TABLE OF CONTENTS

LETTER FROM THE SECRETARY GENERAL 3

LETTER FROM THE CHAIR 4

INTRODUCTION TO THE COMMITTEE 6

INTRODUCTION TO THE TOPIC 6

PAST ACTIONS 7

LEGAL FRAMEWORK 8

STUDY CASES 9

BLOCK POSITIONS 11

QARMAS 12

FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS 12

REFERENCES 12
LETTER FROM THE SECRETARY GENERAL

Dear delegates, head delegates, and faculty advisors

My name is Daniella Cajachagua, and on behalf of the Secretariat, it is my pleasure and honor to
welcome you to the 3rd edition of RecoMUN. I am delighted to be your Secretary-General at this
conference. During the last months, besides realizing how easy it is for me to get stressed, I realized
this conference is the product of continuous teamwork. Therefore, I would like to express my
enormous gratitude to the Recoleta Debate Team. Without them nether, you or I would be preparing
ourselves for this conference.

Getting a little personal, I graduated from high school last year, but I'm currently finishing the IB
diploma. I like to consider myself an artist since I've been related to arts from a very young age, and
I'm moving to Barcelona in a few months to study fine arts. Nevertheless, as weird as it may sound,
I'm also pursuing a double degree in law and criminology.

My Model UN career started back in 2019. I was a third-year-high school student, and my English
teacher approached me and asked me if I wanted to be a part of the school delegation. I said I didn't
want to. But the next week, I stood in a classroom with a few other students and three seniors. And
that has been the best decision I have ever made.

I would like to say I instantly fell in love with Model UN, yet the truth is I hated it. During my first
conference, I had a panic attack. I kept going to conferences, and in 2020 I decided to give Press a
chance. I genuinely enjoyed being part of the TPA committee. And so, I won my first best delegate.
And that has been one of the greatest moments of my Model UN career. But the greatest one has been
finding people who enjoy this form of debate as well as I do. Learning not to debate for an award and
enjoying these experiences made me realize how wonderful it is to be a part of this community.

Everyone says Model UN allows you to make friends, but in my case, it gave me a safe space. My
closest friends are from MUN conferences, and I couldn't be more grateful for them. They taught me
how to appreciate little moments and enjoy debating without panicking. And now, I can give the
Model UN community something in exchange by training a new generation of delegates. Being a part
of this community has made me the person I am today. It taught me social skills, soft skills, and
communication skills. It made me realize what I wanted to pursue in life. It formed my character, and
it gave me a global perspective. But overall, it gave me a family.

I hope from the bottom of my heart that you enjoy this conference. Enjoy the debate, moreover don't
be afraid to be yourselves. Open up to the feeling of appreciating what you do and, please, know I’m
proud of you delegates for the effort you put into these conferences and for trying your best and
learning from every new experience. Feel free to contact me at any moment.

See you in December,

Daniella Cajachagua
Secretary General

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LETTER FROM THE CHAIR

Dear delegates,

Welcome to DISEC, one of the most important committees of the UN. To begin with my introduction,
my name is Mateo Peralta, and I will be your Director; I am 20 years old, I used to study in Recoleta,
which is why I am thrilled to be part of this great event that started with RDT, in 2019, the same year I
discovered MUN. After finishing high school I entered USIL, to take on a dual degree program as a
law student and business student as well, this because I am eager on both legal and financial topics,
being these two careers a perfect match for me. A few of my hobbies are playing basketball,
travelling, and reading classic literature, science fiction and comics which leads to me loving
collecting pop culture stuff.

About my MUN experience, I started in 2019, in my last year of school, but I got great developed
since my first committee, then I got more into this great activity, finally going to the university and
getting invited to be part of IRMUN Society at USIL, where I got to become the Academic Director,
this delegation has been a great family that has helped me winning growing, to win many awards in
committees such as DISEC, Security Council and CCPCJ, being my three favourite committees, as I
tend to love developing soft skills and being technical. One of the experiences that changed my life
was HNMUN-LA 2022, in which I debated and made me realize how far MUN take you, the
opportunities and the many amazing people you can meet through this experience, making lasting
friendships no matter the distance or the time.

Finally, as I love DISEC, I want you to show soft skills in these three days, never forget to be
diplomatic and learn about your country’s policy and how it interacts with the international
community, I like when delegates are technical, but they understand the information that comes
upward, I will make you adapt to new situations, and if any of you has any doubt in committee do not
doubt on making a point, because we are here to learn and become better MUN delegates. Last but not
least, I will be having my last day in Lima of 2022 with you guys, as I am leaving for a couple of
months, so I hope we can have an amazing and fun experience.

