The Convention on Cluster Munitions, adopted in 2008, is an international treaty with 112 states parties aimed at prohibiting the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions.
According to the 2024 Cluster Munition Monitor, which was published this week (9 September), cluster munitions and their remnants continue to disproportionately impact civilians, littering schools, hospitals, and agricultural land.
Last year, civilians accounted for 93% of all casualties recorded, with children making up almost half (47%) of the victims of cluster munition remnants. In countries such as Iraq, Lebanon and Syria, children represented the majority of casualties.
Globally, 219 people were killed or injured by cluster munitions last year. While this marks a significant decrease from the previous year’s spike, the true toll is likely higher due to underreporting.
For the second consecutive year, Ukraine recorded the highest number of casualties. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, over a thousand cluster munition casualties have been reported.
New casualties were also recorded in nine countries in 2023, including Azerbaijan, Iraq, Laos, Lebanon, Mauritania, Myanmar, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen.
In a deeply concerning development, Lithuania formally announced its withdrawal from the Convention in July 2024, becoming the first ever state to do so.
This decision undermines the treaty and threatens crucial norms of humanitarian disarmament and international humanitarian law, which are needed now more than ever to protect civilians.
As the 12th Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions takes place in Geneva this week, we continue to urge all states to do their utmost to end the suffering caused by cluster munitions and join and uphold the Convention.
Read the Cluster Munition Monitor 2024 here
Read more about MAG’s work in affected countries here
