Resolution on Cluster Munitions
16th ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ASIA – PACIFIC PARLIAMENTARY FORUM
21 – 24 January 2008, Auckland, New Zealand
Resolution on Cluster Munitions
APPF16/RES/01
(Sponsored by Mexico and New Zealand)
THE SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ASIA PACIFIC PARLIAMENTARY FORUM,
Noting the use of cluster munitions within areas of concentrated civilian populations with disproportionate loss of civilian life and damage to civilian objects;
Noting the unacceptable risks to humanitarian operations and economic recovery posed by unexploded cluster munitions in post-conflict situations;
Condemning the serious consequences for human rights and socio-economic development that the indiscriminate use of cluster munitions has for people and communities all over the world;
Noting that the number of countries that produce and stockpile cluster weapons has increased;
Noting the potential for increases in proliferation, retention or use of outmoded stocks;
Recognizing the commitment of the APPF parliaments towards the Protocol V on the Explosive Remnants of War of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons of the United Nations (CCW) and receiving with delight the coming into force in November of 2006;
Having regard to the statement of 4 April 2007 by UN Secretary General Ban Kimoon calling on the international community to address the horrendous humanitarian effects of cluster bombs;
Noting the appeal made by the Secretary-General of the United Nations regarding cluster munitions when he called on member states to deal immediately with the horrendous effects of cluster munitions and to conclude a legally binding instrument of humanitarian law that prohibits the use, development, production, stockpiling and transfer of cluster munitions; requires the destruction of current stockpiles; and provides for clearance, risk mitigation, victim assistance, co-operation, compliance and transparency measures;
Receiving with great pleasure the establishment of the "Cluster Munition Coalition", an international civil organization with the objective of preventing and reducing the impact of these weapons on civil populations;
Noting the need to strike a balance between military and humanitarian considerations in addressing the issue of cluster munitions;
Noting the Oslo Declaration, which aims to conclude by 2008 a legally binding international instrument that will prohibit the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions, and establish a framework for cooperation and assistance to address the effects of these weapons;
Noting that a major cluster munitions conference is to be hosted by New Zealand in Wellington from 18-22 February 2008, as part of the Oslo process;
Noting the establishment of the Group of Governmental Experts by the High Contracting Parties to the CCW to negotiate a proposal to address urgently the humanitarian impact of cluster munitions, the first session of which was held from 14 to 18 January 2008;
RESOLVES TO:
- Encourage parliamentarians to participate in international efforts to address the humanitarian impact of cluster munitions, which include the establishment of high protection standards for civil populations;
- Encourage all APPF members to support the two multilateral fora on cluster munitions: the Oslo process, initiated in Norway 22-23 February 2007 to negotiate a new, international, legally-binding instrument on cluster munitions by the end of 2008; and the CCW, which aims to address urgently the humanitarian impacts of cluster munitions while striking a balance between military and humanitarian considerations;
- Recommend all member states make additional efforts in order to reduce the deployment, as far as possible, of these weapons;
- Encourage parliaments to pass legislation to prohibit assistance to third parties or countries in the use, production, and transfer or stockpile of cluster munitions;
- Insist on the obligation of governments to identify and fence off the worst contaminated areas to avoid damage to civil populations;
- Encourage parliamentarians to promote the prevention, within the framework of international humanitarian law, of the indiscriminate use of these weapons;
- Promote, through regional and multilateral means, the highest level of cooperation and transparency in approaching the humanitarian challenges posed by cluster munitions;
- To support and participate in international efforts of education and training about the risks involved in the removal of unexploded weapons and the cleaning up of contaminated zones;
- Call upon all member states to provide health and rehabilitation programmes to victims of cluster munitions. This includes emergency assistance and continuous medical care; physical rehabilitation; psychological support; social and economic rehabilitation; and legal support;
- Encourage the APPF Parliaments to guarantee the social and economic integration of all victims of cluster munitions as well as their families and communities.
