Norwegian People`s Aid strongly condemn the Lithuanian Parliament vote today to leave the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
Norwegian People`s Aid are deeply concerned about the implications of such a decision for the protection of civilians and the international humanitarian law (IHL).
The Convention on Cluster Munitions is a cornerstone of IHL and came as a result of proven grave humanitarian impact these weapons have. (Copy of the M85 study are enclosed)
The Convention on Cluster Munitions is a cornerstone of IHL and came as a result of proven grave humanitarian impact these weapons have. (Copy of the M85 study are enclosed)
In real-life combat conditions, all cluster munitions, both those with and without self destruct mechanism, have unacceptably high failure rates, with severe humanitarian consequences both at the time of impact and for decades after, leaving complex contamination, posing a threat to civilian lives and livelihoods, blocking humanitarian access, hindering reconstruction and development. Cluster munitions have very limited military utility. There are other unitary munitions that avoid such indiscriminate harm, have better targeting capabilities capable of achieving military utility, and are actually legal. Resorting to cluster munitions is not due to lack of better alternatives.
"A decision to withdraw from the CCM must be made with a clear understanding that it is a decision to kill and maim civilians, not military targets. 95% of all cluster munitions are civilians and 71% are children (source: Cluster Munitions Monitor 2023). Not military. These are indisputable facts. This is unacceptable and precisely why these weapons were banned. National security cannot come at the expense of civilian lives", says Secretary General Raymond Johansen in Norwegian Peoples Aid.
The interoperability argument is also futile, proven by decades of successful joint military operations. The overwhelming majority of NATO member states Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands, N. Macedonia, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, UK are all states parties to the CCM and have managed to both participate in operations with other NATO states both party and not party to the CCM, preserve their national security objectives while complying with the CCM. Norway, for instance, shares a direct land and sea border with Russia, while it pioneered this very Convention through the Oslo process. Only very few NATO states Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Turkey and USA sadly remain outside of it and we hope they will join the CCM without the unnecessary further delay.
"Norwegian People`s Aid therefore strongly urge the Lithuanian President to reject without hesitation this ill-informed and dangerous proposal by the Parliament and ensure that Lithuania’s values are grounded in protection of civilians and upholding international human law", says Secretary General Raymond Johansen.
For more information please contact Secretary General Raymond Johansen on tlf: +47 95212058