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DISEC
May 18-19, 2019
University of California, Davis
Davis Model United Nations Conference XVII
DAVIS MODEL UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE XVII DISEC
MAY 18-19, 2019 1
The following content was developed by members of the Davis Model
United Nations conference planning team for the sole purpose of framing
delegate discussions and debate at the conference and does not represent any
official position of the University or anyone engaged in preparing the materials.
Delegates should use this information to guide their research and preparation for
the conference but should not assume that it represents a complete analysis of
the issues under discussion. The materials should not be reproduced, circulated or
distributed for any purpose other than as may be required in order to prepare for
the conference.
DAVIS MODEL UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE XVII DISEC
MAY 18-19, 2019 2
Letter from the Chair
Esteemed Delegates, Welcome to the 2019 Davis Model United Conference (DMUNC)! I have the pleasure
to introduce you to the United Nations Disarmament and International Security Committee. My name is Christina Cruz and I will be your head chair for the United Nations Disarmament and International Security Committee. I am extremely excited to be returning to this conference to serve as part of your dais after attending the conference as a delegate in high school. Being a proud member of Model UN for the past four years, it was only natural for me to join in college as well in order to engage delegates such as yourselves in sharing the passion I have for this program.
As a first year student at majoring in International Relations, adjusting to life in a larger university was a challenge at first but by joining clubs such as Model UN and Mujeres Ayudando la Raza (MAR) I became able to enjoy it a lot more. In my free time I love taking photos of people, places and things as I continue to discover new parts of the city of Davis with my friends. I hope all of you can appreciate some of the same aspects of town that I admire while you are here!
I am pleased to present this year’s background for DISEC focusing on the topics of “Development of Artificial Intelligence for Warfare” and “Use of Private Military Companies”. As you prepare for this conference I encourage you all to utilize this guide in order to familiarize yourselves more with the topic and direct your research. Please feel free to send me any concerns or questions regarding the topics or the committee in general. I am very eager to meet you all and listen to your debate in May!
Sincerely, Christina Cruz Head Chair United Nations Disarmament and International Security Committee Davis Model United Nations XVII [email protected]
DAVIS MODEL UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE XVII DISEC
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Committee Background
The United Nations First Committee, also known as the Disarmament and
International Security Committee or DISEC, was initially created to establish and maintain
world peace, and carry out the necessary prevention of weapons proliferation. DISEC
includes all nations that are part of the United Nations, and all member states and observers
of the United Nations are automatically made a part of DISEC and given an equal vote. As
SPECPOL has gradually taken on more of DISEC’s security roles, DISEC has in recent years
focused on combating weapons proliferation, particularly matters regarding nuclear
weapons.
However, as reliance on technology has changed in nature during the 21st century,
DISEC must once again focus on security when considering the implications of our current
reliance on data, while simultaneously protecting public and private interests and inhibiting
the weaponization of space. The most significant thing to remember while carrying out
debate and drafting resolutions in this committee is the fact that DISEC is still a UN General
Assembly committee, thereby having no binding power and must tread on the rights of
sovereign nations carefully. DISEC cannot force countries to take actions, nor can it carry out
actions within the borders of nations without their consent. Even so, delegates are
encouraged to bring their most comprehensive, innovative solutions to the table, as we will
be seriously considering your ideas as potential means of addressing the issues at hand.
DAVIS MODEL UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE XVII DISEC
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Topic A: Development of Artificial Intelligence
for Warfare
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Background Information
Since the 1950s, computer scientists have been developing artificial intelligence (AI)
machinery whose sole purpose is to mimic human intelligence. According to Professor
Patrick Winston at MIT, AI are essentially defined by algorithms that enable it to think,
predict and act all at once, resulting in task performance and “learning”. Since research for
this concept has expanded, some militaries have encouraged further investigation of these
applications in order to possibly deploy their use in warfare.
