MEXICO REAFFIRMS ITS COMMITMENT TO THE ELIMINATION OF CLUSTER MUNITIONS  

• The third meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, held in Oslo, Norway, comes to a successful conclusion 

• Mexico reiterates its firm commitment to international humanitarian law, disarmament and the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

• Mexico chaired the Working Group on international cooperation for proper implementation of the convention.  

Today, the third meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, held in Oslo, Norway from September 11-14 came to a successful conclusion.

The Convention on Cluster Munitions entered into force on August 1, 2010 and prohibits the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of these inhumane weapons which, through their indiscriminate use, inflict harm mainly on civilians, during and after conflicts. 

Mexico, remaining true to its tradition for disarmament and respect for international law, has played a leading role since the convention was negotiated. From 2011-2012, Mexico—together with Spain—coordinated international cooperation and assistance for the convention. In this role, our country drew up a catalog of best practices on cooperation and assistance for the Convention on Cluster Munitions so that the States Parties could share experiences on issues related to the Convention.

To date, 111 countries have adopted the Convention and only 75 have ratified it. Mexico was the seventh country in the world and the first in Latin America to ratify the convention.

Since its entry into force, 750,000 stockpiled cluster munitions containing more than 85 million submunitions have been destroyed, demonstrating the agreement’s effectiveness.