Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Thank you.
New Zealand is grateful to Norway and Peru for their stewardship of this workstream. Support for universalisation is an obligation of all States Parties, and we are glad for the leadership of the co-chairs in our efforts.
Article 21 of the Convention states that each State Party “shall promote the norms it establishes and shall make its best efforts to discourage States not party to this Convention from using cluster munitions.” This obligation is now more pressing than ever.
There is no doubt that universalisation is particularly challenging during times of increased conflict and international tension. In this context, we underline to all States not Party that the CCM is a treaty founded on international humanitarian law, which seeks to protect civilians who bear the brunt of armed conflict. Rejecting these weapons is a strong signal of commitment to IHL and the protection of civilians.
We reiterate our regret that Lithuania has formally withdrawn from the Convention, and our concern about the precedent it has set.
President,
New Zealand echoes the congratulations to Vanuatu for acceding to the Convention. We welcome our Pacific neighbour to this critical disarmament and humanitarian treaty and stand ready to provide support for implementation.
We would also like to acknowledge and commend the specific efforts to promote the Convention by the Philippines. As Chair, the Philippines has hosted several events to raise the profile of the Convention. Most recently, the Philippines and the ICRC co-hosted the Asia and the Pacific Regional Conference on IHL. New Zealand was pleased to Chair a session on Humanitarian Disarmament, and to promote the CCM to states in our region. We will continue to look at further ways we can play our part, especially in the Pacific.
In closing, New Zealand will continue to work closely with States Parties, States not yet Party, civil society, the ICRC, and other international organisations to chart a course towards full universalisation and a world without cluster munitions.
Thank you.