Sincerely,

Mateo Peralta Maceda

Director

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Hello Delegates! My name is Carlos Ponce and I will be one of your directors for this DISEC. To
introduce myself, I am a 16-year-old student at SSCC Recoleta, interested in pursuing a degree in
economics and law in France. Besides academics, I like football and I am always in the swim about
football-related news. I have to confess that I also have a profound love for ships and outdoor
activities, as I consider that as social events help you to connect with others, being in nature makes
you feel “in yourself”.

My Model UN journey started in high school 2 years ago, so unfortunately I started MUN during the
pandemic, although I was aware of its existence since 2019. I look forward to participating in MUNs
as a delegate or chair in the future because the knowledge and experiences that the Model of the
United Nations brings you are unique and they’ll last for a lifetime. I ́ve passed through different
committees along my journey and after experiencing them I can say that DISEC is one of the most
special ones. In addition to this, I would like to express my love for the MUN as I enjoy the debate
atmosphere and I hope that you contribute to making a good climate for everyone. Always be kind
and respectful, and do not run over others while they’re talking to prove yourself.

Furthermore, I ́d like to remark that the topic sets high expectations in terms of technicalities and it is
essential that you use them appropriately and have a full understanding of the topic. I would rather see
a few proposals well-argued than many of them but with weak foundations. I emphasize this a lot
because participating constantly but with not well-sustained propositions won’t make you the best,
because the quality of your interventions is what matters. Also, being the most content-wise will help
you to develop better on the committee, but do not expect it to be enough. Remember, display your
abilities through a good partner dynamic and apply strategic moves that make you shine. In the end,
beyond being a competition, MUN is also a game. Play fairly, and wisely and have fun!

See you in December!

Carlos Ponce
Assistant Director

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INTRODUCTION TO THE COMMITTEE

The United Nations First Committee (DISEC) deals with disarmament and other international
challenges to world peace. The work of this committee is based on the Charter of the United Nations,
seeking primarily international cooperation to achieve a world without weapons of mass destruction,
which is a growing challenge in today's world.

This committee fulfils a political function, in which it discusses the policies of States in the
area of international peace and tries to reach consensus through dialogue based on cooperation
treaties, and arms regulation, among others specified in the Rules of Procedure of the General
Assembly.

It is worth noting that each member of the committee has one vote per delegation. In addition,
the resolutions that pass through the voting procedure and manage to be approved are not binding,
which does not make them less critical, as there is the possibility that they can be referred to other UN
bodies for an in-depth discussion in documents for possible further discussion, which can become
binding if they reach the Security Council. On the other hand, consensus measures or concepts, within
resolutions, can take the basic role in elaborating bilateral or multilateral treaties between member
states.

DISEC meets annually for approximately three weeks, in which plenary sessions and working
groups discuss the issues on the agenda. The members of the boards of these commissions are elected
based on geographical distribution to take on the chairmanship, respect for international law, the use
of diplomacy as the primary means of discussing issues related to the security of states and their
citizens, therefore, the same line must be followed during the conference sessions and in turn be able
to defend the foreign policy of the country that each delegate presents to arrive at the most
comprehensive and consensual solution.

INTRODUCTION TO THE TOPIC

In 1992, the Biological Weapons Convention was opened to be signed, and it entered into force in the
year 1975. This new international treaty, stopped various projects from international giants, such as
the US, with the Orange Agent, Antrax in the middle east and other unknown biological weapons that
were not been discovered by that time.

Important Concepts:

Biological weapons: According to the WHO (2022)

“Biological and toxin weapons are either microorganisms like viruses, bacteria or fungi, or
toxic substances produced by living organisms that are produced and released deliberately to cause
disease and death in humans, animals or plants.

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 Biological agents like anthrax, botulinum toxin and plague can pose a difficult public health
challenge causing large numbers of deaths in a short amount of time. Biological agents which are
capable of secondary transmission can lead to epidemics. An attack involving a biological agent may
mimic a natural event, which may complicate the public health assessment and response. In case of
war and conflict, high-threat pathogens laboratories can be targeted, which might lead to serious
public health consequences.

Biological weapons form a subset of a larger class of weapons sometimes referred to as

unconventional weapons or weapons of mass destruction, which also includes chemical, nuclear and
radiological weapons. The use of biological agents is a serious concern, and the risk of using these
agents in a terrorist attack is thought to be increasing.”

