Name of Country: Cambodia

Name of Committee: Disarmament and International Security

Name of Topic: Combating Violent Non-State Actors
Non-state actors started carrying out terrorist acts in the last half of the 20th century.
There is no definite or prevailing reason why this had started. There are, in fact, a multitude of
reasons why this started. One of the commonly known factors is extreme ethnic nationalism.
Since the 1990s, most terrorist acts have had some link to religion. In this new era, most terrorist
attacks target areas outside their country or home area. One of the most famous examples of a
terrorist attack that shows that terrorists strike outside their homeland to keep up with
globalization is the attack on the World Trade Center in New York in which al-Qaeda succeeded
in demolishing both towers. It still remains one of the largest terrorists attacks to date.
In multiple resolutions regarding Non-State Actors, the UN has promised to take action
in the case that organizations attempt to finance terrorist groups, to research and study the
development of harmful weapons that they might use, and promises to take extra steps to ensure
that criminal acts being carried out through the use of advanced technology will be stopped. 1The
international community has responded by holding an international convention dealing with the
suppression of terrorist bombings.2 The UN has also passed a resolution that prevents non-state
actors from acquiring weapons that could cause extreme destruction. While these have definitely
helped combat non-state actors, it hasn’t completely resolved the issue.
3
Cambodia believes that non-state actors should be stopped. Cambodia constantly worries
about security because new threats. The country is a transit point for militants and smugglers
because of its position in Southeast Asia. Non-state actors see Cambodia as “a country of
convenience” and traffic weapons, money, people, and drugs. Its foreign policy states that groups
coming to traffic these items are not welcome. However, people are still able to come in because
Cambodia does not have the technology to monitor its borders with Laos, Vietnam, and
Thailand. A solution to prevent people and goods from slipping into borders would be to set up
NGOs targeted towards upgrading technology. Also, fundraisers and advertisements could be put
out to help raise money.

1
​http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/51/a51r210.htm.
2

https://treaties.un.org/pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=IND&mtdsg_no=XVIII-9&cha pter=18&clang=_en.
3
​http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/RES/1566%20%2820 
04%29.   
Name of Country: Cambodia
Name of Committee: DISEC (Disarmament & International Security)
Name of Topic: Small Arms Trade and Proliferation

The U.N. defines light weapons and small arms as “ant man-portable lethal weapon that expels
or launches.” Examples of small arms include revolvers, light machine guns, rifles, and assault
rifles while rocket systems, portable anti-tank guns, recoilless rifles, mounted grenade launchers,
portable anti-aircraft guns, and heavy machine guns are all considered light weapons. The small
arms trade has become difficult to regulate and control because of the trade of components and
parts. Because components and parts, such as ammunition, are easy to conceal and trade, the
small arms trade is fueled.

Non-Governmental organizations such as UNODA, UNROCA, CASA, and UNIDIR have

worked to address the spreading of small arms. UNODA,or United Nations Office for
Disarmament Affairs promotes: “Nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation; Strengthening of
the disarmament regimes with respect to other WMD (chemical and biological weapons);
Disarmament efforts in the area of conventional weapons, especially landmines and small arms,
which are the weapons of choice in contemporary conflicts.”4 CASA focuses on reducing small
arms stockpiles while UNIDIR provides information in order for CASA to do so.

Cambodia is located in Southeast Asia, which is crossroad for small arms trafficking and
smuggling. 5Underdeveloped countries, such as Cambodia, in this region are plagued with the
issues of illegal transactions that involve firearms. 6Cambodia is seen as one of the region’s
“principal arms black market”. Despite this, Cambodia has signed the Arms Trade Treaty, an
international treaty that regulates the trade in small arms and light weapons.

https://unoda-web.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/assets/publications/xb-repo
rt/2014-2015/xb-report-2015.pdf
5
​http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/south-east-asia

6
https://unitednetworkpost.com/2016/12/14/gun-trafficking-a-way-to-finance-terrorism/