The 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions has been ratified by 112 countries and 12 more have signed, but not all countries have joined the ban.
Who is Using Them?
Of the nearly 1,000 people killed by cluster munitions in 2022, 890 of them were in Ukraine. Russia has repeatedly used the weapons since its invasion in February 2022, something its government continues to deny. Ukrainian forces have also used cluster munitions, causing civilian casualties.
The Myanmar military and Syrian forces also used cluster munitions last year.
None of these countries have signed the 2008 treaty.
In 2022, there were at least 185 casualties around the world from previously unexploded cluster munition remnants. Children accounted for 71 percent of all casualties of cluster munition remnants where the age group was recorded.
A Path Forward
Since 2008, parties to the convention have collectively destroyed nearly 1.5 million cluster munitions and 178.5 million submunitions.
Additionally, countries that are party to the convention collectively cleared more than 93 square kilometers of land contaminated by cluster munition remnants in 2022, destroying at least 75,779 submunitions and other remnants.
Cluster munitions have become widely stigmatized. All governments should join the ban and protect civilians.
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