th Dubai International Academy Model United Nations 2018| 10 ​ Annual Session ​ ​ ​ Forum: Nuclear Security Summit Issue: Developing stringent laws of punishment towards nations and non-state actors that make use of unauthorized nuclear material. Student Officer: Arun Pancholia Position: Deputy President of the Nuclear Security Summit ​ Introduction Over the past few decades, Nuclear material has been used on a large scale, providing energy to many homes and in some cases, to entire cities. However, nuclear material does have various negative impacts on the environment. If Nuclear material is somehow exposed to a natural environment, it can have devastating impacts on the wildlife and ecosystem in place. For example, the disaster that occurred th in Chernobyl on the 26 ​ of April, in 1986, where a nuclear reactor had malfunctioned, chemical ​ explosions that occurred in the reactor were so powerful that it blew off the 1000-ton top off the reactor. Due to the poor structure of the power plant in Chernobyl, the radioactive material escaped from its containment and contaminated the area, and surrounding areas, leaving the city of Chernobyl empty, as it cannot be inhabited for 20000 years due to the nuclear damage. After this incident, many people have begun to fear nuclear material, and simultaneously, people have also understood the power it possesses and have implemented the use of nuclear energy in their own countries. Nevertheless, the incident that occurred in Chernobyl shows the dangers of Nuclear energy, and why nations and non-state actors should have very stringent laws on the use of unauthorised nuclear material. After such accidents, people have begun to understand the seriousness of nuclear material. Additionally, many countries have established incredibly strict laws regarding the use of nuclear material, and have done their best to ensure that nuclear material isn’t wasted. However, many non-state actors utilise unauthorised nuclear material for various purposes, and with such dangerous power within the hands of people that aren’t under the law, it can cause extremely negative implications for the entire world. Therefore, the laws on the use of unauthorised nuclear material must be more stringent. Research Report | Page 1 of 11 ​ ​ th Dubai International Academy Model United Nations 2018| 10 ​ Annual Session ​ ​ ​ Agreements have been placed by many countries such as the very popular deal between Iran and the United States of America, in which Iran has agreed to no longer produce weapons grade plutonium, which can be used in the production of atomic bombs. This will be done to ensure that no violent activity can occur between the two countries, and to ensure that Iran can no longer pose a threat to opposing countries with their extensive production of weapons grade plutonium. Definition of Key Terms Nuclear Material Nuclear Material consists of the following metals: Uranium, plutonium and thorium, in any form. ​ Non-State Actor An individual or organisation that has significant political influence but is not allied to any country or ​ state Stringent Strict, precise or exacting. ​ Key Issues Legal Issues Surrounding the Use of Unauthorised Nuclear Material The unauthorised use of nuclear weapons and nuclear objects is “A Legal Gap” worldwide. This statement is rather debateable, due to the fact that when a nuclear attack occurs, aid is given to those effected by the attack primarily, and less attention is given to those that commit the nuclear attack. This leads people to believe that the laws placed around the unauthorised use of nuclear materials aren’t stringent enough. Simultaneously parties such as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea have delivered many threats to some of the p5 nations, such as the United States of America, threatening to attack them using advanced nuclear weaponry which will cause extreme damage to the geography and population of the country, making the entire city completely inhabitable. Post effects of Nuclear Attacks Research Report | Page 2 of 11 ​ ​ th Dubai International Academy Model United Nations 2018| 10 ​ Annual Session ​ ​ ​ Over the past few decades nuclear material has caused devastating events to unfold. From the large nuclear bomb that occurred in Nagasaki, to the recent leakages of nuclear waste. It has just gone to show how much the world needs to regulate the use of nuclear substances. The recent disaster in Fukushima, Japan, is an example of what dangers can be done by nuclear leakages, such as the disfiguration of the wildlife near the location of the disaster. Furthermore, larger scale disasters such as that in Ukraine have gone to show that nuclear energy is far stronger than any form of energy we have today, as it can leave places, such as Chernobyl inhabitable and cause severe impact to the environment and locality of the region, and result in the loss of life on a grand scale. In fact, when the power plant failed, 56 people died instantly, 9 of which were children. Additionally, there were 4000 people who acquired diseases such as cancer, and then there were 600,000 people who were