In this era, security is a major issue and weapons are everywhere, affecting everyone’s life. For the last couple of decades, a new form of weapon has taken the spotlight, especially with the rise of terrorist groups in many parts of the world. These groups use Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) to spread fear and terror. The problem with these weapons is not the fact that they are being used in war, but that they are used against civilians in a clear violation of international humanitarian law, established in the four 1949 Geneva Conventions.

In the year 2015 alone, civilian deaths caused by IEDs rose 7,682 percent in Turkey and 1,204 percent in Yemen. IEDs led to 63 percent of coalition deaths in Iraq as reported in English language media.

Given that 10 percent of the Member States faced IED attacks in 2015 according to the United Nations, Member States look to strengthen their commitment to preserve human rights and collaborate on ensuring a better future for the next generations worldwide.

Savana Thorsen, representing the United Kingdom, said, “IEDs are very easily obtainable versus something as a missile and its relativity of how much [damage they] can affect is really most important. As the UK, we should put more strict laws and address people’s stock piles when reported; we acknowledge that there is misuse of certain material, but we should dig more into the data and make use of it to protect our sleeves as this is a matter of national security.”

Michael Warner, representing Palestine, which is an observer state in the United Nations that has been heavily damaged from this kind of weapon, expressed his concerns: “IEDs have caused a lot of harm to my country as thousands of children have been dead because of them. Obviously, they left effects on our infrastructure and these attacks have been demoralizing for us as we are a nation that’s building from previous attacks. We cannot rebuild our nation because we can’t stop the spread of these weapons. The attacks I see are pure terror attacks they don’t care how much they kill it is more about shaking the spirit of the people.”