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(Berlin 24th June 2009) – The new international convention banning cluster bombs is already delivering results as signatories plan the destruction of these indiscriminate weapons even before it has entered into force . On June 25th and 26th, delegations from more than 80 countries will meet in the German capital to discuss plans for stockpile destruction.
Since the Convention on Cluster Munitions opened for signature in December 2008 in, 98 countries have already signed and 10 have ratified it. The treaty will enter into force 6 months after the 30th ratification is deposited at the United Nations in New York. Early initiatives on the implementation of the treaty are very encouraging.
“As representatives from civil society, we are thrilled to witness the continued momentum behind the ban and the desire from many countries to relegate cluster bombs to history,” said Thomas Nash, Coordinator of the CMC. “This meeting in Berlin and the attendance of so many countries show that the treaty is more than words on paper. Signatories are determined to implement it.”
The Convention obliges signatory states to destroy their stockpiles of the weapon as soon as possible but no later than 8 years after entry into force. 31 out of 32 signatories that still possess stockpiles of the weapon are expected to be in Berlin this week showing their willingness to start destruction soon and abide by the treaty deadline. More than a dozen countries have already started – and Spain has even finished – destroying their stockpiles.
“The destruction of these weapons is an illustration of the incredible evolution for many states,” said Steve Goose, director of the arms division at Human Rights Watch which co-chairs the CMC. “These weapons were once considered crucial in military arsenals and are now being reduced to inoffensive scrap metal. Every cluster bomb that is a destroyed is a cluster bomb that will not kill or maim innocent civilians in the future.”
Hundreds of millions of cluster bombs are still owned by countries outside the treaty and civil society across the globe will keep working tirelessly to make sure these countries sign and that their stockpiles end up in destruction plants and not hurting civilians.
“Cluster bombs have caused an appalling number of casualties,” said Lynn Bradach who’s son, a US Marine, died in Iraq while clearing unexploded cluster bombs. “I hope the United States, the biggest stockpiler in the world, will soon realize that and accept that these horrible weapons belong in destruction facilities, not in military arsenals”. Ms Bradach is member of the Handicap International 'Ban Advocates', a group of people who have been affected by cluster bombs which calls on all governments to join the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
Such a mobilization even before the treaty has entered into force should be an example for all signatories to start implementation of all treaty obligations as soon as possible. Victim assistance, land clearance, increased funding for affected countries and obviously stopping the use, production and transfer should also become a reality as soon as possible.
“We welcome the initiative of the German Government to organize such an important meeting so soon after the treaty opened for signature” said Thomas Küchenmeister, who heads the German branch of the CMC. “Gathering so many countries around the issue of stockpile destruction shows the continued commitment of the German authorities regarding the implementation of the convention. We can only urge them to keep that alive and to spread the word so that more countries sign and ratify."
Early steps are welcome, but it is crucial that the treaty enters into force as swiftly as possible. In practice, this will mean that the clock will start ticking on the deadlines included in the treaty – 8 years for destruction and 10 years for land clearance. 20 more ratifications need to happen as soon as possible to give to the treaty its full power.
Ask the Senate to Give Cluster Bombs the Boot!
National Call-in Day March 30th
Call 1-800-590-6313
When nearly 100 nations—including Britain, France, and Germany - gathered in early December to sign a global treaty banning cluster bombs, the U.S. was conspicuously absent. And yet, the U.S. has been the world’s biggest user of these weapons, which always end up killing more civilians than soldiers.
President Obama and Congress can fix U.S. policy. In fact, they have already started. In March, Congress passed a law permanently banning exports of nearly all U.S.-made cluster bombs.
Now we need Congress to act to prevent any further use by U.S. troops. Call your senators on Monday, March 30 and ask them to co-sponsor the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act, S. 416. This legislation would prohibit the U.S. from using any cluster bombs that leave behind an unacceptably large number of landmine-like “dud” cluster submunitions—small bombs that keep on killing. It would also prohibit any use of these weapons in areas where civilians are normally present—like cities and villages. Increased support for this legislation in the Senate will show President Obama that he has the public’s backing to sign this treaty and send it to the Senate for ratification.
Take Action!
Whom to Call
Are you from California, Maine, Maryland, Oregon, Washington, or Vermont? Both of your senators are already on board! That’s great! You can still call your representative and urge her or him to cosponsor the companion bill in the House, H.R. 981.
Are you from Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Dakota, West Virginia, or Wisconsin? One of your senators is already co-sponsoring, so you need only call one! Call: Chuck Grassley (IA), John Kerry (MA), Carl Levin (MI), Frank Lautenberg (NJ), Tom Udall (NM), Arlen Specter (PA), George Voinovich (OH), Jack Reed (RI), John Thune (SD), John Rockefeller (WV), Herb Kohl (WI).
Do you live in any other state? You should call both of your senators and ask them to cosponsor the bill! Find out who your senators are.
How to Make the Calls
Call this toll free number [1-800-590-6313], which will redirect you to the Capitol Switchboard for free. Ask for your senator by name. (Check the list above to see which of your senators already support the bill.)
Once you are directed to the office, identify yourself as a constituent, and ask to speak to the legislative assistant who deals with foreign or military policy issues.
Follow the script below (if you like).
After you call one senator's office, call the switchboard again and ask for your other senator (unless your other senator is already a cosponsor.
Note: if the receptionist tells you that the person is not available, you can either give the below information to the receptionist, or ask for the legislative aide’s answering machine and leave your message there.
Script for your Call
Please feel free to improvise and add additional information.
My name is [NAME], and I live in [CITY, STATE]. Thanks for taking my call.
I am calling to encourage Senator [SENATOR’S NAME] to cosponsor S. 416, the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act.
Senator [NAME]’s co-sponsorship of this bill will help align U.S. policy with that of our closest NATO allies and ensure that we no longer use weapons that are known to have a record of killing more civilians than soldiers.
Will co-sponsorship of this bill be possible? (Give or leave your phone number if you would like a call back.)
Thank you.
*****Background*****
What are cluster bombs and what’s wrong with them?
Cluster bombs open in mid-air and spew hundreds of small bomblets about the size of a D-cell battery or a soda can over a wide area. Each of these sub-munitions is supposed to detonate when it hits the ground, sending out deadly shrapnel. A typical cluster bomb, which contains between dozens and hundreds of bomblets, can kill or injure anyone in an area the size of one or two football fields. These weapons are designed to be used on a battlefield, against concentrations of soldiers or armored vehicles, but are often used in civilian-populated areas instead. In addition, many of the bomblets — between 5 to 25 percent or more — do not explode as intended, becoming de facto landmines for many years to come. The vast majority of cluster bomb casualties are civilians, many of them children.
How does the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act (S. 416) help?
This common-sense bill would:
1. Prevent the U.S. military from using cluster bombs in civilian-populated areas;
2. Limit U.S. use of cluster bombs to those that have a very low (1 percent or lower) dud rate. The dud rate describes what percentage of bomblets fail to explode at use and, therefore, pose a hazard on the ground to civilians after combat ends. Only a tiny portion of the U.S. cluster submunitions arsenal meets this 99 percent reliability requirement.
What is the world doing about cluster bombs?
Over the past two years the global community negotiated a treaty banning use, export, transfer and stockpiling of cluster bombs. In December 2008, 95 countries - including our major NATO allies—signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions in Oslo, Norway. The U.S. did not participate in this treaty negotiation, and it has not signed the treaty.
In July 2008 the Secretary of Defense released a new cluster bomb policy, a direct result of international and congressional pressure on the issue. While the policy acknowledges the need to eventually eliminate unreliable and indiscriminate cluster bombs from the U.S. arsenal due to humanitarian concerns, it would not do so until 2018. The time to renounce them is now, not in ten years. Britain, the United States’ combat partner in Iraq and Afghanistan—and the third largest user of cluster munitions in the past decade—signed the treaty and renounced further use of cluster bombs in December. We can too. Congress and President Obama can change U.S. policy.
