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States to meet in Oslo to review progress made on Political Declaration on Explosive Weapons, 23 April 2024

• The conference to review implementation on the Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas will be hosted by the government of Norway and will take place in Oslo, on 23 April, 2024. 
• This conference is the first international follow-up conference to review implementation of the Political Declaration since the high-level international conference in Dublin to adopt the Political Declaration on 18 November, 2022, which saw the Declaration formally adopted by 83 states. There are currently 86 states who have endorsed the Declaration as of April 12 2024. 
• The use of explosive weapons in populated areas is the leading cause of civilian casualties in contemporary armed conflicts, and this Political Declaration is the first formal international recognition that this must be addressed urgently and directly. 
• INEW calls on all states to endorse the Declaration which aims to reduce civilian harm and strengthen the protection of civilians, by imposing limits on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, and by assisting victims and affected communities during and after conflict. 
• On the eve of the Review Conference, civil society organisations, campaigners and survivors of armed conflict gather at the Protection Forum to bring attention to the needs of people and communities affected by explosive weapons.

Explosive Weapons – The Issue

Armed conflicts are increasingly conducted among civilian populations and with weapon systems designed for open battlefields, presenting serious challenges to the protection of civilians in armed conflicts today. Tens of thousands of women, men and children are killed, injured and traumatised each year by the use of explosive weapons in the neighbourhoods where they live and work: when explosive weapons are used in populated areas, around 90% of those directly killed or injured are civilians. Record numbers of people are displaced, fleeing in search of safety. Vital power, water and sanitation infrastructure is destroyed, shutting down essential services including health care and education. Schools and hospitals are damaged or destroyed, food supplies disrupted, communities and areas contaminated with unexploded ordnance are rendered unsafe, and homes uninhabitable.

The Political Declaration – A Response

The Political Declaration is the first formal international recognition that the use of explosive weapons in populated areas has severe humanitarian consequences which must be urgently addressed. It also recognises that the use of explosive weapons in populated areas poses unacceptable risks to civilians, particularly when the weapons have wide area effects. The declaration promotes stronger standards to protect civilians and commits states that endorse to make the necessary changes to their national policy and practice, including military policies and operational rules of engagement. The declaration should be seen as a starting point—not an end point. A key area will be changing military practice away from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. Much more needs to be done to better protect civilians and to build stronger standards to drive forward significant change. This takes time.

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