Supra National Organizations: Another important topic that must be discussed in committee is
Supra National organizations, which are unions, where states transcend national boundaries, looking
forward to achieving common interests, sharing decision-making and voting on issues that are urgent
matters to these new communities, such as the EU, the UN, WTO, among others

PAST ACTIONS

As we have stated before, two of the main international treaties are the BWC and the NPT, which
complement themselves, but these were created due to past events, that marked the world’s history in
one of the worst ways possible. Even though the use of these vile war methods is usually related to the
20th century, the first dated use of Biological Weapons is from 1347 according to Schenider, B.
(2022) “(...) when Mongol forces are reported to have catapulted plague-infested bodies over the walls
into the Black Sea port of Caffa (now Feodosiya, Ukraine), at that time a Genoese trade centre in the
Crimean Peninsula.”. This shows that the idea of using illnesses to attack the contrary forces has been
in the thoughts of many military leaders, as it may cause a higher impact than traditional damage, but
it could not be as controlled as predicted, which shows how dangerous these can be.

Passing to a less remote era, we have World War I, II and the Cold War, and according to Schneider, B
(2022):

“During World War I (1914–18) Germany initiated a clandestine program to infect horses and cattle
owned by Allied armies on both the Western and Eastern fronts. The infectious agent for glanders was
reported to have been used. For example, German agents infiltrated the United States and
surreptitiously infected animals before their shipment across the Atlantic in support of Allied forces.
In addition, there reportedly was a German attempt in 1915 to spread the plague in St. Petersburg in
order to weaken Russian resistance.

The horrors of World War I caused most countries to sign the 1925 Geneva Protocol banning the use
of biological and chemical weapons in war. Nevertheless, Japan, one of the signatory parties to the
protocol, engaged in a massive and clandestine research, development, production, and testing
program in biological warfare, and it violated the treaty’s ban when it used biological weapons against
Allied forces in China between 1937 and 1945. The Japanese not only used biological weapons in
China, but they also experimented on and killed more than 3,000 human subjects (including Allied
prisoners of war) in tests of biological warfare agents and various biological weapons delivery

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mechanisms. The Japanese experimented with the infectious agents for bubonic plague, anthrax,
typhus, smallpox, yellow fever, tularemia, hepatitis, cholera, gas gangrene, and glanders, among
others.

In the Cold War era, which followed World War II, both the Soviet Union and the United States, as
well as their respective allies, embarked on large-scale biological warfare R&D and weapons
production programs. Those programs were required by law to be halted and dismantled upon the
signing of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) in 1972 and the entry into force of that treaty
in 1975. In the case of the United States and its allies, compliance with the terms of the treaty appears
to have been complete. Such was not the case with the Soviet Union, which conducted an aggressive
clandestine biological warfare program even though it had signed and ratified the treaty. The lack of a
verification regime to check members’ compliance with the BWC made it easier for the Soviets to
flout the treaty without being detected.”

CURRENT SITUATION

Even though, nowadays, we have the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), to prevent the use of
bioweapons, the efforts have shown good results, marking 1993, as the last year of either production
or transmission of bioweapons. Thus we currently evaluate the possible usage of these dangerous
destruction tools, there tend to be rumours of countries investigating viruses, bacteria and other
microorganisms, to be used as lethal means. This is the part tr¿hat we want this committee to focus
on, due to the need for newer regulation, in the possible case that these weapons come up again as a
worldwide threat.

Also, an interesting situation is how countries have been pointing fingers, at the use of biological
weapons, during the war between Russia and Ukraine, with China one of the main accusers against
the USA, and the USA pointing back at Russia and China, being some of the most important parts of
this conflict, we are looking forward as this situation to be solved by the legal means of the
international treaties presented and the use of facts.

LEGAL FRAMEWORK

BWC

The Biological weapons conventions establish that the development, production, acquisition, transfer,
stockpiling and use of biological and toxin weapons is prohibited. This was set because Biological
Weapons are highly deadly and the rapid spread disease-causing organisms or toxins would spread
worldwide quickly. To avoid these situations from occurring and affect not just innocent civilians of
the countries in war, but life around the globe, The Convention on the Prohibition of the
Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and
their Destruction, disputed by the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament in Geneva,
Switzerland. It opened for signature on 10 April 1972 and entered into force on 26 March 1975. The
BWC supplements the 1925 Geneva Protocol, which prohibited only the use of biological weapons.