What is President Obama’s stance on cluster bombs?
The new administration has not yet taken a position on whether it will bring the United States into the cluster bomb treaty. While he was in the Senate, Obama voted for an amendment to restrict cluster bomb use, and in December 2008 his transition team promised to carefully review the new treaty. But, with so many other issues pressing for his attention, President Obama needs to know that he has support from the public and from the Senate to place further restrictions on these weapons and put the U.S. on track to join the global ban treaty. Calling your senator will help to change U.S.policy.
Why focus on the Senate?
When the president decides to join the treaty, he will have to submit it to the Senate for ratification. Nearly a quarter of the Senate already supports this bill, and passage of this bill would bring the United States close to the requirements of the treaty. By increasing the list of co-sponsors, we can show the president that there is broad public—and Senate—support for bringing the United States into the cluster bomb treaty.
President Obama signed into law today a permanent ban on nearly all cluster bomb exports from the United States. Congress included the export ban in an omnibus budget bill that passed the Senate last night. This provision will move the U.S. one step closer to the position of the nearly 100 nations--including our closest NATO allies--that signed a treaty banning cluster munitions in December.
The legislation states that cluster munitions can only be exported if they leave behind less than one percent of their submunitions as duds, and if the receiving country agrees that cluster munitions "will not be used where civilians are known to be present." Only a tiny fraction of the cluster munitions in the U.S. arsenal meet the one percent standard. This export ban was first enacted in a similar budget bill in December 2007, but that law mandated it for only one year.
U.S.-exported cluster bombs were most recently used by Israel in Southern Lebanon, where dud rates were reportedly as high as 40 percent; hundreds of civilians and deminers have been killed or maimed since the fighting ended in 2006.
Please ask your member of Congress to take the next step and ban U.S. use of these deadly weapons. Nearly one in four senators have already cosponsored the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act (S. 416), introduced one month ago, which would stop the military from using virtually all of the cluster bombs in its vast arsenal by applying this same one percent standard to U.S. use. Growing Senate support for S. 416 will show President Obama that the U.S. public stands with the rest of the world in supporting a ban on cluster bombs.
February 10, 2009
The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States of America
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
In early December, as half of the world’s governments signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions in Oslo, a spokeswoman for your Transition Team said that you would "carefully review the new treaty and work closely [with] our friends and allies to ensure that the United States is doing everything feasible to promote protection of civilians.”
We welcomed this statement. We write now to urge you to launch a thorough review within the next six months of past U.S. policy decisions to stand outside the treaty banning cluster munitions, as well as the treaty banning anti‐personnel landmines. We expect that such a review will give appropriate weight to humanitarian and diplomatic concerns, as well as to U.S. military interests.
The closest allies of the United States negotiated the Convention on Cluster Munitions based on their conclusion that these indiscriminate and unreliable weapons pose an unacceptable threat to civilian populations during and long after combat operations have ceased—in much the same way as do landmines.
British Foreign Minister David Miliband, representing the world’s third largest user of cluster munitions in the past decade, asked states at the signing conference to “tell those not here in Oslo that the world has changed ... that a new norm has been created.” He went on to say: “Our global community must continually keep challenging itself about the way it behaves. Political leaders must show they are prepared to listen and respond to the voices of victims, of civil society, and of ordinary people.”
We recognize the U.S. Government’s significant contributions to demining operations around the world, but note that these contributions are undermined by U.S. nonparticipation in the decade‐old Mine Ban Treaty and the new Convention on Cluster Munitions.
As you stated during the campaign, U.S. forces have been moving away from using cluster munitions and anti-personnel landmines. The United States has not deployed anti-personnel landmines since 1992, and it has not used cluster munitions in Iraq since 2003 or in Afghanistan since 2002.
Indeed, Secretary Gates has recognized that cluster munitions are weapons of grave humanitarian concern and recently issued a policy to begin destroying them in 2018. U.S. policy on landmines, as articulated in 2004, also encompasses phased elimination of most mines from operational planning.
These steps, while positive, are not nearly enough. The use of weapons that disproportionately take the lives and limbs of civilians is wholly counterproductive in today's conflicts, where winning over the local population is essential to mission success.
Your election stirred great excitement in this country and abroad in large part because of your clear commitment to restoring U.S. moral leadership in the world. Reconsidering these two treaties—and eliminating the threat that U.S. forces might use weapons that most of the world has condemned—would greatly aid efforts to reassert our nation’s moral leadership.
We look forward to hearing that the policy review is underway.
Sincerely,
David T. Tayloe, Jr., MD, President, American Academy of Pediatrics
Mary Ellen McNish, General Secretary, American Friends Service Committee
Karen Frederickson, President, American Refugee Committee
George Cody, PhD, Executive Director, American Task Force for Lebanon
Ziad Asali, MD, President, American Task Force on Palestine
Kareem Shora, National Executive Director, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination
Committee (ADC)
Larry Cox, Executive Director, Amnesty International USA
Dr. James Zogby, President and Founder, Arab American Institute
Hassan Jaber, Executive Director, Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS)
Daryl G. Kimball, Executive Director, Arms Control Association
Sarah Holewinski, Executive Director, Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict
Helene D. Gayle, MD, President and CEO, CARE
Ken Hackett, President, Catholic Relief Services
Vincent Warren, Executive Director, Center for Constitutional Rights
Margurite Carter, National Board President, Church Women United
Rev. John L. McCullough, Executive Director and CEO, Church World Service
Warren Clark, Executive Director, Churches for Middle East Peace
Don Kraus, Executive Director, Citizens for Global Solutions
John Isaacs, Executive Director, Council for a Livable World
Bishop Gregory John Mansour, Bishop of the Eparchy of St Maron of Brooklyn
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop, Episcopal Church
Robert W. Radtke, President, Episcopal Relief & Development
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, Presiding Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Ronald J. Sider, President, Evangelicals for Social Action
Joe Volk, Executive Secretary, Friends Committee on National Legislation
Wendy Batson, Executive Director, Handicap International U.S.
Elisa Massimino, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, Human Rights First
Kenneth Roth, Executive Director, Human Rights Watch
Bruce E. Spivey, MD, President, International Council of Ophthalmology
Amb. Donald Steinberg, Deputy President for Policy, International Crisis Group
Mark Pitkin, PhD, Director, International Institute for Prosthetic Rehabilitation of Landmine Survivors
George Biddle, Senior Vice President, International Rescue Committee
Kenneth Gavin, S.J., National Director, Jesuit Refugee Service/USA
Robert Naiman, National Coordinator, Just Foreign Policy
Dr. Pary Karadaghi, Executive Director, Kurdish Human Rights Watch
Marie Dennis, Director, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Co-President, Pax Christi International
Rolando L. Santiago, Executive Director, Mennonite Central Committee U.S.
