Actor and UN Ambassador Daniel Craig and FCDO Minister will today call for the
end of cluster munition use around the world at an international
conference chaired by the UK.
Cluster bombs continue to kill and maim civilians in conflicts
around the world, including Syria, Libya and Ukraine, often
leaving their victims with life-changing injuries. Unexploded
munitions continue to threaten the lives of civilians for years
afterwards, hampering post-conflict reconstruction and
development.
The UK currently holds the Presidency of the Convention on
Cluster Munitions of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, an
international agreement ratified by 110 countries to end the use
of these devastating weapons. This conference will bring together
the international community and civil society organisations to
work together to rid the world of these weapons, educate
communities on the dangers associated with their use and support
survivors and their families.
Alongside the Minister, Daniel Craig will open the conference
with a video message in his capacity as the United Nations Global
Advocate for the Elimination of Mines and Explosive Hazards.
Daniel Craig will say:
“Civilians all too often pay the price when these brutal
weapons are used. In my work with the United Nations Mine Action
Service, I have seen how long after conflicts, damage caused by
cluster munitions persists.
“Unbelievably we are still seeing use of cluster munitions
today, most recently in Ukraine.
“Countries that still use and produce cluster munitions need
to stop doing so, they are barbaric weapons used mainly on
civilian populations to spread fear and anxiety. It is up to us
to do the hard work, to do what we can to support each other and
help civilians recover from the devastating impact of these
weapons.”
Graham Stuart, FCDO Minister responsible for
Counter-Proliferation, will say:
“Too many innocent civilians have lost their lives to
these weapons of war. Under our Presidency, the UK has
driven forward work to eliminate them
altogether.
“Every step taken under this Convention, makes the world a
safer place - but too many states still refuse to give up cluster
munitions. We will continue to speak out against these murderous
weapons - as we did in March when we condemned their use in the
illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“We did so on behalf of the parties to the Convention on
Cluster Munitions. Since the Convention was founded 14 years ago,
110 State Parties have ratified it, 13 States have signed up to
its objectives but not yet ratified, and 35 states have cleared
their stockpiles of cluster munitions.”
The UK is a leading supporter of mine action, and continues to
invest heavily in clearance of cluster munitions, anti-personnel
mines, and other explosive remnants of war around the world. In
June 2022, the UK announced a budget of up to £100million for the
third phase of its Global Mine Action Programme tackling the
lethal legacy of these weapons.
