Cluster Munition Coalition
Encyclopedia
The Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) is an international civil society movement campaigning against the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of cluster munitions. Cluster munitions are a type of explosive weapon widely stockpiled by more than 80 states. They are documented to have caused significant civilian deaths and injuries and have frequently caused indiscriminate effects both during and after conflicts. Their use is prohibited under the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions
. This convention was formally endorsed on 30 May 2008 in Dublin, Ireland
, and was signed by 94 countries in Oslo
on 3-4 December 2008. The Convention entered into force and became binding international law on 1 August 2010, after 30 countries formally ratified it. As of 28 April 2011, it had been signed by 108 countries, 57 of which have ratified it.
The CMC, formed in November 2003, is a network of civil society organizations, including NGOs, faith-based groups and professional organizations. It includes large worldwide organizations, such as Amnesty International
, Handicap International
and Human Rights Watch
, as well as nationally based organizations (such as the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society
and Legacies of War) and national campaigns (such as the Philippines Campaign against Cluster Munitions and the Aotearoa New Zealand Cluster Munition Coalition).
All of these organizations share a common goal of preventing the adverse humanitarian and development impacts from cluster munitions and providing assistance to the victims and survivors of cluster munitions, as well as ensuring their inclusion in society. Through their activities, the member organisations that make up the CMC have researched the effects of cluster munitions on civilians. Organisations and individuals that make up the CMC also work directly to address the effects of cluster munitions through the course of their work in conflict zones, providing assistance to victims, clearing areas contaminated by cluster munitions, investigating human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law
.
Members of the CMC network work together on an international campaign to ban cluster munitions and successfully brought about the signature by 94 countries of the Convention on Cluster Munitions
in Oslo on 3-4 December 2008. The CMC is now campaigning for ratification and entry into force of this comprehensive ban and (beyond this) will work to promote the full and effective implementation of the Convention; the universalisation of its norms; and the rigorous monitoring of states' compliance with it.
The CMC is an example of the emerging model of international diplomacy that involves the coordination of global grassroots initiatives to promote a specific goal, engaging in an international diplomatic process in partnership with like-minded states. An important focus for the CMC was to ensure those affected by cluster munitions were able to play a key role in shaping the outcome of the campaign and the international treaty it has brought about. This has been demonstrated by affected states such as Lebanon
and Lao PDR, who were at the forefront of the diplomatic negotiations, as well as the active roles played within the CMC by individual survivors of cluster bombs (such as Branislav Kapetanovic and others involved with the Ban Advocates
initiative set up by Handicap International).
Convention on Cluster Munitions
The Convention on Cluster Munitions is an international treaty that prohibits the use, transfer and stockpile of cluster bombs, a type of explosive weapon which scatters submunitions over an area. The convention was adopted on 2008 in Dublin, and was opened for signature on 2008 in Oslo...
. This convention was formally endorsed on 30 May 2008 in Dublin, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, and was signed by 94 countries in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
on 3-4 December 2008. The Convention entered into force and became binding international law on 1 August 2010, after 30 countries formally ratified it. As of 28 April 2011, it had been signed by 108 countries, 57 of which have ratified it.
The CMC, formed in November 2003, is a network of civil society organizations, including NGOs, faith-based groups and professional organizations. It includes large worldwide organizations, such as Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
, Handicap International
Handicap International
Handicap International is a non-governmental organization created in 1982 to provide help in refugee camps in Cambodia and Thailand. Based in Belgium and France, it has since opened branches in six other countries : Switzerland, Luxembourg, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada and the United States...
and Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
, as well as nationally based organizations (such as the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society
Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society
The Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society , or Svenska freds- och skiljedomsföreningen, is a non-governmental organization in Sweden, dedicated to peace, disarmament and democratization. It operates by methods including publishing, lobbying, activism and participating in political debates. SPAS has...
and Legacies of War) and national campaigns (such as the Philippines Campaign against Cluster Munitions and the Aotearoa New Zealand Cluster Munition Coalition).
All of these organizations share a common goal of preventing the adverse humanitarian and development impacts from cluster munitions and providing assistance to the victims and survivors of cluster munitions, as well as ensuring their inclusion in society. Through their activities, the member organisations that make up the CMC have researched the effects of cluster munitions on civilians. Organisations and individuals that make up the CMC also work directly to address the effects of cluster munitions through the course of their work in conflict zones, providing assistance to victims, clearing areas contaminated by cluster munitions, investigating human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law
International humanitarian law
International humanitarian law , often referred to as the laws of war, the laws and customs of war or the law of armed conflict, is the legal corpus that comprises "the Geneva Conventions and the Hague Conventions, as well as subsequent treaties, case law, and customary international law." It...
.
Members of the CMC network work together on an international campaign to ban cluster munitions and successfully brought about the signature by 94 countries of the Convention on Cluster Munitions
Convention on Cluster Munitions
The Convention on Cluster Munitions is an international treaty that prohibits the use, transfer and stockpile of cluster bombs, a type of explosive weapon which scatters submunitions over an area. The convention was adopted on 2008 in Dublin, and was opened for signature on 2008 in Oslo...
in Oslo on 3-4 December 2008. The CMC is now campaigning for ratification and entry into force of this comprehensive ban and (beyond this) will work to promote the full and effective implementation of the Convention; the universalisation of its norms; and the rigorous monitoring of states' compliance with it.
The CMC is an example of the emerging model of international diplomacy that involves the coordination of global grassroots initiatives to promote a specific goal, engaging in an international diplomatic process in partnership with like-minded states. An important focus for the CMC was to ensure those affected by cluster munitions were able to play a key role in shaping the outcome of the campaign and the international treaty it has brought about. This has been demonstrated by affected states such as Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
and Lao PDR, who were at the forefront of the diplomatic negotiations, as well as the active roles played within the CMC by individual survivors of cluster bombs (such as Branislav Kapetanovic and others involved with the Ban Advocates
Ban Advocates
The Cluster Munitions Ban Advocates are a group of individuals whose lives have been affected by cluster munitions, a particular type of explosive weapon that has been banned for its indiscriminate area effects and risk from unexploded ordnance. They come from Afghanistan, Albania, Cambodia,...
initiative set up by Handicap International).
See also
- Ban AdvocatesBan AdvocatesThe Cluster Munitions Ban Advocates are a group of individuals whose lives have been affected by cluster munitions, a particular type of explosive weapon that has been banned for its indiscriminate area effects and risk from unexploded ordnance. They come from Afghanistan, Albania, Cambodia,...
- Cluster bombCluster bombA cluster munition is a form of air-dropped or ground-launched explosive weapon that releases or ejects smaller sub-munitions. Commonly, this is a cluster bomb that ejects explosive bomblets that are designed to kill enemy personnel and destroy vehicles...
- Convention on Cluster MunitionsConvention on Cluster MunitionsThe Convention on Cluster Munitions is an international treaty that prohibits the use, transfer and stockpile of cluster bombs, a type of explosive weapon which scatters submunitions over an area. The convention was adopted on 2008 in Dublin, and was opened for signature on 2008 in Oslo...
- Manitoba Campaign to Ban LandminesManitoba Campaign to Ban LandminesThe Manitoba Campaign to Ban Landmines is Canada's only provincial campaign to ban landmines. It is a registered non-profit organization in the province of Manitoba...
- Mines Advisory GroupMines Advisory GroupThe Mines Advisory Group is a Non-Governmental Organisation , which assists people affected by landmines, unexploded ordnance and SALW ....