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New Zealand is among more than 100 countries that have endorsed a new Convention to ban cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians. Agreement on the Convention was reached at a Diplomatic Conference held in Dublin between 19 and 30 May.
The new Convention would see all current designs of cluster bombs that cause unacceptable harm to civilians outlawed and includes a specific article on victim assistance. Strong and clear provisions were also agreed on destruction of stockpiles, clearance of cluster munition remnants, and international co-operation and assistance.
New Zealand’s Disarmament Ambassador, Don McKay, along with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Ministry of Defence, attended the conference, which was the most significant meeting of the Oslo Process. Ambassador MacKay was responsible for steering discussions at the Dublin Conference on the difficult issue of defining a prohibited cluster munition.
The Oslo Process was launched in February 2007 to address the humanitarian harm posed by cluster munitions. The Dublin conference 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, which formed the basis of negotiation at Dublin.
A signing ceremony for the new Convention is expected to be held in Oslo, Norway, later this year.
