

Canada: Pot

If an award for Toker Nation had to be handed out in the developed world, it would have to go to Canada. According to the 2007 World Drug Report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, 16.8 percent of Canadians between the ages of 15 and 64 smoked pot last year. This is in part due to what The Guardian calls Canada’s “substantial and highly profitable marijuana industry that is almost completely dependent on the U.S. market”: between 60 and 90 percent of the marijuana produced domestically in Canada is exported to the US via cross-border smuggling operations.

France: Prescription pills

Apparently, despite their love of fine wine, the French don’t binge drink like the Brits because they hate hangovers. They do, however, seem to like their tranquilizers, which has led commentators to suggest that the nation may have a surplus of prescription-happy practitioners. It’s undeniable that France has more pharmacies per person than any other European country—23,271 for about 60 million people, almost double the number in the United Kingdom (which has a similar population). France almost topples the US problem with prescription medication abuse by consuming 78 tranquilizers and antidepressants per 1,000 people.

Brazil: Oxi

Brazil’s been hitting the headlines recently with its contribution to the addiction canon in the form of Oxi—not a misspelling of a little opiate pill with a big pull but Oxidado, the latest drug to emerge in the Amazon basin. Oxi (or “rust”) is a highly addictive mixture of cocaine paste, gasoline, kerosene and quicklime, which is far more powerful than crack at just a fraction of the price. It’s essentially a corrupted version of crack that is consumed in the same way: through smokeable rocks or bumps. There are an estimated 8,000 users in western Brazil, and its highly addictive properties have been imbued with an almost mythical power in the numerous scare-mongering articles sweeping through the online press. Still, only time will tell whether this “super drug” will branch out into a chronic worldwide. epidemic rather than merely media-hyped speculation.

Questions to the delegate

a) What problems do your delegation has with drugs?

b) How many people on your country consume illegal drugs?

c) How is your delegation planning to stop the drug dealers?

d) Do you think that the illegal drugs should be legalized to avoid these problems? Why?

e) Do you think that your country is investing enough money to health programs against drugs?

Bibliography

http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/drug-prevention-and-treatment/index.html

http://alcoholism.about.com/od/drugs/tp/Health-Effects-Of-Illegal-Drugs.htm

http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov

http://world.time.com/2012/06/28/illegal-drug-use-around-the-world-5-things-you-need-to-know/

http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/drugs/why-do-people-take-drugs.html