While small arms is commonly perceived as an issue that only exists among terrorist organizations and non-state actors, state-actors also play a significant role in defining the small arms landscape. North Korea is a state that still makes significant profits from exporting small arms. The United Nations first placed sanctions on North Korea's small arms trade in 2009. However, the implementation of such sanctions has not significantly reduced North Korea's small arms exports. In this committee, delegates should not only consider the implementation of sanctions to reduce small arms exports, but also consider how to reinforce these sanctions to ensure their effectiveness.
The delegation of Germany does not support the implementation of sanctions as it doesn't think they're effective. We would like to remind other countries that sanctions can also affect a country's citizens. North Korea's citizens are already suffering from food shortages and lack of sanitation and health care. It won't be fair to punish the mass for the actions of the powerful few. Germany agrees with past China action in that it believes North Korea's development and humanitarian assistance shouldn't be hindered because of its actions. Additionally, it fully supports the return of North Korea into the UN after they rejoin the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty especially because the cooperation of all countries is still necessary to end illicit SALW proliferation.
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