{"id":1143,"date":"2014-07-30T15:26:17","date_gmt":"2014-07-30T19:26:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/?p=1143"},"modified":"2014-08-10T14:08:42","modified_gmt":"2014-08-10T18:08:42","slug":"august-1st-2014-the-fourth-anniversary-of-entry-into-force-of-the-convention-on-cluster-munitions-ccm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/?p=1143","title":{"rendered":"The Fifth Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (5MSP)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Fifth Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (5MSP) will take place in San Jose, Costa Rica 2-5 September 2014. At this meeting, States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions will give progress updates on implementing their treaty obligations and take key decisions on items including the structures to support the implementation and universalization of the Convention. States that have not yet joined the Convention will give updates on steps they are taking towards joining. The \u00a0West Virginia Campaign to Ban Landmines and Cluster Bombs encourages the U.S. to attend the meeting and accede to the treaty banning cluster munitions. <\/b><\/p>\n

\"CMC<\/a><\/p>\n

August 1st 2014 \u2013 the Fourth anniversary of entry into force of the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM)<\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0What are cluster bombs? <\/b> Cluster bombs are large weapon systems containing\u00a0<\/b>multiple – often hundreds – of smaller bomblets.\u00a0<\/b>They can be dropped from the air or fired from the ground.\u00a0<\/b>Cluster bombs are also known as \u201ccluster munitions\u201d\u00a0<\/b>and the bomblets can also be called \u201csubmunitions\u201d.\u00a0<\/b>It has been well established that cluster munitions have a\u00a0<\/b>devastating impact on the lives of civilians, both at the time\u00a0<\/b>of use and long afterwards.\u00a0<\/b>They are a problem for two reasons: 1) they are indiscriminate; 2) they are unreliable. \u00a0Around the world, in every conflict in which they have\u00a0<\/b>been used, cluster bombs have caused excessive harm\u00a0<\/b>to civillians. During an attack, cluster bombs cover wide\u00a0<\/b>areas of land (up to the size of several football fields) with\u00a0<\/b>explosives and shrapnel. Cluster bombs are indiscriminate\u00a0<\/b>weapons, because they can\u2019t distinguish between a\u00a0<\/b>soldier or a civilian. When cluster bombs are used in or\u00a0<\/b>near populated areas (the site of most modern conflicts)\u00a0<\/b>it is inevitable that civilian casualties, including women\u00a0<\/b>and children, are the result.\u00a0 What\u2019s more, many of the submunitions, or bomblets, disbursed by cluster bombs fail to explode on impact.\u00a0<\/b>Due to this high failure rate, huge amounts of unexploded\u00a0<\/b>bomblets are left on the ground, after an attack.<\/b> Like landmines, they pose a deadly threat to civilians living\u00a0<\/b>in that area long after a conflict has ended. Simply stepping\u00a0<\/b>on a bomblet or picking it up can cause it to explode \u2013\u00a0<\/b>resulting in death or severe injuries from shrapnel,\u00a0<\/b>including loss of limbs and blindness.\u00a0<\/b>Cluster bomb contamination can make land unsafe to live\u00a0<\/b>on and cause economic insecurity. Farmers working their\u00a0<\/b>land may accidentally set off the bomblets. Tragically,\u00a0<\/b>children are often attracted by their small size, curious\u00a0<\/b>shape and color and mistake them for toys, killing or\u00a0<\/b>injuring themselves and others by picking them up and\u00a0<\/b>playing with them. Contamination can stop people from\u00a0<\/b>safely accessing schools, hospitals and land for housing\u00a0<\/b>and subsistence. Some communities have no choice but to\u00a0<\/b>carry on their daily lives on contaminated land, risking lives\u00a0<\/b>and limbs on a daily basis.<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Join<\/a>
