Topic: Weapons of mass destruction

Country: State of Kuwait

Committee: Security Council

Weapon of mass destruction (WMD),is defined as any weapon with the capacity to inflict
death and destruction on such a massive scale and so indiscriminately that its very presence
in the hands of a hostile power can be considered a grievous threat. Modern weapons of mass
destruction are either nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons.

In recent years, international concern about the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
(WMD) in the Middle East has increased significantly. The actual use of chemical agents by
Iraq, the active accumulation of WMD by Iran, Iraq, and Libya, and the introduction of long
range surface-to- surface missiles (SSMs) into the region have leant greater urgency to
regional and international initiatives to achieve effective arms control measures.

Regional trends in the acquisition of WMD reflect these dual pressures. Although political
developments over the past two decades have enhanced the security of moderate and pro-
Western states, concern about the role of WMD and SSMs in the region persists.

International action has already been taken.

As an example the NPT (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons) is a landmark
international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons
technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to further the
goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament. The Treaty
represents the only binding commitment in a multilateral treaty to the goal of disarmament by
the nuclear-weapon States. Opened for signature in 1968, the Treaty entered into force in
1970. On 11 May 1995, the Treaty was extended indefinitely

And the so called “nuclear weapon free zones” an agreement in which a group of states has
freely established by treaty or convention that bans the use, development, or deployment of
nuclear weapons in a given area, that has mechanisms of verification and control to enforce
its obligations, and that is recognized as such by the General Assembly of the United Nations.
The State of Kuwait has reiterated its firm stance on the issues of disarmament and
international security and to work on eliminating weapons of mass destruction.

This came in State of Kuwait speech delivered to the meeting of the First Committee on
Disarmament and International Security of the 72nd session of the United Nations General
Assembly.
“After all these efforts, we are still considering the implementation of what was agreed upon
in 1995 for the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East. In 2010, we
were very close to achieving specific steps towards implementing what our peoples aspired to
when the Action Plan at the Review Conference was adopted," ( As said by Talal Al-
Fassam,adviser of State of Kuwait's permanent delegation to the United Nations)
He said the plan called for convening a conference to establish a nuclear-weapon-free zone in
the Middle East. Unfortunately, all these faltered when Israel hampered convention of the
conference.

The State of Kuwait is now looking forward to a pivotal role for the three sponsoring
countries by taking the initiative to find the appropriate way to establish a nuclear-weapon-
free zone in the Middle East based on the 1995, 2000 and 2010 Review Conferences.

Since 1995 (the year in where the indefinite extension of the Non-Proliferation Treaty was
established) the State of Kuwait has joined along with Arab States 13 meetings of the
Preparatory Committees for the Review Conference, three NPT Review Conferences and 22
conferences of the First Committee on disarmament and international security.

SOURCES

Retrieved from “Encyclopedia Britannica”

https://www.britannica.com/technology/weapon-of-mass-destruction
Retrieved from “Stimson, innovative ideas changing the world”
https://www.stimson.org/content/weapons-mass-destruction-middle-east

Retrieved from “Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)” October 25,2017

https://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2652354&language=en

Retrieved from “Hampshire College” by Laura Reed

https://www.hampshire.edu/pawss/weapons-of-mass-destruction

“United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA)”

https://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/nuclear/npt/Retrieved from