Jim Schrag, Executive Director, Mennonite Church USA
Heather Hanson, Director of Public Affairs, Mercy Corps
Nancy Ratzan, President, National Council of Jewish Women
William Hartung, Director, Arms and Security Initiative, New America Foundation
Vernon Nichols and Jim Nelson, Co-Chairs, NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace & Security
Stephen Rickard, Executive Director, Open Society Policy Center
Richard M. Walden, President and CEO, Operation USA
Raymond C. Offenheiser, President, Oxfam America
Frank Donaghue, CEO, Physicians for Human Rights
Peter Wilk, MD, Executive Director, Physicians for Social Responsibility
Ahuma Adodoadji, President and CEO, Plan USA
Rev. Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, Presbyterian Church (USA)
Farshad Rastegar, CEO, Relief International
William F. Vendley, Secretary General, Religions for Peace
Rev. W. Douglas Mills, PhD, Judith Hertz and Dr. Tarunjit Singh Butalia, leadership of Religions for Peace USA
Heidi Kuhn, Chairman of the Board, Roots of Peace
September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
Jerry White, Founder and Executive Director, Survivor Corps (formerly Landmine Survivors Network)
Nicole Lee, Executive Director, TransAfrica Forum
Lavinia Limon, President and CEO, U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
Caryl Stern, President and CEO, U.S. Fund for UNICEF
Rev. William G. Sinkford, President, Unitarian Universalist Association
Rev. John H. Thomas, General Minister and President, United Church of Christ
Amb. William H. Luers, President, United Nations Association of the United States of America
James E. Winkler, General Secretary, General Board of Church and Society, United Methodist Church
Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, Chairman, Committee on International Justice and Peace, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Bobby Muller, President, Veterans for America
Michael McPhearson, Executive Director, Veterans For Peace
Sen. Timothy E. Wirth, President, UN Foundation
Susan Shaer, Executive Director, Women’s Action for New Directions
Carolyn Makinson, Executive Director, Women’s Refugee Commission
cc: Honorable Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State
Honorable Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense
Honorable Gen. James L. Jones, National Security Advisor
Honorable Susan Rice, Ambassador to the United Nations
Honorable John Kerry, U.S. Senate
Honorable Richard Lugar, U.S. Senate
Honorable Carl Levin, U.S. Senate
Honorable John McCain, U.S. Senate
Honorable Patrick Leahy, U.S. Senate
Honorable Dianne Feinstein, U.S. Senate
Honorable Jim McGovern, U.S. House of Representatives
Please address any response to this letter to <lora@fcnl.org>.
3 December 2008
The Convention on Cluster Munitions was signed today on 3 December in the presence of 50 ministers in Oslo. More than one hundred states are attending the conference. For Handicap International, which has been campaigning for five years for the ban on cluster munitions, this convention represents an unprecedented step forward in international humanitarian law. In the future, no country will be able to use cluster munitions with impunity and the rights of victims will at last be recognized.
Once it comes into effect, in early 2009, this convention will permanently prohibit the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions. All types of cluster munitions which have ever been used will therefore be banned. For Handicap International, the convention is a means of putting an end to the appalling threat which cluster munitions (stockpiled in their hundreds of thousands by states) posed to civilian populations. Thanks to the convention, it will be illegal to perpetrate atrocities through the use of these weapons, which have been used on a massive scale in the recent conflicts in Lebanon, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
Approximately 115 States are present, including nearly one hundred which signed the Convention today. Many others are likely to sign in early 2009. Eighteen out of 26 NATO countries signed the treaty, including the UK, France and Germany, as well as most African and Latin American countries, and some of the most contaminated nations, including Laos and Lebanon. After Oslo, the treaty will remain open for signature at the UN in New York. For the treaty to enter into force it must be ratified by 30 countries.
In the words of Jean-Baptiste Richardier, Executive Director of Handicap International: “This is the second time that civil society has achieved a ban on a conventional weapons, following the banning of anti-personnel mines in 1997. But this time the provisions for victim assistance are much stronger and represent a really unprecedented step forward. Like the Ottawa Treaty banning landmines, the Oslo Convention will be established as a new international norm, not only for state signatories but also for states which refuse to sign. In the future, any use of cluster munitions will be denounced as a scandalous violation of international humanitarian law.”
With 700, 000 people from all over the world having signed our petition to ban cluster munitions, Handicap International welcomes this historic breakthrough. But we will remain vigilant and continue to campaign to ensure that a large number of countries both sign and ratify the Convention.
In an emotional Plenary meeting, on Friday 30 May 2008, participants in the Dublin Diplomatic Conference formally adopted the text of a new Convention on Cluster Munitions as a whole. Not a single State indicated they could not adopt the Convention at this time.
After a day to reflect on the work of the Conference while the text of the Convention was translated, contentious issues seemed to have faded with the realization of the tremendous achievement that has been accomplished here in Dublin. Today participants spoke with pride, ownership, and resolute commitment to ensuring the implementation of the Convention.
The historic significance of the Convention, with its many groundbreaking provisions, began to sink in as delegation after delegation referred to the Convention as a new chapter in disarmament and a milestone of international law. Many praised the new standards for victim assistance, international cooperation and assistance, clearance of contaminated areas, stockpile destruction, and transparency contained in the Convention, emphasizing the profound effect the Convention will have in making a real difference in affected areas and ensuring the prevention of future tragedies. Others pledged to promote the rapid entry into force of the Convention and its universality.
Of the many moving interventions heard in the Conference room today, Lebanon spoke with such poignancy in conveying messages of thanks and appreciation from victims of cluster munitions in Southern Lebanon that participants applauded, with many eyes beginning to water.
Germany declared that it will immediately renounce the use of cluster munitions and destroy its entire remaining stockpile as soon as possible. Following the announcement by the UK that it will also destroy its stockpiles, it seems the Convention is well on its way to implementation and the stigmatization of cluster munitions it has set out to create is already at work.
Another highpoint of the day was that Japan, which had previously indicated it would not adopt the Convention, in a change of position, agreed to adopt the text. This considerable achievement is the culmination of extremely hard work by Japanese campaigners and survivor Branislav Kapetanovic, who visited Japan to lobby government officials earlier this year.
On the issue of Article 21 on interoperability, a number of States stressed this would not be used as a loophole nor diminish confidence in the Convention. Canada reiterated the importance it placed on the article but emphasized that it would actively discourage the use of cluster munitions and looked forward to getting on with the implementation of the Convention, destroying stockpiles, clearing land, providing assistance, and generating resources to 'get the job done.' At the end of the day, Canada said, the Convention is more than a legal document – it is also the honorable intentions of those behind it.
Three States, while joining the consensus adoption, signaled that they may not be prepared to sign in December by stating that the text will have to be studied carefully in capital before a decision is made: Estonia, Finland, and Slovakia.
In the closing ceremony, Foreign Minister Micheal Martin of Ireland, Norway's Deputy Minister of Defence Espen Barth Eide, Sara Sekkenes of the UNDP, Peter Herby of the ICRC, and Grethe Ostern of the CMC addressed the Conference. Sara Sekkenes read out a message from the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, which praised the adoption of the new Convention and successful outcome of the Conference.
Foreign Minister Martin's remarks deserve repeating:
Rarely if ever in international diplomacy have we seen such single-minded determination to conclude a convention with such high humanitarian goals in such a concentrated period of time.
I want to pay tribute to all present for the efforts all of you have made…It is clear that despite individual national circumstances and perspectives, all of you were able to agree that collectively you gained more than you gave up in the final outcome. That is the essence of any successful negotiation. This was not a zero-sum game, where one side's win inevitably meant another side's loss. That may be the usual situation here in Croke Park. On this occasion, I think it is fair to say, we are all winners.
The Convention is strong and ambitious. Its ban on cluster munitions is comprehensive. It sets new standards for assistance to victims and for clearing affected areas. And even though we all know that there are important states not present, I am also convinced that together we will have succeeded in stigmatizing any future use of cluster munitions…
I would also like to pay tribute here to the Cluster Munition Coalition for their tireless lobbying and informed advocacy. And I thank in particular the victims of cluster munitions for constantly reminding us of the broader humanitarian context of our negotiations. They have shown immense fortitude in coping with the pain and suffering which cluster munitions have brought to their lives. They have risen above their personal circumstances to campaign to prevent future victims.
At the end of the ceremony, Branislav Kapetanovic, who has been a continuous source of inspiration and tireless campaigner, handed over the CMC plan of action to achieve rapid entry into force of the Convention to Norway's Deputy Minister of Defence Espen Barth Eide. While the work of the Dublin Conference is over, for many the real work has just begun. Campaigners and delegates must now focus their efforts on ensuring the entry into force of the Convention as quickly as possible, its universalization, and its national implementation. But before the new phase of work to truly eliminate the scourge of cluster munitions begins in earnest, participants should pause to congratulate themselves on the magnitude of the accomplishment achieved over the past two weeks and be proud of their new Convention.
