According to the 100-page Cluster Munition Monitor 2024, compiled by the Cluster Munition Coalition, an international civil society organisation active in more than 100 countries, civilians accounted for 93 percent of global cluster munition casualties in 2023.
“Actions by countries that have not banned cluster munitions endanger civilians and threatening the integrity and universality of the international treaty banning these horrific weapons” said Tamar Gabelnick, director of the Cluster Munition Coalition, which will present the report to the 12th Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions at the UN in Geneva from 10 to 13 September.
Children accounted for nearly half of all people killed or injured by cluster munition remnants in 2023. In addition, the attacks also had direct and devastating effects on civilian targets, including schools and hospitals, the report said.
“It is imperative that all countries join the Convention on Cluster Munitions and do their part to achieve the goal of ending suffering and casualties. “Caused by cluster munitions,” Mr. Gabelnick said.
New violations reported
A total of 112 countries have signed up to the ban, including South Sudan. It was the last country to accede to the treaty. The treaty bans cluster munitions and requires the destruction of stockpiles and the clearing of areas contaminated with cluster munition remnants. Victims must also be informed about the risks and provided with assistance.
Although there have been no reports or allegations of new use of cluster munitions by a state party since the treaty’s adoption in May 2008, the weapons were used in Ukraine by both Russian and Ukrainian forces in 2023 and up until the publication of the latest monitoring report.
The number of manufacturers has risen from 16 to 17 since 2023. Myanmar now produces cluster munitions, along with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea, Brazil, China, Egypt, Greece, India, Iran, Israel, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Turkey and the US. None of these countries are parties to the global treaty.
New use of these weapons was also observed in Myanmar and Syria during the reporting period, according to the report, which provides an overview of implementation and compliance with the treaty.
Deadly Legacy
Like landmines, cluster munitions leave a deadly legacy that is felt long after the battle is over. Many of these submunitions fail to detonate on initial impact, leaving behind remnants that indiscriminately injure and kill for years until they are cleared and destroyed.
According to Cluster Munition Monitor 2024, In total, 28 countries and other areas are contaminated or suspected of being contaminated with cluster munition remnants, including 10 States Parties to the Convention.
Contamination from cluster munition remnants makes it dangerous and difficult to reach agricultural land, further endangering lives and livelihoods in affected areas.
This was particularly striking in Ukraine, where there is evidence that more agricultural land is contaminated with cluster munition residues than with anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines combined.
In war-torn Gaza, which has been bombarded daily by Israeli forces for nearly a year, clearing unexploded ordnance would take years and cost millions of dollars to make the country safe, experts say. toldUN News earlier this year.
© UNOCHA/Themba Linden
A UN team inspects an unexploded 1,000-pound bomb on a main road in Khan Younis, Gaza.
Alarming consequences and victims
Cluster munitions cause severe injuries through explosion, burns and fragmentation, leaving most survivors in need of lifelong medical care and rehabilitation.
While some progress has been made in the area of victim support, the report states that Significant challenges remain, especially in countries such as Afghanistan and Lebanonwhere health care systems are under pressure.
The new report also found that Ukraine recorded the highest number of annual cluster munition casualties in the world for the second year in a rowalthough the actual number of victims is believed to be significantly higher than the recorded number.
Cluster munitions have killed or injured more than 1,000 people since Russia’s massive invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Updates on cleanup efforts
The report shows that fewer cluster munitions were removed in 2023 than in the previous year.
It was also stressed that there is a need for continued funding and support to ensure that States Parties can meet their obligations to clean up contaminated substances.
“States that have signed the treaty face ongoing challenges in clearing land contaminated with cluster munition remnants due to limited funding and capacity and difficulties in reaching contaminated areas because of safety concerns or challenging terrain,” said Katrin Atkins, Contamination, Cleanup and Risk Education Reporting Editor for the Cluster Munition Monitor.
UNDP Ukraine/Oleksandr Simonenko
A mine clearer for the Ukrainian State Emergency Service sweeps the area for unexploded ordnance and land mines.
Important milestone
In August 2023, Bosnia and Herzegovina became the ninth state to complete the clearance of areas contaminated by cluster munitions, in accordance with the obligations set out in the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
The treaty reached a major milestone last December when Peru completed the destruction of its stockpiled cluster munitions, becoming the last state to meet this obligation.
This means that the States Parties to the Convention have collectively destroyed 100 percent of their declared stockpiles of cluster munitions, destroying 1.49 million cluster munitions and 179 million submunitions.
New trends are unfolding
However, there are alarming developments taking place, Ms Atkins said.
“In many affected states, additional contaminated areas are being discovered even as known areas are cleared,” she said.
In addition, in July 2024 Lithuania passed a law withdrawing from the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
The withdrawal will take effect six months after Lithuania has completed the withdrawal steps required by the treaty, unless it revokes this measure or becomes involved in an armed conflict.
FAST FACTS
- Here are some highlights from the latest Cluster Munition Monitor:
- An annual resolution in the UN General Assembly promoting the Convention on Cluster Munitions was adopted in December 2023 by 148 states, including 37 non-signatories. Russia was the only country to vote against it.
- In 2023, nine countries recorded new cluster munition casualties: Azerbaijan, Iraq, Laos, Lebanon, Mauritania, Myanmar, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen.
- Of the total of 219 reported casualties in 2023, 118 were caused by cluster munition attacks, while 101 were caused by cluster munition remnants.
- Only 10 States Parties to the Convention still retain active cluster munitions for authorized research and training purposes, with Germany having the highest number.
- States Parties reported that they had cleared 83.91 km² of land contaminated with cluster munitions by 2023, destroying at least 73,348 cluster munitions remnants, mainly unexploded submunitions and unexploded bomblets.
- There is evidence of new production of cluster munitions in India, Myanmar, Russia and the Republic of Korea during the reporting period.
- Between July 2023 and April 2024, President Joe Biden approved five deliveries of U.S. cluster munitions to Ukraine, delivered by 155mm artillery projectiles and ballistic missiles.
- 33 Contracting States have specific implementing laws for the Convention.
- A further 22 States Parties to the Convention are in the process of drafting, revising or adopting specific legislative measures to implement the Convention, while 43 States Parties consider their existing laws and regulations to be adequate.
