Author(s):
Chayer Amelie <amelie@icbl.org> .
Thursday 29 July 2010
Press Statement -- For immediate release
Statement by Nobel Peace Laureate Jody Williams
on the occasion of the entry into force of the Convention on Cluster Munitions
A U.S.-made M77 cluster submunition found in Southern Lebanon. Photo: S. Conway
Geneva, 29 July 2010 -- The Convention on Cluster Munitions will enter into force on 1 August 2010, thus becoming binding international law. It is the most important disarmament and humanitarian convention in over a decade. In addition to banning the use and production of cluster munitions, it obliges nations to clear contaminated land within 10 years, destroy stockpiles of the weapon within eight years, and provide comprehensive assistance to cluster munition survivors, their families and communities.
Welcoming the entry into force of the convention, Jody Williams, 1997 Nobel Peace Laureate and Ambassador of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, said:
"The Convention on Cluster Munitions is a strong international instrument and I am confident that with faithful, thorough implementation by states, it will alleviate the suffering caused by those abhorrent weapons. This is what we have seen with the treaty banning antipersonnel mines, a weapon that is just as indiscriminate as cluster munitions. Our experience in over a decade of Mine Ban Treaty implementation shows that the hard work must start right now if states are to overcome the major humanitarian challenge posed by cluster munitions. All states should join the convention and forswear use of these weapons forever. We want to see clearance programs effectively resourced and running efficiently. We want to see these cluster munition stockpiles destroyed diligently. We want victim assistance programs based on the needs expressed by survivors themselves."
ENDS
More information:
Amelie Chayer, ICBL Communications Officer
Mobile: +33 6 89 55 12 81 (In Paris, GMT +2)
Background:
Since it was opened for signature in Oslo in December 2008, a total of 107 countries have signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions and 37 have ratified - among them are former users, producers and stockpilers of cluster munitions, as well as countries affected by the weapon. **Update: since the press statement was released, Comoros ratified the convention and Djibouti signed, bringing the total to 108 signatures and 38 ratifications.
The First Meeting of the States Parties to the convention will take place in Vientiane, Lao PDR, from 9-12 November 2010. All states are welcome to join the meeting, regardless of whether or not they have signed or ratified the convention.
There are 37 countries or not internationally recognized areas where cluster munitions have been used during armed conflict, post-World War II: Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Cambodia, Chad, Chechnya, Croatia, DR Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands/Malvinas, Georgia, Grenada, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Kosovo, Kuwait, Lao PDR, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Montenegro, Nagorno-Karabakh, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Uganda, Vietnam, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zambia.
Seventeen (17) states have used cluster munitions, post-World War II, during armed conflict: Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, Georgia, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sudan, United Kingdom, United States, Yugoslavia (former Socialist Republic of).
Thirty-four (34) countries have produced or are still producing cluster munitions. Eighty-seven (87) have stockpiled cluster munitions.
The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), 1997 Nobel Peace Laureate, is a global network in over 90 countries, working for a world free of landmines and cluster munitions. The ICBL is a member of the Steering Committee of the Cluster Munition Coalition, the international civil society campaign that has been instrumental in bringing about the Convention on Cluster Munitions.