The operation of AI for military services can be beneficial due to their high capacity to
process information at faster rates. Their implementation in a processing branch of the
armed forces could aid in rapid and more accurate interpretations of information from
sources such as surveillance feeds or databases, resulting in better decision making. In
addition, this would decrease the need to employ info personnel―allowing for militaries to
allocate that funding elsewhere. AI are designed to receive information regarding their
surroundings and react in the most optimal way, there is speculation whether to potentially
utilize AI in military vehicles such as tanks and aircrafts. This would free the need for
humans, whose decision making circumstances be overwhelmed most of the times while
maneuvering these vehicles. Theoretically, development of AI in military in the long-term can
be beneficial since their use would be cost-effective, decrease need for human personnel
and improve judgements in combat.
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One of the most imposing challenges when implementing these systems in
military would be reliance. This is because AI are specifically designed to “learn” from
factors in their surroundings, making it impossible to program the machinery for
every potential emergency. Thus an issue is created because military executives
would be unable to determine how an AI will respond in a certain situation until that
situation arises. This becomes more of a problem if military individuals can not
understand the reason for the AI’s actions since there is no form of communication
that would allow the AI to explain the reasoning behind its responses.
In addition, there is a large interest on what effects would occur if AI were
placed directly on the battlefield since they would diminish the need for human
combatants. Some military experts have argued that their use is preferable since
their verdicts would not be affected by emotions and they are able to process more
sensory information. There is the potential that their deployment of the field can aid
in maintaining control and stability, however there is the moral concern that these AI
may not be able to differentiate an armed soldier from an innocent civilian. The
development of AI specifically for the military can rapidly transform into the creation
of autonomous weapons and could lead to an arms race of AI development globally
as well as conflict. One of the key differences between AI and lethal autonomous
weapons (LAWs) are that LAWs can be programmed to complete a harmless task but
establishes a destructive approach in order to do so. The infringement of human
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rights especially those of neutral citizens can arise if these AI are implemented without the
placement of any safeguards or restrictions ensuring that it is humane.
In the case, some AI do happen to breach international humanitarian law, there is the
there is the issue of accountability. Meaning that those connected to production of that
certain AI such as military leaders, programmers and manufacturers would also not be held
responsible for any wrongdoings committed by the technology. Furthermore, an
autonomous weapon could not be held accountable for its actions since currently there
exists no jurisdiction for machinery, and even if it were created, no discipline could be
administered since the AI would not be capable of comprehending punishment.
As nations develop artificial intelligence to be specifically used for warfare they tread
on the thin line of triggering an arms race, or even worse, conflict. It is important to consider
the lack of resources developing nations have that prevents them from developing such
machinery and what could be done in order to ensure they are not left behind in this field of
technology. Moreover, the ethical and moral concerns tied to this development is
imperative to address so that autonomous weapons are not formed.
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Current Actions by Regions
Africa: In this region even though there has not been much AI development due to
lack of programs, majority of the nations aim to be inclusive in its AI products. Meaning
that majority of this technology would be used to increase information access to the
public. For instance in Morocco they already increased this by opening a data portal.
Asia Pacific: Countries within these region are rapidly researching AI development
and aiming to promote AI through the Internet and big data until it coexists with their
economy. For instance China has spent 2 billion USD in order to build a geographic center
to hold 400 AI industries.
Eastern European: Nations in the European Union have been working to create
guidelines and definitions for AI usage in warfare. Many member states have established
research centers, some even having AI competitions to encourage the creation of new AI
technologies. Russia has some AI military programs already such as data and imagery for
topography and self-maneuverable aerial and combat systems.
Latin America and Caribbean: Countries within this region are starting to develop
their own AI programs. For instance, Chile which is considered to have one of the more
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profitable programs is still in its early stages of AI development except for some
mechanisms for data mining and fraud detection. Some nations in the region have begun to
to introduce AI courses in universities.
