Morocco has acknowledged the harm caused by the use of explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA), and ommitted to action against it.

Statements

During the UN Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict 25 June 2012, while not referencing explosive weapons explicitly, Morocco noted that: “The use of artillery against urban zones, and the shelling of buildings and social edifices such as hospitals, schools and places of worship, are not only contrary to international humanitarian and human rights law but are, above all, unjustified and unjustifiable. It is our collective duty to put an end to it.”[1]

Morocco is a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which is aligned with the World Humanitarian Summit Core Commitments to “Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity”, in May 2016, including the commitment: “to promote and enhance the protection of civilians and civilian objects, especially in the conduct of hostilities, for instance by working to prevent civilian harm resulting from the use of wide-area explosive weapons in populated areas, and by sparing civilian infrastructure from military use in the conduct of military operations.”[2]

Morocco issued a statement regarding the use of EWIPA during the December 2018 Annual Meeting of High Contracting Parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, recognising the humanitarian harm from EWIPA, and noting the process for a political declaration on the topic.[3] While not having participated in the meeting, it expressed its support to the Matupo Communiqué.[4]

Morocco was present at the Conference on the Protection of Civilians in Urban Warfare held in October 2019 in Vienna, but did not issue any statement at the event.[5]

[1] INEW (2012). ‘Security Council Debate Highlights Harm from Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas’. https://www.inew.org/security-council-debate-highlights-harm-from-explosive-weapons-in-populated-areas/. 

[2] Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). ‘Agenda for Humanity’. https://agendaforhumanity.org/stakeholder/233.html. 

[3] Permanent Mission of Morocco to the United Nations (2018). ‘Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons Annual Meeting of High Contracting Parties Statement’. https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/ccw/2018/hcp-meeting/statements/21Nov_Morocco.pdf

[4] Ibid.

[5] INEW (2019). ‘Vienna Conference Marks Turning Point as States Support Negotiation of an International Political Declaration on Explosive Weapons’. https://www.inew.org/vienna-conference-marks-turning-point-as-states-support-negotiation-of-an-international-political-declaration-on-explosive-weapons/.