Join the Team…Ban Cluster Bombs!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/b>The global solution: The cluster bomb ban<\/b>.\u00a0The 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions was established\u00a0<\/b>to put an end, for all time, to the suffering and casualties\u00a0<\/b>caused by cluster bombs. It comprehensively bans the use,\u00a0<\/b>production, stockpiling and transfer of cluster munitions.\u00a0<\/b>It requires destruction of stockpiled cluster munitions within\u00a0<\/b>eight years and clearance of contaminated land within 10\u00a0<\/b>years of entry into force. It protects the rights of cluster\u00a0<\/b>bomb victims and it entitles countries affected by cluster\u00a0<\/b>bombs to receive international assistance to meet their\u00a0<\/b>legal obligations. In other words, the convention aims to\u00a0<\/b>prevent further harm from cluster munitions and to redress\u00a0<\/b>the impact of past use. One-hundred and thirteen countries have joined the\u00a0<\/b>ban, and many more adhere to it including stockpilers,\u00a0<\/b>former users and producers of the weapon as well as the\u00a0<\/b>majority of affected countries. As a result of its clear and\u00a0<\/b>time-bound requirements, states parties to the convention\u00a0<\/b>are working hard to destroy their stockpiles, clear their land\u00a0<\/b>and assist cluster bomb victims. Thanks to the ban, there is now a powerful stigma against \u00a0cluster bombs. These weapons have been used in just a\u00a0<\/b>few countries in recent years. Each incident of use has\u00a0<\/b>been followed by strong international condemnation and\u00a0<\/b>often denial or regret by the state in question.\u00a0<\/b>But cluster bombs continue to kill and injure innocent people. THAT is why we feel i<\/b>t is essential for the strength of the ban that states join,\u00a0<\/b>no matter the size of the country, whether or not they are\u00a0<\/b>affected by the weapon, and whether or not they have\u00a0<\/b>used, produced or stockpiled cluster munitions. With every\u00a0<\/b>new country that joins the treaty, the global norm rejecting\u00a0<\/b>cluster bombs is strengthened and the protection for\u00a0<\/b>civilians is increased.\u00a0 Every country, INCLUDING THE U.S., can and should join the<\/b> Convention on Cluster Munitions. And to accomplish that,\u00a0<\/b>we need you! Your voice is needed to speak up and tell\u00a0<\/b>governments they\u00a0aren’t\u00a0going to win a war or defend\u00a0their\u00a0<\/b>country with a weapon that kills civilians. It is a question\u00a0<\/b>of political will and of prioritizing the protection of civilians\u00a0<\/b>over using outdated and indiscriminate weapons.<\/b> The campaign to ban cluster bombs: Join us!<\/b> The cluster bomb ban was achieved only because people\u00a0<\/b>from around the world demanded that it happened.\u00a0<\/b>And it will only be joined and enforced by all countries\u00a0<\/b>if individuals and groups around the world come together\u00a0<\/b>and demand it.<\/b> \u00a0<\/b>The Cluster Munition Coalition is a global network of\u00a0<\/b>civil society groups, including WVCBL, \u00a0working in some 100 countries to\u00a0<\/b>end the harm caused by cluster bombs. Launched in\u00a0<\/b>2003, its founding members include Human Rights Watch,<\/b> Handicap International, Norwegian People\u2019s Aid and other\u00a0<\/b>leaders from the Nobel Peace Prize-winning International\u00a0<\/b>Campaign to Ban Landmines, which secured the 1997\u00a0<\/b>Mine Ban Treaty. Following the signing of the Convention on Cluster\u00a0<\/b>Munitions by 94 countries in December 2008, the coalition\u00a0<\/b>mobilized\u00a0a major global ratification campaign. Thirty\u00a0<\/b>countries ratified the ban swiftly, allowing it to enter into\u00a0<\/b>force in 2010. The coalition now works urgently for all states\u00a0<\/b>to join the ban and to fully implement all of its provisions.\u00a0<\/b>Countries will be encouraged to join \u2013 and implement \u2013\u00a0<\/b>the cluster bomb ban when people from their own country,\u00a0<\/b>and like-minded others from around the world, convince\u00a0<\/b>them to do so. You can make the difference and stop\u00a0<\/b>the harm caused by these indiscriminate and outdated\u00a0<\/b>weapons. Please join us in our campaign to eradicate\u00a0<\/b>cluster bombs world-wide!<\/b> \u00a0<\/b>Take action\u00a0<\/b><\/span> \u00a0 For more information on how you can help to stop\u00a0<\/b>cluster bombs in your country and around the world,\u00a0<\/b>go to www.stopclustermunitions.org<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The Fifth Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (5MSP) will take place in San Jose, Costa Rica 2-5 September 2014. At this meeting, States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions will give progress updates on implementing their treaty obligations and take key decisions on items including the structures […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-announcements"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1143"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1143\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1151,"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1143\/revisions\/1151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}