Dublin, Ireland – 15 May 2008
Delegations representing over 100 countries will gather on Monday to complete international treaty negotiations banning cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians. Dublin is the fifth and final meeting following a Norwegian-sponsored initiative that began with a conference in Oslo in February 2007. The Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC), of which Handicap International is a founding member along with more than 250 humanitarian and human rights organizations, has campaigned since 2003 for a total ban on the weapons. The marked success of the Oslo Process has challenged the failure of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) review process to address the worsening humanitarian crisis caused by cluster munitions.
Handicap International calls upon States to ensure that the new treaty on cluster munitions is strong and comprehensive and places particular emphasis on ensuring effective assistance to those who have suffered the most from the devastating consequences of these weapons. Some governments have sought to weaken the treaty by calling for exceptions that would allow them to keep their own cluster munitions. Others suggest a "transition period" that would allow continued use of the weapons for years after they have been banned. Affected countries, civil society, and representatives from the majority of countries in attendance will work hard to ensure that the outcome of a strong final treaty is not hijacked by the few countries who wish for loopholes, exceptions, and delays.
Handicap International has been working since the beginning of May with Irish civil society in preparation for the conference. BanBus Ireland, with an international team of campaigners has been travelling the length and breadth of Ireland and Northern Ireland giving public presentations about the problems of cluster munitions and the important role of Ireland in banning them. The initiative is internationalized through a website and outspoken blog (www.thebanbus.org) which is avidly read by government delegations as well as campaigners.
Rae McGrath, spokesperson for the Handicap International Network, said in Dublin today: "More than one hundred countries are committed to banning cluster munitions which cause unacceptable harm to civilians. In more than forty years of use there never has been a cluster munition which failed to cause unacceptable harm to civilians so this conference should be a straightforward process. Unfortunately there are some governments who wish to make exceptions to serve their own short-term objectives – UK and France being major culprits in this regard. It is time that elected ministers in those countries looked to their responsibilities and recognized that this is a matter of humanity not a bureaucratic procedure and far too important to be left in the hands of unelected civil servants."
ABOUT CLUSTER MUNITIONS
Cluster munitions are weapons that can disperse up to several hundred smaller submunitions – sometimes referred to as "bomblets" – over wide areas. They have indiscriminate wide area effects that kill and injure victims during and long after a strike. They pose an enormous economic, social, and psychological impact on civilians, an impact that has been studied, analyzed, and documented in Handicap International's report, Circle of Impact.
http://www.handicap-international.us/our-fight-against-landmines-and-cluster-bombs/in-brief/?dechi_actus%5Bid%5D=31&cHash=908c254035
ABOUT HANDICAP INTERNATIONAL
Handicap International is a non-governmental, non-religious and non-political organization that works with people with disabilities in a variety of contexts to offer them assistance and support in their efforts to become self-reliant. Since its creation, this non-profit organization has set up programs in about 60 countries and has provided aid in many emergency situations. It has offices in the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg. These offices provide human and financial resources and raise awareness about the issue. HI is a co-founder of the Cluster Munition Coalition and the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which was awarded the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize.
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Wellington - New Zealand
22 February 2008: In the final day of the conference attended by 122 States and civil society campaigners from 38 countries there was overwhelming support for the Wellington declaration and for a strong treaty text to be negotiated in Dublin in May. The atmosphere in the Wellington Town Hall was electric as government delegations began to make final statements which would determine whether the proposed treaty would be weakened; it soon became clear that those States affected by cluster munitions and developing countries were making their strong presence felt – the hall rang to cheers and applause as one after another unreservedly endorsed the declaration. The primarily western countries who had argued for exceptions for some cluster bomb types and long transition periods during which banned weapons could still be used, followed the poorer countries of the world in their endorsements – a reversal of the norm in diplomatic conferences. However, two governments, Canada and Germany criticized the role played by NGOs while others, like France and the UK made it clear they will negotiate strongly to weaken the treaty in Dublin.
It was clear, however that the majority of states are committed to a total ban and understand the urgent humanitarian imperatives which underpin the proposed treaty.
Marion Libertucci, Chief Advocacy Officer for Handicap International, said: “We are seeing again, as happened in the anti-personnel landmine process that when southern countries, which are the most common victims of these weapons, are united they have the power to successfully challenge the domination of producer States who normally make the rules and protect the arms industry”
The text will now go forward to be negotiated in Dublin from 18 to 30 May resulting in a binding prohibition on cluster munitions which will be signed before the end of this year.
Rae McGrath, International Spokesperson for Handicap International Network commented: “It is good to see that countries like the UK, France, and Germany endorsed the declaration although they still have some strong differences with the majority of non-user and affected states. There will be time now for the Cluster Munition Coalition to ensure that politicians and public in those countries are made aware of the dangers of a weakened treaty and ensure that their delegations are sent to Dublin with clear instructions to support a full ban without exceptions or transition periods”.
Vienna, Austria – 7 December 2007 The international ban on cluster munitions has gained significant momentum in Vienna over the past three days. Attended by representatives from 138 states and members of civil society from around the world, the Vienna Conference on Cluster Munitions commenced with appeals from cluster munitions survivors that conference participants take urgent action to address the humanitarian crisis caused by these indiscriminate weapons. Umarbek Pulodov, a survivor from Tajikistan reminded delegates, “You who will write the cluster munitions treaty should first see the impact of cluster munitions, how it feels to be a cluster munitions survivor.”
Vienna is the third meeting following a Norwegian-sponsored initiative that began with a conference in Oslo in February 2007 and was followed by a conference in Lima in May 2007. The Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC), of which Handicap International is a founding member along with more than 200 humanitarian and human rights organizations, has campaigned since 2003 for a total ban on the weapons and challenged the failure of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) review process to address the worsening humanitarian crisis caused by cluster munitions.
Delegates at the conference represent both affected countries and countries that continue to produce, use, stockpile, and transfer these weapons. Tempered by testimony offered by cluster munitions victims, discussions regarding treaty provisions on victim assistance saw widespread agreement. Treaty recommendations were offered by the CMC that were derived from a workshop of expert practitioners sponsored by Handicap International that took place in Paris in October. Victim assistance was recognized by Conference participants as a core obligation for States Parties to the upcoming treaty. It was agreed that assistance to victims of cluster munitions is the primary responsibility of the affected state but that these efforts should be strongly supported by the international community. It was generally accepted by the attending states that victim assistance provisions should include all those who suffer from the consequences of cluster munition use including those injured as well as their families and affected communities.
Overwhelmingly states called for a broad all-encompassing definition of cluster munitions that would not exempt any weapons as all cluster munitions have been found to cause harm to innocent civilians during and after conflict. Despite a presentation by the CMC of a comprehensive study showing that failure rates in so called ‘high-technology’ self-destruct cluster munitions averaged 10% in use in Lebanon and Iraq, certain producer and stockpiler states argued in favor of a more limited instrument prohibiting only a few types of cluster munitions. States calling for a narrow definition of cluster munitions included France, Germany, UK, Netherlands, Japan, Denmark, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. “While some states with cluster munitions continue to argue for exemptions based upon false technical information, they will not be able to slow this process nor dampen the will of the majority of the world in addressing the worsening humanitarian crisis caused by cluster munitions. With or without these states, the international community will have a comprehensive treaty that prohibits all cluster munitions during 2008,” said Rae McGrath, international spokesperson for the Handicap International network.
