Conflict and Peacekeeping

The Conflict and Peacekeeping committee works to maintain peace and maintain international security. Issues range from preventing conflict, peace enforcement, and peacemaking. Members of this committee must work with other countries to preserve peace and security throughout the world.

Committee Topics

 1. Pre-Deployment Training for Peacekeeping Missions

Key Source: https://imuna.org/nhsmun/nyc/committees/c34-special-committee-on-peacekeeping-operations/

Issue Summary:

• Growing concerns about peacekeepers who fail to uphold UN standards.
• Documented cases include:
  
• Sexual assault and rape committed by peacekeepers.
• Neglecting mission duties and abandoning protection responsibilities.
• Failure to protect civilians during active conflict.
• These failures damage UN legitimacy and endanger local populations.

Guiding Questions:

• How can the UN redesign or strengthen pre-deployment training?
• What new training standards (cultural, legal, tactical, psychological) should be required?
• How can the UN ensure accountability and proper conduct before, during, and after deployment?

2. Limiting the Arms Trade

Key Source: https://internationalpolicy.org/publications/think-big-to-rein-in-the-arms-trade/

Issue Summary:

• Rising global weapon circulation fuels conflict and instability.
• Weapons are woven into daily life in conflict zones such as Syria and Yemen.
• U.S.-manufactured weapons continue to appear in foreign conflicts.
• Unregulated cross-border flows escalate border violence and territorial disputes.

Guiding Questions:

• How can the UN regulate and reduce the international flow of small arms and light weapons?
• What enforcement mechanisms can prevent weapons from moving into conflict zones?
• How can major arms-exporting nations be held accountable for downstream violence?

3. Preventing the Use of Chemical Weapons

Key Source: https://www.odu.edu/sites/default/files/2025/documents/1st-chemical-weapons.pdf

Issue Summary:

• Under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), all state parties must destroy their chemical weapons stockpiles.
• Russia is confirmed to still hold stockpiles; Syria and North Korea are suspected of doing the same.
• Israel and Egypt never declared their stockpiles, raising transparency concerns.
• Persistent undeclared stockpiles threaten global security and undermine the CWC.

Guiding Questions:

• How can the UN ensure undeclared stockpiles are identified and eliminated?
• What verification mechanisms or inspections should be expanded or enforced?
• How can the UN ensure existing destroyed stockpiles remain dismantled?
• What consequences should exist for states that hide, rebuild, or deploy chemical arsenals?