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An important conference in Dublin will adopt a new convention this month to ban cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians.
The Dublin Conference on Cluster Munitions, being held between 19-30 May, is the most significant meeting of the Oslo Process, which was launched in February 2007 to address the humanitarian harm posed by cluster munitions. It follows on from international meetings held in Norway, Peru, Austria and, most recently, in New Zealand.
Discussions at the Wellington Conference on Cluster Munitions in February, which was attended by more than 100 countries, made good progress on the draft text of the new convention, and this will form the basis of negotiation at Dublin.
The main outcome of the February conference was the Wellington Declaration, which countries needed to subscribe to in order to formally participate in the Dublin conference. Eighty-two countries subscribed to the Wellington Declaration on the final day of the conference, and more have since subscribed.
Major issues for discussion at Dublin will be the ability of States Parties to the new convention to undertake joint military operations with non-States Parties, and the definition of cluster munitions that cause unacceptable humanitarian harm. Other issues that the Dublin conference will need to address include destruction of stockpiles, the retention of prohibited cluster munitions and victim assistance.
New Zealand will send a strong delegation to Dublin, and will be approaching the forthcoming negotiation with the broad objective of achieving a convention that is strong, effective, and as widely supported as possible. It must also address the humanitarian concerns that New Zealand has with cluster munitions, and thus needs to be able to make a practical difference to people’s lives.
The new convention banning cluster munitions will be adopted at the conclusion of the Dublin conference. This will be followed later in the year by a treaty signing ceremony in Oslo in December.