Handicap International and the Cluster Munition Coalition Advocate Cluster Munition Ban at the Vienna Conference of the Oslo Process
Vienna, Austria, 5 December 2007 - The third major international conference on cluster munitions opened today as more than 130 countries gathered in Vienna to discuss a ban treaty to be signed in 2008. The conference is part of the Oslo Process launched in February when states agreed to conclude a new treaty by the end of 2008 banning cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians. "In one year we have gone from a handful of countries to two thirds of the world's nations supporting a ban. The tide has clearly turned against cluster munitions and we are confident a ban treaty will be signed in 2008," said Thomas Nash Coordinator of the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC). Over 140 civil society representatives from 50 countries launched the conference with an international forum yesterday, hosted by the Cluster Munition Coalition. States will spend the next three days discussing the draft treaty text as they meet at the midpoint of the Oslo Process.
The most contentious discussions at the conference will revolve around the prohibition and definition of a cluster munition. Some countries are calling for exemptions for certain weapons such as those with self-destruct mechanisms or for a transition period where the banned weapons could still be used. Most of the countries making such proposals are stockpilers of cluster munitions with self-destruct mechanisms, such as Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Switzerland and the UK.
Further discussions will be held in Wellington in February with final negotiations in Dublin, Ireland in May and a signing ceremony in Oslo, Norway later in the year. Non-governmental organisations, the International Committee of the Red Cross and UN agencies will participate extensively throughout the process.
Building on the work of the last international conference in Lima and further work at conferences in Belgrade and Brussels, the Vienna Conference is likely also to make progress on important areas of the text such as victim assistance, clearance and stockpile destruction.
"Governments have a responsibility to protect civilians in times of conflict, the burden of proof is therefore laid squarely at their door if they want exceptions. Despite the evidence from Lebanon a minority of nations will argue for an exception for cluster munitions with self-destructs, in doing so they are arguing for a whole new generation of civilian casualties," said Simon Conway, Co-Chair of the Cluster Munition Coalition.
By Wendy Batson, Executive Director Handicap International
In early 1981 my husband, our infant son Jonah and I moved to Laos, a small landlocked country in Southeast Asia. We had been hired by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) to work with villagers to help rebuild their war-devastated communities.
Early on we flew by helicopter up to the Plain of Jars, a vast plateau in the central region of the country that was pounded with bombs during the U.S. air war. We stopped by a small jerry-built structure that turned out to be the province hospital, and inside we found seven casualties lying in roughly made beds. Four of them were brothers, the sons of a Hmong woman sitting miserably in the corner. Her boys had been working in an upland rice field in the hills above the plain when the eldest struck a guava cluster munition lying just beneath the surface. His arm had been blown off and he had been blinded. The three younger boys fared better and were expected to recover once their shrapnel wounds healed. The heat and the smell were awful, and I remember concentrating on not throwing up.
Many months later my husband made a trip up river to visit a string of villages along a tributary of the Mekong that reportedly had been severely damaged during the air war. He spent the night in the village of Muong Ngoi, sleeping on the porch of one of the small houses on stilts, the guest of the village chief. The next day he was taken to meet a young shellshocked woman holding tight to two young children. She was surrounded by family who were preparing burial services for her husband, who had gone into the forest the day before with a friend to search for medicinal plants. He climbed a tree to cut down some twigs. Jumping from a branch, he had landed on a buried “bombie”, which went off, killing him instantly and grievously wounding his companion.
It was 1983, ten years since the bombing had ended. We did not understand how so many lives could still be destroyed by weapons used in a war that had ended years before. Along with colleagues from the Mennonite Central Committee office in Laos, we set out to understand what these things were that were blowing people up and, more importantly, how to stop the carnage. We thought there must be some technical solution out there and that all we needed to do was figure out what it was, how much it cost, raise the money, and fix the problem.
Months of research and inquiry led nowhere. The U.S. government would not release information or maps, nor was it willing to let us have technical details on what exactly had been dropped. A Swedish military engineer seconded to the Swedish Development Agency working in Laos finally took pity on us and sat us down to explain that no quick fix was possible. According to him, no military anywhere had the slightest idea how to clear, or demine, a country the size of Laos. He said that cluster munitions, as they are called, had never been used to this extent before and that armies—taught how to clear a path just wide enough to permit the passage of troops in trucks or tanks—would have no idea how to remove unexploded ordnance from the Plain of Jars or from the highly polluted areas along what had been the Ho Chi Minh Trail—the supply route for the Vietnamese forces fighting in South Vietnam, some of which ran through Laotian territory.
90 Million Bomblets Dropped
The U.S. air war left behind a devastating legacy, and to this day Laos is thought to be the most heavily bombed country per capita in history. From 1964 to 1973, the U.S. dropped 90 million cluster bomblets over Laos in 580,000 bombing missions—equivalent to one plane load every eight minutes, 24 hours a-day, for nine years. Contrary to the tested rates, up to 30 percent of the cluster bomblets failed to detonate, leaving as many as 25 million unexploded bomblets still littering nearly 40 percent of the land in Laos.
It has been 34 years since the last cluster munitions were dropped on Laos, and still there is no end in sight to the damage caused by them. Since 1973 as many as 12,000 civilians have been killed or maimed, and hundreds of new casualties occur each year. Cluster bombs hamper basic food production and economic development in Laos, one of the poorest countries in the world.
Bombs Still Going Off
According to the 2006 Landmine Monitor, 164 new landmine or unexploded ordnance casualties occurred in 91 reported incidents during the previous year: 36 people were killed and 128 were injured. Many of the incidents still take place in Xieng Khouang province, in and around the Plain of Jars. A sharp increase in injuries and deaths was reported in 2004 and 2005—a rise that experts attribute to population pressure, poverty, and a consequent increase in the number of people desperate enough to work in the dangerous scrap metal trade. Recent studies by Handicap International, the organization I now work for, show that boys aged six to 15 account for nearly one-quarter of the cluster munitions casualties in Laos today.
Jonah, that infant son, is now in his twenties and long out of college. The year he turned 25, a 25-year-old rice farmer from Sepon District in Savannakhet province was cutting trees to clear a rice paddy about three kilometers from his village when his shovel hit an unexploded cluster submunition. Neighbors carried him unconscious in a hammock to the district hospital three hours away. He lost his forearm, his hearing, and the sight in his right eye. He can no longer work and is in near constant pain.
According to the UN Development Program, at current funding levels, the cluster bomb removal program in Laos may take up to 100 years to complete.
I wish I had a different ending to the story, but I don’t. The lesson we must take away is don’t permit the use of cluster munitions: not now, not ever again.
GENEVA, Switzerland – 12 November 2007 – Many states are not on course to meet their Mine Ban Treaty mine clearance obligations, according to Landmine Monitor Report 2007: Toward a Mine-Free World. The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) releases the 1,124-page report at the United Nations today.
Landmine Monitor reports on the global landmine situation and scrutinizes the implementation of and compliance with the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. Landmine Monitor Report 2007 is the ninth annual edition of the report.
Time is running short for 29 countries with treaty-mandated clearance deadlines in 2009 or 2010. Despite a treaty provision allowing 10 years to complete mine clearance, 14 states are almost certain not meet their 2009 deadlines: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Chad, Croatia, Mozambique, Niger, Peru, Senegal, Tajikistan, Thailand, the United Kingdom (for clearance of the Falkland Islands/Malvinas), Venezuela, Yemen, and Zimbabwe.
Even more seriously, despite having almost eight years to initiate clearance, France, Niger, the United Kingdom and Venezuela have failed to even begin clearance operations.
"Some countries that should have met their clearance deadlines will probably not be able to do so," said Mr. Stuart Casey-Maslen of Norwegian People's Aid, Landmine Monitor's Mine Action Editor. "Both donors and mine-affected countries must work harder to ensure that countries live up to their obligations under international law."