exposed to high levels of radiation. This shows the extent to which nuclear material can cause extreme damage to human environments and human lives. Additionally, Nuclear material can leave places deserted, and unfit to host any life at all, as nuclear radiation’s effects are devastating and the nuclear material cannot be removed from areas for many millennia. An example of a place that can no longer host any form of life without having adverse side effects on any living organisms is Chernobyl, as after the drastic nuclear failure, the Major Parties Involved and Their Views Democratic People’s Republic of Korea The Democratic people’s republic of Korea has been developing nuclear tools for many years now, and they have been doing so with the sole intention of attacking the United States of America and igniting a nuclear war, which could potentially disrupt the global ecosystems and result in the possible extinction of many species. The country has been testing nuclear material quite a lot as well, however, they haven’t faced any consequences for their extensive use of such weaponry, which can have severe impacts in the future if the people are effected by the nuclear material. Additionally, they have planned to ignite a nuclear war, which could end the human population, and it could simultaneously have drastic effects for the Earth’s environment. United Sates of America The united states of America are also a large developer in Nuclear weaponry, and have been doing its best to protect it from any harm that can be caused by nuclear material. An example of their Research Report | Page 3 of 11 ​ ​ th Dubai International Academy Model United Nations 2018| 10 ​ Annual Session ​ ​ ​ extensive care for their own safety is the deal with Iran. One of their rival countries, whereby they have signed a deal prohibiting Iran from producing Nuclear Material that can be weaponised. Simultaneously the USA have shut down parts of Iranian nuclear plants to prevent any weaponised nuclear material from being produced. The United States of America has also been a major user of nuclear weaponry in the past for example, the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, using Nuclear bombs that contained uranium bullets. The United States of America also holds the largest number of nuclear power plants in the world (100 power plants), and this could result in large scale destruction if any disasters were to occur to any of the nuclear power plants. The United States of America also dropped the first ever Nuclear Bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leaving the cities destroyed and killing many innocent men, women and children. Nevertheless, nuclear weaponry has not been used Iran Iran is also a large producer of nuclear material, and whilst it may only have 1 nuclear power plant, it can produce large-quantities of weaponised nuclear material, which is why it had signed the deal with the united states. The United Nations The United Nations has had various attempts at regulating nuclear activity. For instance, they have been able to identify the extremity of danger that nuclear weapons possess and have sought to eliminate such weapons since 1946, but still haven’t been able to do so. Due to this, many countries such as the US, India and Iran have used nuclear power to produce electricity and energy for the population of their countries, and in doing so, have prevented the elimination of nuclear weaponry and resources. They had also signed a treaty in 1996 preventing the use of nuclear tests in outer space, water and in the atmosphere, however after over 2 decades, it has still not been put to place, because countries such as the Democratic People’s republic of Korea are still testing nuclear weaponry on a daily basis, and are refusing to collaborate with the UN to abolish the use of such dangerous weapons. The Clamshell Alliance The clamshell is an anti-nuclear organisation which was founded in 1976. They conducted non-violent demonstrations throughout the 80’s and 90’s. The group grew larger, and thousands of people had joined it over time. Today, they work hard to stop nuclear reactors from being built, and they try their best to ensure that those that exist today aren’t causing any harm to the environment. As a Research Report | Page 4 of 11 ​ ​ th Dubai International Academy Model United Nations 2018| 10 ​ Annual Session ​ ​ ​ matter of fact, the clamshell alliance attempted to stop the delivery of the first nuclear reactor in New England, however they were kept off the streets by the police. Regardless, they continued to protest, and over the decades, the organisation has grown, and many members have been arrested for disobeying police officers and constantly protesting regarding the use of nuclear material in the United Kingdom Development of Issue/Timeline There have been many major acts that have been conducted in order to stop the use of nuclear weaponry and nuclear material in general, however, whilst all of them may not have been successful, they have all made some kind of impact in raising awareness or preventing the widespread use of nuclear weaponry.