Bolivia has acknowledged the harm caused by the use of explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA) but has not actively committed to take action against their use.

Statements

In 2017, Bolivia participated in the unanimous adoption of the UN Security Council’s first stand-alone text on mine action, Resolution 2365.[1] In 2018, marking a year since the Resolution’s adoption, Bolivia delivered a statement before the UN Security Council, emphasising the importance of addressing the unique, long-lasting threat that explosive weapons pose to civilians and the impediments they pose to the delivery of humanitarian response in conflict situations.[2]

The Community of Latin American and Caribbean states (CELAC), of which Bolivia is a member, drew attention to the harm of weapons such as cluster munitions and antipersonnel mines on civilian populations in a statement to the UN General Assembly First Commission in October 2018. The statement emphasised that the use of these weapons is in clear violation with international humanitarian law (IHL) and called on all states to take immediate measures to ameliorate the humanitarian harms which they cause.[3]

[1] UN Meetings Coverage and Press Releases (2017). ‘Security Council Approves First Stand-Alone Text on Mine Action, Unanimously Adopting Resolution 2365.’ https://www.un.org/press/en/2017/sc12897.doc.htm.

[2] UN Security Council (2018). ‘UN Security Council Seventy-Third Year, 8304th Meeting, UN Security Council Report.’ https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/%7B65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96FF9%7D/s_pv_8304.pdf.

[3] CELAC (2018). ‘UNGA73 First Committee Statement’. https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com18/statements/10Oct_CELAC.pdf.