Demining programs in 2006 cleared 140 km2 of mined areas and 310 km2 of battle areas. A significant increase in battle area clearance was recorded over 2005, primarily in Iraq. Afghanistan and Cambodia alone accounted for over 55% of all mined area clearance in 2006. Operations resulted in the destruction of 217,000 antipersonnel mines, 18,000 anti-vehicle mines and 2.15 million explosive remnants of war (ERW).
Government use of antipersonnel mines declined further, with only Myanmar/Burma and Russia continuing to lay new mines. Non-state armed groups in at least eight countries used antipersonnel mines or improvised explosive devices, which is also a decrease.
A total of 5,751 mine and ERW casualties were reported in 2006, a decrease of 16% from 2005, although Pakistan, Myanmar/Burma, and Somalia recorded increased casualty rates due to conflict. Lebanon noted an approximately tenfold casualty increase. Three-quarters of recorded casualties were civilians, and 34% of civilian casualties were children. Worldwide, 473,000 survivors were identified as of August 2007.
Only 11 of 24 states with significant numbers of survivors have made substantial progress towards their 2005-2009 objectives for improving the provision of assistance and ensuring survivors' rights. Funding for survivor assistance comprises only 1% of total mine action funding. Progress toward meeting the needs and rights of survivors should be regarded as insufficient.
"Mine-affected countries and international donors must give greater priority to the physical and economic rehabilitation of survivors, as their needs are not being adequately addressed," said Katleen Maes of Handicap International, Landmine Monitor's Victim Assistance Editor. "These people must not be forgotten."
Mine risk education reached approximately 7.3 million people in 63 countries in 2006-2007. Although this is an increase from 2005-2006, 13 countries urgently need to improve their mine risk education efforts. No mine risk education was recorded in 36 countries and one area affected by mines or ERW.
Of the 20 largest mine action donors, 15 provided more funding in 2006 than 2005. Funding for mine action was US$475 million in 2006, an increase of some $100 million from 2005, and the highest level ever recorded by Landmine Monitor. Much of the increase was due to emergency funding for the clearance of explosive remnants of war in South Lebanon.
"While donor states responded quickly to ERW contamination in Lebanon, what is needed is multi-year funding by national and international donors," said Mr. Anthony Forrest of Mines Action Canada, Landmine Monitor's Mine Action Funding Editor. "Funding levels in 2006 have set a new standard for the global commitment to mine action, against which future funding levels will be judged."
Antipersonnel mines face increased international rejection, as four more countries joined the treaty (Indonesia, Iraq, Kuwait and Montenegro), bringing the total to 155. "Ten years after the negotiation and signing of the Mine Ban Treaty, the stigmatization of antipersonnel mines continues to spread. Even those who have not yet joined the treaty are largely abiding by its core obligations," said Steve Goose of Human Rights Watch, Landmine Monitor's Ban Policy Editor. Seven more countries completed destruction of their stockpiles of antipersonnel mines; in total, 81 States Parties have destroyed nearly 42 million stockpiled mines.
"While overall compliance with the treaty has been impressive, there have been some disconcerting developments," said Goose. These include a UN monitoring group reporting shipments of antipersonnel mines to Somali factions by two States Parties (Eritrea and Ethiopia, which strongly deny the accusations), two states missing their stockpile destruction deadlines (Afghanistan and Cape Verde, both of which have now completed the task), and Venezuela indicating that it continues to derive military benefit from mines laid around military bases—a potential treaty violation of the prohibition on use.
The treaty prohibits the use, production, and trade of antipersonnel landmines. It requires clearance of mined areas within 10 years and the destruction of stockpiled antipersonnel mines within four years. Landmine Monitor Report 2007 reports on landmine use, production, trade, stockpiling, demining, casualties, survivor assistance and mine action funding in 118 countries and areas.
Landmine Monitor is coordinated by an Editorial Board drawn from four organizations: Mines Action Canada, Handicap International, Human Rights Watch and Norwegian People's Aid. It constitutes a sustainable and systematic way for NGOs to monitor and report on the implementation of a disarmament treaty.
Landmine Monitor Report 2007 and related documents are available at 08:00 GMT at www.icbl.org/lm/2007 on 12 November.
Global Day of Action Highlights Harm to Civilians
(Washington, DC, November 5, 2007) – Congress should pass legislation to protect civilians from the deadly effects of cluster munitions, Congressman Jim Moran and Lynn Bradach, mother of a Marine killed by a US cluster submunition in Iraq, said today. They were joined by Simon Conway, Director of Landmine Action, and Serge Duss, Senior Advisor for Global Affairs at World Vision.
On Monday, November 5, the four spoke near the US Capitol Building in front of 100 silhouettes representing civilian victims of cluster munitions as part of a Global Day of Action that included activities in 40 countries.
“The US military doesn't need outdated cluster munitions, the dumbest of dumb weapons. Congress should make their elimination a priority,” said Moran. “Too many innocent lives are being lost because of these outmoded, Cold War-era munitions.”
Cluster munitions endanger civilians because each bomb, rocket or artillery shell contains dozens or hundreds of submunitions (bomblets) that are scattered indiscriminately over a broad area, virtually guaranteeing civilian casualties when fired into populated areas. The weapon also leaves a large number of unexploded bomblets, or “duds,” that become de facto landmines, killing or maiming people who come into contact with them long after a conflict ends.
These duds also endanger friendly forces and peacekeepers that have to operate in areas where cluster munitions were used. “The US military should stop using these weapons – not only do they kill innocent civilians, they even kill our own troops,” said Bradach, whose son, a Marine serving in Karbala, Iraq, was killed instantly when a fellow soldier triggered an unexploded cluster munition in 2003.
The United States maintains a stockpile of cluster munitions containing about 1 billion submunitions and has used the weapon, with devastating consequences, in Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam) in the 1960s and 1970s, the Persian Gulf (Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia) in 1991, the former Yugoslavia (including Kosovo) in 1999, Afghanistan in 2001 and 2002, and Iraq in 2003.
Legislation introduced into the Senate (S 594) by Senators Dianne Feinstein and Patrick Leahy and the House (HR 1755) by Representatives Jim McGovern, Betty McCollum, and Darrell Issa would, if passed, prohibit the use of cluster munitions in populated areas and prohibit the use and transfer of cluster munitions with submunitions that have a failure rate of 1 percent or more. Moran is a co-sponsor of the House legislation.
Current US policy prohibits the procurement of new submunitions with a failure rate of 1 percent of more, but applies no restrictions on the huge existing stockpile. Only some 30,000 of the 1 billion submunitions in the US arsenal today have an official failure rate of less than 1 percent.
Organized in Washington, DC, by the US Campaign to Ban Landmines (USCBL), the Global Day of Action on Cluster Munitions is part of a larger effort sponsored by the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC), with activities taking place in more than 40 countries around the world. The coalition is calling on all governments to adopt immediate national moratoria on the use of cluster munitions and to join the international effort known as the Oslo Process to develop a treaty banning cluster munitions by the end of 2008. In one month, delegates from more than 80 countries, but not the US, are expected to meet in Vienna, Austria, to begin negotiations on the text for the new treaty.
The USCBL is a coalition of approximately 500 US-based human rights, humanitarian, faith-based, children's, peace, disability, veterans', medical, development, academic, and environmental organizations. Handicap International is a founding member of the Campaign to Ban Landmines.
WASHINGTON (Friday, Sept. 7) – The Fiscal Year 2008 State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill passed late Thursday night by the Senate includes a measure, sponsored by Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), that for the first time would restrict the sale or transfer of cluster bombs, which continue to take a high casualty toll among innocent civilians.
Leahy is the chairman of the State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee, which drafts the annual funding bill for the State Department and U.S. foreign aid programs. Specifically, the spending bill requires that no military funds will be used for the sale or transfer or cluster bombs, unless the cluster bombs have a failure rate of one percent or less, and the sale or transfer agreement specifies that the cluster bombs will be used only against clearly defined military targets, and not where civilians are known to be present.