NPT: Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)

The NPT 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

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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. A total of 191 States have joined the Treaty,
including the five nuclear-weapon States. More countries have ratified the NPT than any other arms
limitation and disarmament agreement, a testament to the Treaty’s significance.

The Treaty is regarded as the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime and an
essential foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament. It was designed to prevent the spread of
nuclear weapons, to further the goals of nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament,
and to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy

To further the goal of non-proliferation and as a confidence-building measure between States parties,
the Treaty establishes a safeguards system under the responsibility of the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA). Safeguards are used to verify compliance with the Treaty through inspections
conducted by the IAEA. The Treaty promotes cooperation in the field of peaceful nuclear technology
and equal access to this technology for all States parties, while safeguards prevent the diversion of
fissile material for weapons use.

STUDY CASES

Anthrax:

If a bioterrorist attack were to happen, Bacillus anthracis, the bacteria that causes anthrax,
would be one of the biological agents most likely to be used. Biological agents are germs that can
sicken or kill people, livestock, or crops. Anthrax is one of the most likely agents to be used because:

Anthrax spores are easily found in nature, can be produced in a lab, and can last for a long
time in the environment.

Anthrax makes a good weapon because it can be released quietly and without anyone
knowing. The microscopic spores could be put into powders, sprays, food, and water. Because they
are so small, you may not be able to see, smell, or taste them.

Anthrax has been used as a weapon before.

Anthrax has been used as a weapon around the world for nearly a century. In 2001, powdered
anthrax spores were deliberately put into letters that were mailed through the U.S. postal system.
Twenty-two people, including 12 mail handlers, got anthrax, and five of these 22 people died.

The anthrax used as a biological weapon in Iraq (Persian Gulf War)

Orange Agent (Used in Vietnam War):

Between 1985 and April 1991, Iraq developed anthrax, botulinum toxin, and aflatoxin for biological
warfare; 200 bombs and 25 ballistic missiles laden with biological agents were deployed when
Operation Desert Storm occurred. Although the cause for concern, if used during the Persian Gulf
War, Iraq's biological warfare arsenal probably would have been militarily ineffective for 3 reasons:
(1) it was small; (2) payload dispersal mechanisms were inefficient; and (3) coalition forces

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dominated the theatre of war (ie, they had overwhelming air superiority and had crippled Iraq's
command and control capability). Despite the Gulf War defeat, the Iraqi biological warfare threat has
not been extinguished. Saddam Hussein remains in power, and his desire to acquire weapons of mass
destruction continues unabated. In this context, the international community must be firm in its
enforcement of United Nations resolutions designed to deter Iraq from reacquiring biological warfare
capability and must take steps to develop a multidisciplinary approach to limiting the future
development of weapons of mass destruction.

Agent Orange was sprayed at up to 20 times the concentration the manufacturers recommended for
killing plants. It defoliated millions of acres of forests and farmland. Large tracts of that land remain
degraded and unproductive to this day. The chemical dioxin in Agent Orange can remain toxic in the
soil for decades. Soil samples have now been analyzed from both the areas that were heavily sprayed
and the former American military bases where Agent Orange and other chemicals were stored and
handled. In almost all instances measured dioxin levels were below the Government of Vietnam
threshold standards. However, some soils at three of the former military bases did have very high
concentrations of dioxin. To prevent dioxin from entering the food chain and affecting both adults and
children in surrounding areas, these chemical “hot spots” are now being cleaned up.

Covid 19

One of the most recent cases that have been debated lately at the UN is the well-known COVID-19,
which was stated by many countries as a bioweapon, or a modified virus, that was created by China,
intended to create mass destruction and being even researched by different national laboratories as
one, being discarded, as a weapon for most states; but the global mass euphoria around it.

BLOCK POSITIONS

USA

The USA, across the years, has shown that they strictly reject the use of Bio-Weapons. The statement
officially ended all U.S. offensive biological weapons programs, by the year 1969. Nixon noted that
biological weapons were unreliable and stated: The United States shall renounce the use of lethal
biological agents and weapons and all other methods of biological warfare.

This means that not only the USA, but most of its closest and strongest allies are willing to stop the
world from using these kinds of threats to our globe.

Russia

Russia, as one of the most powerful countries on earth, has developed, and even if it was a signatory
to the Chemical Weapons Convention, Russia has continued to hold chemical weapons. In 1997,
Russia declared an arsenal of 39,967 tons of chemical weapons, which it worked in part to decrease.
Its stock of weapons was declared destroyed in 2017. Meaning that International Community has been
cautious on these topics with Russia.

