The Convention on Cluster Munitions

The use of cluster munitions, which are bombs that each disperse up to several hundred of submunitions over an area of two football pitches, exploding indiscriminately, will be banned in August 2010. This Commentary describes why the Convention on Cluster Munitions was adopted and what it means in practical terms.

This Commentary on the Convention on Cluster Munitions is a detailed assessment of the negotiation, content, and implications of the Convention, which is the latest treaty to ban a conventional weapon. The treaty, which will enter into force as binding international law on 1 August 2010, bans the production, stockpiling, transfer, and use of all cluster munitions. The book describes what cluster munitions are, when and where they have been used, and what steps States Parties will need to consider in order to implement the treaty's provisions. The Commentary goes systematically through the Convention article by article, explaining the purpose of each provision, its background and negotiation, and the meaning of each paragraph and sub-paragraph.