"Sensible standards can greatly reduce the gruesome casualties these weapons needlessly inflict on innocent civilians," said Leahy, who long has led also on curbing the use of anti-personnel landmines. "Congress is taking the lead with these sensible and workable steps to set reliability standards for cluster munitions that are transferred or sold, and to keep them from being used among civilians. We hope the Administration will support this approach. This can be the start of a process and an example that can be a model for other nations to follow."
"The Senate yesterday voted to approve a measure to help protect civilians from the dangers of cluster bombs," said Feinstein, a leading member of the Appropriations Committee. "These volatile relics of the Cold War have taken their lethal toll on civilian populations all over the world for too long – from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Middle East. It's time to put an end to this needless death and suffering. And today's vote by the Senate to restrict the sale or transfer of cluster bombs sends a message to the rest of the world that we're ready to do our part to protect innocent men, women and children from these de facto landmines."
Currently, the arsenal of the U.S. military contains 5.5 million cluster bombs, or 728 million bomblets – many of which have a failure rate of one percent or higher.
Senator Dianne Feinstein invited Handicap International to participate in the first ever Capital Hill briefing on cluster munitions. Partnering with Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Legacies of War, HI staff briefed Congressional staff on the impact of cluster munitions on people and communities. While Legacies of War focused directly on the legacy of US cluster strikes in Laos, HI provided an overall analysis of the affect of cluster munitions on communities in 25 countries and areas.
Senators Feinstein and Leahy introduced the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act (S. 594) this session that would limit the US sale or transfer of cluster munitions that have less than a 99% functioning rate. Similar legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington, DC − Ninety-eight percent of people killed or injured by cluster submunitions are civilians living in the aftermath of war. This is just one critical finding in Circle of Impact: The Fatal Footprint of Cluster Munitions on People and Communities, the new Handicap International report that documents the impact of cluster munitions on the lives of people in 25 countries. The report is the result of several years of research done by HI, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning international organization that has worked for more than 25 years to assist the disabled and eliminate post-war injuries from landmines and cluster munitions.
Cluster munitions, which are weapons that release several hundred smaller submunitions when fired, pose an unacceptable danger to civilians both during and long after a conflict. These submunitions often fail to explode as they are spread over an area the size of several football fields, creating a highly lethal footprint.
This new report comes just one week before states gather in Lima, Peru to discuss a draft text of a new treaty to ban cluster munitions and create a framework for assistance to survivors. This February, at the Oslo Process convention signing, at least 55 countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany and Afghanistan began taking steps toward prohibiting cluster munitions.
A total of 13,306 deaths from cluster submunitions are confirmed. As 96 percent of deaths occur in countries where there is limited or no data collection, however, there are undoubtedly more casualties. In high-use areas such as Iraq, there were more than 1,000 casualties during strikes and more than 4,000 casualties in Lao PDR after strikes.
“If we are to put these numbers of casualties during and after strikes together, a chilling picture of the devastating human impact emerges,” says Marc Joolen, the Director-General of HI (Belgium).
Children are particularly vulnerable to the threat of submunitions. In Kosovo, 53 percent of casualties occurred in the two months following the end of the conflict. Given the precarious economic situation of most people after a conflict, cluster submunitions also disproportionately affect the poor. More than 60 percent of all deaths occur when people are working, and many people have no choice but to work on contaminated land. In South Lebanon, nearly 90 percent of land used for farming and shepherding is contaminated with unexploded cluster submunitions.
Medical costs related to incidents are a heavy burden on poor families. Cluster munitions eliminate educational opportunities, cause unemployment to rise and cause extreme psychological trauma. This, in turn, leads to the isolation of victims, and causes increased poverty as well as a need for greater risk-taking to earn a living. The use of cluster munitions adversely impacts broader development, reconstruction and human security by delaying the return of internally displaced people and blocking land for infrastructure rebuilding.
Full report available here:
Circle of Impact: The Fatal Footprint of Cluster Munitions on People and Communities is the definitive comprehensive study systematically analyzing the impact of cluster munitions on civilian populations through casualty data and socioeconomic impact profiles. It utilizes information available on casualties of cluster submunitions and cluster munitions strike data to track the human impact from the initial cluster munitions strike, over the short-term emergency phase, to the post-conflict period, which affect the lives of individuals, families and communities for generations.
Lima, Peru 24 May 2007: An international ban on cluster munitions has moved closer to reality in Lima during the past two days. Sixty-eight states, including countries affected by unexploded cluster bombs, and those which have used, produced and currently stockpile the weapons joined with non governmental organizations, United Nations agencies and the ICRC are currently in a dialogue to fast-track an international cluster bomb ban. “Governments listened seriously to our concerns and those of affected countries and addressed areas of difference and common ground quite openly – that is the process which will finally result in the eradication of these indiscriminate weapons” said Rae McGrath, international spokesperson for the Handicap International network.
This was the second meeting following a Norwegian-sponsored initiative which began with a conference in Oslo in February 2007. The Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC), of which Handicap International is a founding member along with more than 200 humanitarian and human rights organisations, has campaigned since 2003 for a total ban on the weapons and challenged the failure of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) review process to address the worsening humanitarian crises caused by cluster munitions. Norway, supported by a number of other governments including Austria, Belgium, Ireland and New Zealand, frustrated by the inability to make any progress within the CCW, initiated the alternative avenue for more productive negotiations. Forty-seven states joined civil society organisations in Oslo and agreed to work towards a ban on cluster munitions which cause unacceptable harm to civilians.
Handicap International provided a major information resource to the Lima conference by the launch of the new report “Circle of Impact” which comprehensively documents the impact of cluster munitions on civilians and their livelihoods in twenty-five countries. Stan Brabant, who led the team which researched and produced the report commented:
“By documenting the magnitude and long-term effects of cluster bombs, we managed to put the needs of affected communities at the very centre of the Oslo process. As a result, assistance to affected communities should be central in the Oslo treaty on cluster munitions.”
Governments of countries affected by cluster bombs, such as Lao PDR, Cambodia, Lebanon, Serbia and Chad were forceful in their support for the fast-track initiative. Mr Sam Sotha, heading the Cambodian delegation, told the conference “I thank those organisations that have worked relentlessly on this issue and to inform the world that landmines are not the only post conflict issue, but that cluster weapons are equally as dangerous.”
Many states, including Peru, Norway, Costa Rica, Ireland and Mexico, in emphasising the urgency of a ban, expressed cynicism at the suggestions by some governments that the problems of cluster munitions could be solved by technical fixes. In a similar vein the CMC argued strongly against any arguments that self-destruct devices fitted to the hundreds of explosive submunitions or bomblets scattered by each cluster munition would solve the problem. The coalition have produced graphic evidence during the conference testifying to the ineffectiveness of such devices, especially during the recent cluster munition attacks on southern Lebanon by Israeli forces.
Some countries, notably those which produce and maintain stockpiles of cluster bombs, argued for maintaining discussions in the CCW as a complementary process while admitting that this would be a much slower and uncertain forum which could even result in a failure to achieve a prohibition on the weapon. However these governments emphasised their full commitment to and support for the Oslo process. Some countries wanted exceptions in any treaty text which would allow them to keep what they argue are ´smart´ or ´non-dangerous´ cluster weapons. This position was challenged forcefully by NGO´s and other governments who expressed surprise at this seeming willingness to ignore the evidence of the past fifty years of cluster munition use and the huge cost in civilian loss of life. The coalition, quoting from the HI report “Circle of Impact”, reminded those states that the most common victims of cluster bombs were boys as young as six years old. This is a result of the often unusual shape and bright colouring of submunitions which attract the attention of inquisitive children.
