Convention on Cluster Munitions

The Convention on Cluster Munitions, CCM, prohibits all use, stockpiling, production and transfer of Cluster Munitions. Separate articles in the Convention concern assistance to victims, clearance of contaminated areas and destruction of stockpiles.
With so far 107 signatures, many key international players such as the United States, Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Israel, Egypt, Iran, both Koreas, Brazil y Argentina have not acceded to the treaty yet.

The Convention was adopted in Dublin by 107 states on 30 May 2008 and signed on 3 December the same year. The Convention will become binding international law when it enters into force on 1 August 2010. The First Meeting of States Parties will take place in Vientiane, Laos, 8 - 12 November 2010. Future States Parties will accede to the Convention by submitting their ratifications to the United Nations headquarters in New York.

The Convention is a result of the Oslo-process, an open and time bound diplomatic process that included States, the Cluster Munition Coalition, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations. The process was launched when 46 states agreed to the February 2007 Oslo Declaration, committing them to: "Conclude by 2008 a legally binding international instrument that prohibits the use and stockpiling of cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians and secure adequate provision of care and rehabilitation to survivors and clearance of contaminated areas."

La Convention is one of the most significant disarmament and humanitarian treaties together with the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty.

The treaty calls on states parties to:

• Declare and destroy stockpiled cluster munitions within eight years
• Identify and clear cluster munition-contaminated areas within 10 years
• Assist affected communities and cluster munition survivors so that they can be fully included in society and enjoy their fundamental human rights

The entry into force of such a major piece of international humanitarian law is a rare and special occasion. Entry into force was triggered when the Convention reached 30 ratifications in February 2010, just 14 months after it opened for signature in Oslo in December 2008. After 1 August, states will no longer be able to sign the Convention and instead will need to accede, which is essentially signing and ratifying in a single step.

Ratifications and Signatures

37 ratifications (alphabetical)

Albania, Austria, Belgium, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Croatia, Denmark, Ecuador, Fiji, France, Germany, The Holy See, Ireland, Japan, The Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Luxembourg, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Malawi, Mali, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Norway, Samoa, San Marino, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Spain, United Kingdom, Uruguay and Zambia.

107 signatures (by region)

Africa: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, The Democratic Republic of Congo, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauretania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal,Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia.

Americas: Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Vincent & the Grenadines and Uruguay.

Asia: Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR and Philippines.

Europe: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic,Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, The Holy See, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Republic of Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Fiji, Nauru, Samoa and Palau.

Text of the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

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