Western: The United States is known to have the world’s strongest military and in 2017,
the Pentagon launched Project Maven in order to introduce AI amidst the conflict in the
Middle East. Whereas, Canada has dedicated over 30 years of research to improve different
learning mechanisms within AI.
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UN Actions and Research
In 1980, the United Nations formed a body and treaty supported by 125
member states known as the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. This
convention prohibits the utilization of weapons that can cause excessive harm to
civilians and soldiers likewise. The global community began discussing the issue of
lethal autonomous weapons (LAWs) after multiple non-governmental organizations
and 19 nations created a coalition known as the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots. This
coalition aims to: ban the development, production, and utilization of LAWs. As a
result, in 2017 more than 70 nations as well as representatives from the International
Committee of the Red Cross and Campaign to Stop Killer Robots decided to convene
at the CCW Group of Governmental Experts to discuss three key areas regarding AI in
warfare. This included: discussing the increased research done on AI, potential
military use and results, and ethical and moral issues connected to their possible
implementation in an armed body.
At this conference, nations did not aim to ban LAWs, but to create guidelines for the
body itself in order to better understand and address the issue. This included the
establishment of a timeline that would determine how frequently the CCW would convene
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to discuss the issue and coming to a consensus that there needs to be a universal definition
created for “autonomy” specifically within weapons.
Some entities specifically the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots saw this agenda as
ineffective. In addition, they mentioned that the United Nations did an insufficient job of
mentioning human rights in relation to future AI implementation. The agenda, also, focused
on the broader aspect of technology instead of drawing concerns specifically on LAWs. Thus
further UN action is demanded in order to mitigate this issue.
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Possible Solutions
The global community has already created the Convention on Certain
Conventional Weapons (CCW). However since it is known that nations such as the
United States, Russia, and China are all investigating methods to prepare their AI for
warfare, perhaps it is necessary to create legislation and a body specifically for
autonomous weapons, outlining certain restrictions of their utilization and
development. This is because the CCW is very broad in the fact that it addresses
weapons such as landmines, X-rays and blinding lasers. Thus by creating a doctrine
that is more specific nations will have to discuss limitations that should be
accompanied with its development and forced to oblige. In addition, it aids in the
creation of accountability and confidence-building measures within the participating
global community. It is important to keep in mind that some nations may want to
completely ban the use of autonomous weapons to be used in battle, it may not be
practical since usually the development of these weapons is untraceable unlike
nuclear, chemical or biological weapons (Army University Press).
Another possible solution is the creation of safeguards in order to improve AI safety.
This may include programming preventive measures with the AI’s system so that it does not
become “malicious” as some institutes such as the Machine Intelligence Research Institute
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has been researching to create. This may include introducing control methods that are
installed for the user to utilize in case of emergency or transparency and explanations that
are tied to AI thinking. Without any sort of confidence measure within AI systems, humanity
would be susceptible to destruction at their hands.
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Questions to Consider
1. What legislation can be passed in order to ensure developed countries do not abuse
development of their artificial intelligence?
2. What is the difference between AI and lethal autonomous weapons (LAWs)?
3. Asides from disadvantages what are some of the benefits of developing AI? And how
can less developed countries that currently have not started developing begin to?
4. Are there possible safety measures that exist or that can be created to prevent the
actions of possible “malicious” AI?
5. Who or what entity should be held accountable if an AI is to breach universal human
rights? E.g. the government of that nation, its military branch, whoever created it (in
some cases private companies, or the AI itself.
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Works Cited
1. "Benefits & Risks of Artificial Intelligence." Future of Life Institute. Jolene Creighton
https://futureoflife.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/FLI_logo-1.png. 11 Jan. 2018
<https://futureoflife.org/background/benefits-risks-of-artificial-intelligence/?cn-reloaded=1>.
2. "Frequently Asked Questions." Ban Lethal Autonomous Weapons. 12 Nov. 2017. 11 Feb. 2019
<http://autonomousweapons.org/sample-page/>.
