UNMAS pleased with entry into force of cluster munitions convention

The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), a group with the goal of eliminating landmines and explosive remnants of war that endanger civilians, on Friday praised the entry into force of the new Convention on Cluster Munitions.

"This is a major step for the global disarmament agenda. Cluster munitions cause considerable humanitarian and socio- economic damage, as witnessed by UNMAS in numerous countries and territories," said Max Kerley, director of UNMAS, in a statement on behalf on the organization.

The new Convention on Cluster Munitions, which officially enters into force on Sunday, bans countries from stockpiling, transferring and producing cluster munitions. These devices cause several explosions throughout a given area, often causing civilians to be maimed or killed.

The convention was adopted in May 2008 in Dublin with 107 signatories, and has since been ratified by 37 member states, seven more than are necessary to make the convention binding.

Cluster munitions pose a danger in many nations that are in the midst of conflict or have been the settings of conflict in the past.

One such country is Afghanistan, where the Mine Action Coordination Center for Afghanistan (MACCA), which operates partially under the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) , works to eliminate cluster munitions left embedded in the ground from prior conflicts.

According to a fact sheet released here Friday by MACCA, Afghanistan signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions in December 2008 but has yet to ratify it. Ratifying the convention would require the Afghan government to incorporate the convention into national law.

"Advocacy activities are being undertaken by civil society organizations and awareness campaigns targeting government to encourage ratification," the MACCA fact sheet stated.

MACCA reported that 157 out of 180 areas contaminated with cluster munitions have been cleared so far, but not before many civilian casualties have occurred due to the weapons. It also said that 206 civilians were hurt or killed by cluster munitions in Afghanistan between December 2001 and July 2010.

Like MACCA, UNMAS has also worked on eliminating deadly explosive devices in Afghanistan. They have carried out work clearing cluster munitions and providing mine risk education in Lebanon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and Western Sahara as well.

Source: Xinhua