USCBL-USCMC strongly condemns continued use of cluster munitions in Ukraine

The U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines - U.S. Cluster Munition Coalition (USCBL-USCMC) today issued the following statement, shared below, and available for download here

Independent observers have documented numerous cluster munition attacks over the past weeks in Ukraine. Cluster munitions, no matter how they are deployed, are among the most harmful weapons to civilians because in addition to their immediate effects, they often remain unexploded, sometimes for decades, and can detonate with deadly results years after a conflict ends. The indiscriminate use of cluster munitions that is taking place in Ukraine is banned under international humanitarian law.

We join the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and Cluster Munitions Coalition in strongly condemning the use of cluster munitions by Russian forces in Ukraine call for the immediate end to the use of these banned weapons by the Russian Federation.

U.S. officials have specifically mentioned these weapons in their justified criticism of Russian behavior. So too have a growing number of countries.

Now, we call on the United States to demand the immediate halt to all use of cluster munitions in Ukraine and anywhere else.

There exists an international agreement to forever ban the use of cluster munitions: the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Unfortunately, Russia is not a party to this treaty, nor is the United States and Ukraine. The failure of the United States to join the international agreement banning cluster munitions weakens the impact of United States’ criticism about Russia’s use of these weapons.

Therefore, we also call upon the Biden Administration to rapidly submit the Convention on Cluster Munitions to the United States Senate for advice and consent to accede to the treaty. The time for the United States government to act is now.

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About USCBL-USCMC

The U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines - U.S. Cluster Munition Coalition is a coalition of non-governmental organizations working to ensure that the U.S. comprehensively prohibits antipersonnel mines--by banning their use in Korea--and joins the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, as more than 160 nations have done. It is the national affiliate of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), founded in New York in 1992 and recipient of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate together with former ICBL coordinator Ms. Jody Williams of Vermont. We also call for sustained U.S. government financial support for mine clearance and victim assistance. 

The U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines is coordinated by Humanity & Inclusion and its Steering Committee members include: Amnesty International USA, Arms Control Association, Center for Civilians in Conflict, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Human Rights Watch, Legacies of War, Physicians for Human Rights, UNICEF USA, West Virginia Campaign to Ban Landmines and Cluster Munitions / Proud Students Against Landmines.

About Humanity & Inclusion

Humanity & Inclusion is an independent international aid organization, working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster for 40 years. Working alongside people with disabilities and people living in situations of extreme vulnerability, our action and testimony focus on responding to their essential needs, improving their living conditions, and promoting respect for their dignity and basic rights. Humanity & Inclusion is one of six founding organizations of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), the co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997.

Humanity & Inclusion has set up development programs in more than 60 countries and intervenes in numerous emergency situations. The network of eight national associations (Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States) mobilizes resources, jointly manages projects, and increases the impact of the organization’s principles and actions.  The organization has numerous prizes to its name, including the 2011 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize, the 1996 Nansen Prize, and two 2020 European Union Horizon Prizes for innovation. Humanity & Inclusion acts and campaigns in places where “living in dignity” is no easy task. 

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Please contact Mica Bevington ([email protected])