3. Artificial Intelligence." Built In. <https://builtin.com/artificial-intelligence>.
4. Amitai Etzioni, PhD Oren Etzioni, PhD. "Pros and Cons of Autonomous Weapons Systems." Army
University Press. 11 Feb. 2019 <https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/Military-Review/English-
Edition-Archives/May-June-2017/Pros-and-Cons-of-Autonomous-Weapons-Systems/>.
5. Watson, Ben. "Artificial Intelligence: The Pros, Cons, and What to Really Fear." Defense One. 30 Mar.
2018. 11 Feb. 2019 <https://www.defenseone.com/feature/artificial-intelligence-pro-con/>.
6. Michael C. Horowitz. "The promise and peril of military applications of artificial intelligence." Bulletin of
the Atomic Scientists. 05 Dec. 2018. 11 Feb. 2019 <https://thebulletin.org/2018/04/the-promise-and-peril-of-
military-applications-of-artificial-intelligence/>.
7. Bonnie Docherty and Andrew Haag. "Mind the Gap | The Lack of Accountability for Killer Robots."
Human Rights Watch. 15 Apr. 2016. 11 Feb. 2019 <https://www.hrw.org/report/2015/04/09/mind-gap/lack-
accountability-killer-robots#>.
8. United Nations Office of Geneva. "UNOG - The United Nations Office at Geneva." Where global
solutions are shaped for you | Disarmament | Membership of the Biological Weapons Convention.
DAVIS MODEL UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE XVII DISEC
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<https://www.unog.ch/80256EE600585943/(httpPages)/4F0DEF093B4860B4C1257180004B1B30?Ope
nDocument>.
9. "Why AI Safety?" Machine Intelligence Research Institute. <https://intelligence.org/why-ai-safety/>.
10. "The future of Artificial Intelligence in Africa: A joint responsibility." UNESCO. 07 Jan.
2019. 11 Feb. 2019 <https://en.unesco.org/news/future-artificial-intelligence-africa-joint-
responsibility>.
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Topic B: Use of Private Military Companies
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Background Information
For decades private military companies (PMCs) have been utilized for their services
by national governments as well as international organizations. Such services can range in
intensity from smaller protection forces to large combatant platforms requiring the use of
heavy weaponry including tanks and helicopters. The deployment of PMCs has become a
controversial issue in the international community due to their lack of transparency and
infringement of human rights. These factors as well as there currently being no universal
definition to identify these entities prevents the creation of any accountability measures for
them. Currently there exists a definition for mercenaries in the Geneva Convention of 1949
banishing their use, in which they are described as a person who essentially is recruited to
fight in armed conflicts for the purpose of private gain. However, since a mercenary is a
single person, a PMC becomes more difficult to place under this definition and some
countries such as the United States refused to see PMC actions defined as mercenary. It is
also important to consider if accountability measures were to exist would the entire
company be held responsible or only certain people.
As PMC use is becoming more common, there is a concern that contractors may be
using them as an opportunity to carry out illegal warfare activities since restrictions currently
do not exist. In some cases they have threatened national sovereignty since there is a lack of
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transparency in regards to their armed forces. Also, it is difficult to investigate the activities
of these companies since most of the time they include a secrecy item in their contracts that
most of the time are vague in describing their plan of action. Moreover, in most contracts
PMCs only have to provide a “declaration of intent” in which they state they will respect
universal laws of human rights, yet since there are no protocols regarding accountability in
the past PMCs have used methods such as torture or homicide against innocent civilians.
Although there are many risks involved when a contractor hires a PMC, this private
sector has only been increasing. In 2007 these services were valued at about $139 billion and
grew to about $230 billion by 2015. Some economists explain that this method of security is
simply more cost-effective for nations. Since PMCs do business for any group that hires
them, ranging from governments, organizations, and rebel movements, contractors
essentially can make these companies influence the social and political aspects of the areas
they work in. This especially becomes an issue for countries that may not have sufficient
funds allocated to afford these modern security services to protect themselves.