China

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China stands firmly on rejecting the use of biological weapons in the International community, in any
instance; mostly accusing the USA of using Bio Weapons to solve their conflicts in the middle east,
without any legal repercussions.

Middle East

The situation in the middle east is critical, as terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda, the Hiatus and the
Islamic State have shown eagerness to obtain these types of weapons, and even if countries such as
Iran, Israel, Egypt and such want to solve this situation as soon as possible, but the critical situation of
the region makes hard to address this issue as a long term matter.

EU

Since 2006, the European Union (EU) has supported the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) by
means of two Joint Actions and four Council Decisions in the framework of the EU Strategy against
the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction. The EU encourages its members to terminate the
use of Biological Weapons, and to pursue the goals of the BWC, having its regional clauses to
complement this treaty.

Possible Solutions

The most effective method to ensure compliance, hence applying a solution, with the BWC could be
the application of action measurements against the proliferation of biological weapons. A good way to
practice these kinds of measures would be to apply sanctions to the countries that signed the treaty
that currently has biological weapons that could be used at any moment.

This is just an example, but there are many ways of facing the problem and some creativity
accompanied by strong data and knowledge of the topic, the situation of your country and global
status is the best way to find solutions to ensure the application of the BWC and NPT. In other words,
always look forward to presenting a plausible solution that is also efficient and is related to the
policies of your country.

We have seen póssible as well to understand the policy of each country and block, on other to use
supranational organizations, to apply measures, to develop better compliance methods to understand
each region and further world needs.

QARMAS

1. What are the most effective methods to counter the threat of bioweapons in the current
context? How can they be applied without violating the rule of law?
2. Has there been any recent incident with bioweapons? If so, How responsible countries must
respond to this?
3. How can we intervene in laboratories that may be producing Bio Weapons?
4. How can terrorist organizations be stopped from producing or obtaining Bio Weapons?
5. What are the main consequences of countries developing research on biological threatening
elements?

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Position Paper Requirements

A Position Paper is a policy statement where delegates analyze and present their country’s point of
view regarding the issue at hand while focusing on past actions at a national and international level in
order to propose innovative and realistic solutions.

Position Papers should include a header outlining the committee, topic, country, delegate, and
delegation (if applicable), as well as three paragraphs:
I. The first paragraph should be a brief introduction to the committee and the position your
country is taking regarding the topic.
II. The second paragraph should include past actions taken by the United Nations and your
country.
III. The third paragraph should include the delegate’s proposals.

This document must adhere to the following format:

● Font: Times New Roman 11pts.
● Line Spacing: 1.5.
● Pages: 1-page maximum (excluding bibliography)
● Bibliography format: APA7

Position Papers should be sent to [email protected] in a PDF format by Friday,

November 25th at 11:59 pm at the latest. It is important to present this document in order to be
eligible for an award at the conference.

FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS

Delegates, finally, we recommend you to be diplomatic, have well-based research and manage
properly your speeches, as a big committee, a piece of advice is to focus on your soft skills, but
without leaving your speaking skills behind. For us is really, and we want to make that clear, you must
understand and follow your policy, being that said just enjoy this MUN experience, have fun, make
friends and do the best you can do in these three days of competition.

REFERENCES

Aspen Institute. (s.f). What is Agent Orange? Retrieved from

https://www.aspeninstitute.org/programs/agent-orange-in-vietnam-program/what-is-agent-orange/#:~:
text=Agent%20Orange%20was%20a%20herbicide,to%20have%20harmful%20impact%20today.
Tucker, J. (1998). Strengthening the BWC: Moving Toward a Compliance Protocol. Arms Control
Association. Retrieved from
https://www.armscontrol.org/act/1998-01/arms-control-today/strengthening-bwc-moving-toward-com
pliance-protocol

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Schneider, B. (2022). Biological weapons in history. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from
https://www.britannica.com/technology/biological-weapon/Biological-weapons-in-history

United Nations. Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). 1995. Retrieved from
https://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/nuclear/npt/text

United Nations. (2019). Biological Weapons Convention. UNODA. Retrieved from

https://www.un.org/disarmament/biological-weapons/

WHO. (2022). Biological weapons. World Health Organization. Retrieved from

https://www.who.int/health-topics/biological-weapons#tab=tab_1

Zilinskas, R. (1997). Iraq's biological weapons. The past as future? PubMed. Retrieved from
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9244334/#:~:text=Between%201985%20and%20April%201991,tim
e%20Operation%20 Desert%20Storm%20occurred

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