Handicap International is especially encouraged by the wide agreement that victim assistance must be an obligation of the Oslo treaty. Outside of the main conference hall coalition members, including experts in clearing unexploded ordinance, victim assistance and human rights met with government experts to address areas of contention and to improve delegations´ understanding of the actual impact on the ground. The Handicap International campaign team brought their wide knowledge drawn from the direct experience of program staff operational in countries affected by unexploded cluster munitions to this process.
The conference will continue with a number of regional and working meetings including meetings in Costa Rica and Serbia leading up to the next major conference in Vienna in December 2007 beginning with a one day CMC civil society forum followed by two days of government meetings. It is envisioned that governments will begin detailed negotiation in Vienna, with the plan to sign a treaty in Oslo in August 2008.
Handicap International (HI) calls on all governments not yet party to the Oslo process to join without delay and commit themselves to the aims laid out in the Oslo declaration. In addition HI urges all involved governments to adopt as a basis for negotiation the CMC Key Principles laying out the essential elements of a treaty to ban cluster munitions. HI strongly challenges those countries that have argued for exceptions, such as for submunitions equipped with self destruct mechanisms, which will cost the lives of civilians for future generations to abandon those ill-judged positions and commit themselves fully to the Oslo process. HI will, in line with our coalition partners, continue to make civil society aware of the humanitarian impact of cluster munitions and of the positions being taken by governments who are not working with us to ensure the success of the Oslo initiative.
On the eve of an international conference on cluster munitions organised by Peru in Lima, Handicap International participated on the 22nd of May in a regional forum organised by the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) gathering NGOs, parliamentarians and governmental representatives. This forum is a new signal of the pressure brought by civil society on the international process to ban cluster munitions that was launched by Norway in February 2007. The international conference organised from the 23rd through the 25th of May is a crucial step where discussions on a future treaty will be watched by NGOs, especially regarding victim assistance.
The Regional Civil Society Forum, was attended by more than 60 NGO representatives hailing from countries of Latin America and all over the world, as well as by 40 governmental representatives. It represented a strong start to the governmental conference that is currently being held in Lima from the 23rd through the 25th of May.
During the NGO forum Handicap International, which is a member of the CMC Steering Committee, presented its new report on cluster munitions, “Circle of Impact: the Fatal Footprint of Cluster Munitions on People and Communities” that documents the short and long-term impact of cluster munitions on civilians in more than 26 countries. "Circle of Impact should remove any lingering doubt which governments may have regarding the disproportionate nature of cluster munitions. It is an offence against all humanitarian norms to continue using these weapons with such evidence of their impact available." said Rae McGrath, international spokesperson on cluster munitions for the Handicap International network.
This civil society forum also gave the floor to representatives from affected countries, including survivors of cluster munitions. Mr. Raed Banjak, Lebanese deminer working in South Lebanon in the Handicap International program, presented his experience of clearing his own country from unexploded submunitions after the conflict of Summer 2006.
The government meeting to be held from the 23rd to the 25th of May will gather representatives from almost 70 countries. This conference aims at developing and reinforcing the process that was launched in February 2007 in Oslo, where during a meeting organised by Norway, 46 countries committed themselves to conclude an international ban on cluster munitions by 2008. The Lima conference should confirm the momentum on the cluster munitions, with more than 20 States joining the international process.
New countries present in Lima are expected to endorse this formal commitment, including affected countries such as Albania, Chad, Guinea-Bissau and Lao PDR, the most affected country. These countries would then join the group of States recognising the need to urgently and comprehensively address the humanitarian impact of cluster munitions, which already gathers an important number of user, producer and stockpiler countries, such as France, Great-Britain, and The Netherlands. A number of countries from Latin America are also expected during this meeting, such as Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Mexico. South America is the only continent that is not affected by cluster munitions.
Handicap International will particularly challenge the States not to focus debates on technical aspects, but to efficiently address the needs regarding victim assistance, in order to ensure that the direct victims of cluster munitions, but also their families and communities, get the necessary support and have their rights recognised.
Ninety-eight percent of people killed or injured by cluster submunitions are civilians living in the aftermath of war. This is just one critical finding in Circle of Impact: The Fatal Footprint of Cluster Munitions on People and Communities, the new Handicap International report that documents the impact of cluster munitions on the lives of people in 25 countries.
The report is the result of several years of research done by HI, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning international organization that has worked for more than 25 years to assist the disabled and eliminate post-war injuries from landmines and cluster munitions. Cluster munitions, which are weapons that release several hundred smaller submunitions when fired, pose an unacceptable danger to civilians both during and long after a conflict. These submunitions often fail to explode as they are spread over an area the size of several football fields, creating a highly lethal footprint.
This new report comes just one week before states gather in Lima, Peru to discuss a draft text of a new treaty to ban cluster munitions and create a framework for assistance to survivors. This February, at the Oslo Process convention signing, at least 55 countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany and Afghanistan began taking steps toward prohibiting cluster munitions.
© Z. Johnson / Handicap International
One million unexploded submunitions, more than 800 affected zones, hundreds of villages impacted, the conflict of last July has left Lebanon devastated; a country where it is no longer possible to go to school, to cultivate the land or to go to work without running a fatal risk. Since the end of the conflict, 214 people, 184 of them civilians, have been the victims of cluster bombs. Thirty three percent of them were less than 18 years old. The mine clearance of these zones will be long, complex and particularly dangerous. The UN Mine Action Coordination Centre of Southern Lebanon has estimated that between 12-15 months are needed to clean up cluster bombs from this country.
In order to protect the civil population, Handicap International, present in Lebanon since 1992, began to clear cluster munitions from the affected villages in January of this year. HI has fielded three teams of 15 people each. The teams are working close to the town of Tyr, in the village of Al Basourieh. Each team consists of one technical adviser, one team leader, 10 mine clearance workers, one first-aid worker, one community liaison agent and one driver-translator. These operational teams are supported by an administrative team (e.g.: logistics workers and administrative agents). This clearance work, which will take many months and should be finished by next October, is being financed by ECHO.
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Handicap International and the other NGOs of the Cluster Munitions Coalition (CMC) welcome Norway's decision to start a process on a new treaty to ban cluster munitions "that have unacceptable humanitarian consequences." Handicap International calls on states prepared to take urgent steps to address the humanitarian concern posed by cluster munitions to negotiate a new treaty outside the CCW. The Norwegian initiative was prompted by the failure of states parties to the CCW to launch negotiations on cluster munitions within the existing mechanism.
After five years of talks, states have failed to ban a weapon that continues to maim and kill civilians during use and long after the conflict is over. NGOs call on all states committed to protecting civilians to start work urgently on a new treaty like they did for anti-personnel mines" said Thomas Nash, Coordinator of the Cluster Munition Coalition.
The Third Review Conference of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) ends today in Geneva. Although 30 states have expressed their willingness to begin negotiations on a new instrument on cluster munitions, this has been rejected by Australia, China, India, Japan, Pakistan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Most of these countries have instead rallied around an alternative proposal by the United Kingdom to continue discussions within the CCW next year on "explosive remnants of war, with a particular focus on cluster munitions". The proposal was still under consideration this morning.
During the conference, both UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) called on states to prohibit inaccurate and unreliable cluster munitions. The ICRC also intends to hold a meeting in early 2007 aimed at identifying the elements of a cluster munition treaty.
> Read the Norvigian statement
Civilians constitute 98 percent of all recorded cluster sub munitions casualties, many of them injured or killed while carrying out their normal, daily livelihood activities in places they go to every day, according to Fatal Footprint: The Global Human Impact of Cluster Munitions. This groundbreaking report by Handicap International (HI) is an unprecedented effort to document the impact of cluster munitions on the lives of people in 24 countries and areas which are confirmed to be affected by cluster munitions.
To download the report and the key facts, click here