In 2000, the United States set up “Plan Columbia” in which they would send PMCs in
order to maintain stability which they perceived as being disrupted by “terrorist
organizations” such as the FARC and ELN. By 2009 the United States had already spent $1.3
to hire 25 PMCs which were hired to train US troops and combat these specific guerilla
groups in Colombia. By planting many PMC informants within guerilla populations and
villages, many citizens’ lives were lost as well as infringements of human rights. Thus the
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primary reason these companies were hired was to prevent and control any movements to
overthrow the Colombian government, thus controlling the political status of the nation.
Thus it can clearly be seen that with the utilization of PMCs there is a concern of their
safe implementation since there is a lack of transparency which prevents contractors from
viewing their agenda and ensuring they are not violating universal law. Furthermore, even if
these companies are discovered for breaching certain human rights, there exists no
mechanism to hold them responsible since it is difficult to discern whether the entire entity
or only certain beings need to be held accountable. Also it is necessary to consider whether
it is just for organizations to use PMCs in order to influence the political standings of other
regions, in addition what can be done to protect those areas if it is not.
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Current Actions by Regions
Africa: Many conflict experts have been stating that this continent requires the most
aid from PMCs in order to increase the power of its armed forces. Nigeria has been hiring
PMCs in order to decrease the threat of Boko Haram in the past which was an issue the
nation’s forces alone could not diminish in six years, but PMCs did so within a few weeks.
Asia Pacific: Currently the Southeast Asian region has a large number of PMCs
designed for services in the maritime sector of security and are implemented in the South
China Sea to resolve border disputes of certain waters. This is because the maritime sector is
essential for profit in many Asian Pacific nations.
Eastern European: Many regions within Eastern Europe employ PMCs. Some nations
have even restricted the use of PMCs to be domestic only as opposed to international. Spain
has hired a company known as Prosegur but defined within its contract that its first priority
would deal with protection of the people and then the government. As a result 17 other
nations have modeled this contract as well.
Latin America and Caribbean: In Latin America the use of PMCs is common due to a
large distrust in police officials. In this region alone there are approximately 4 million PMC
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employees costing about $30 billion. In Mexico these employees are even made available for
the high and middle class citizens to hire for protection.
Western: The United States is one of the nations in this region that primarily uses
PMCs in order to increase the amount of troops it has globally. Since 2009 the amount of
troops in war zones increased three-fold by PMC employers. In addition the government had
allocated $274 billion to security companies
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UN Actions and Research
In 1989 the United Nations General Assembly was able to pass a resolution
eliminating the use of mercenaries. However their attempts to regulate private military
companies has been futile in major part that they are not able to enforce restrictions on a
private industry.
In reality, the United Nations has been relying on the utilization of PMCs in areas of
conflict in order to protect its own personnel during UN peacekeeping operations. The
reasons the United Nations justifies the use of PMCs is for various reasons. First, their
utilization can sometimes prove to be more effective than UN Peacekeepers due to the fact
that these private companies are more organized and trained. In addition, by hiring PMCs
the UN is able to respond to crises faster since an increased amount of personnel can
deployed by private companies. Moreover, the use of PMCs is cost-effective in comparison
to longer and larger peacekeeping missions. Although the use of PMCs may not directly
correlate with faster conflict resolution necessarily. In addition, some member states have
expressed concern that the United Nations is slowly becoming dependent on PMC
deployment instead of creating lasting conflict resolutions. Thus there is debate whether or
not to ban PMC use within the UN or to limit it.
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Currently the United Nations Working Group on the Use of Mercenaries is
encouraging for the creation of legislation that would monitor PMC operations to promote
transparency as well as respect to humanitarian law. In addition this working group has
attempted to resolve certain PMC actions in various locations. For instance in 2013, after
discovering violations such as murder, disappearances, forced evictions and sexual violence
in Honduras the group encouraged the national government to begin monitoring
approximately 600 PMCs that resided within the country. With this it is difficult to determine
the United Nation’s overall stance on private military corporations. For that reason it is
necessary to consider the actions of individual countries.
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Possible Solutions
In this issue it is important to address the humanitarian and legal issues tied to the
widespread distribution of PMCs globally. A potential solution could be to increase the
amount of transparency between governments and security companies. This can be done
through the creation of stricter contracts that are accompanied with accountability
measures the government can perform if the actions of said PMC is not within their
guidelines. In addition, the government can include a protocol expecting PMC members to
respect international humanitarian law.
It is also important to understand that PMCs do not perform as a sole entity but as a
group of members. This is key to know when there are violations of human rights since it is
possible that those violations were performed by either a sole or few members within the
private company. Thus, accountability between the employers and employees should be
considered as well as prevention mechanisms in order to ensure members within the
company are complying to international standards.
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Questions to Consider
1. Can PMCs fall under the definition of mercenary? If not what universal definition can
be created in order to describe and identify them? Should they be banished?
2. Will nations’ governments or PMCs be held accountable for infringements of human
rights? How will these measures look like?
3. Should the contractors of these PMCs hold some responsibility over them and
possibly be held accountable for their actions as well?
4. How can nations encourage and persuade these companies to possibly increase
transparency, giving them the opportunity to oversee its military actions?
5. What can be done for nations who do not sufficient funding to hire or protect
themselves from PMCs hired by others?
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Works Cited
1. www.globalresearch.ca/the-threat-of-private-military-companies/24896
2. www.britannica.com/topic/private-military-firm
3. www.ihl-databases.icrc.org/ihl/WebART/470-750057
4. www.huffingtonpost.com/david-isenberg/role-pmc-todays-
world_b_2156000.html
5. www.blogs.lse.ac.uk/ideas/2010/11/a-new-security-dilemma-plan-colombia-and-
the-use-of-private-military-companies-in-south-america/
6. www.globalpolicy.org/pmscs/50225-pmscs-a-the-un.html
7. www.e-ir.info/2015/11/17/should-private-military-companies-be-used-in-un-
peace-operations/
8. www.loc.gov/law/foreign-news/article/united-nations-working-group-says-
private-military-companies-should-be-regulated/
9. www.denverpost.com/2014/11/27/private-companies-filling-security-gap-in-
latin-america/
10. www.bpr.berkeley.edu/2017/10/25/soldiers-of-fortune-the-rise-of-private-
military-companies-and-their-consequences-on-americas-wars/
11. www.vice.com/en_us/article/exqe9z/nigeria-pmcs-boko-harem
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Conference Information
DMUNC is an annual conference hosted by the student-run organization, Model
United Nations at UC Davis, on the University of California, Davis campus. Every May, more
than 500 students from across California and the U.S. come to UC Davis to participate in a
weekend of stimulating debate. Through simulation of UN bodies and other historical
committees, we hope to spread international awareness, appreciation for diplomacy, and a
dedication to improving the world. Our goal is to create an enriching educational experience
for students to realize their personal potential to be strong leaders, confident public
speakers, and concerned global citizens.
With a reputation as one of California’s outstanding Model United Nations
conferences, DMUNC strives to continue its history of seventeen years of distinction as a
novice learning conference for delegates. We thank you for your interest in this conference.
As we have from the beginning, DMUNC promises an exceptional educational opportunity
for delegates.
For more logistical information, questions or concerns, please visit the DMUNC
website at dmunc.org or email the Secretary General, Ms. Romae-Anne Aquino, at
DAVIS MODEL UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE XVII DISEC
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Secretariat Romae-Anne Aquino
Secretary General
Elsa Denis Director General
Katie Ciulla
Under Secretary General of Staff &
Under Secretary General of Finance
Justin Yap Under Secretary General of Committees &
Under Secretary General of Technology
Sapna Bhakta Under Secretary General of Public Relations &
Under Secretary General of Delegate Services
