CLUSTER MUNITIONS CONVENTION ENTERS FORCE, HIGHLIGHTING REVULSION TO ABHORRENT WEAPONS, POWER OF COLLABORATION TO CHANGE POLICIES, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL

The following statement by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was issued today:

I am delighted that the Convention on Cluster Munitions enters into force on 1August2010. This new instrument is a major advance for the global disarmament and humanitarian agendas, and will help us to counter the widespread insecurity and suffering caused by these terrible weapons, particularly among civilians and children.

I am particularly pleased that the Convention, which prohibits the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of cluster weapons, enters into force in little more than two years since its adoption. This highlights not only the world’s collective revulsion at these abhorrent weapons, but also the power of collaboration among Governments, civil society and the United Nations to change attitudes and policies on a threat faced by all humankind. Such cooperation will be crucial as we seek now to implement the Convention, including through assistance to victims.

The First Meeting of States Parties will be held in November2010 in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, a country that has suffered tremendously from the impact of cluster munitions. I encourage all Member States to participate in this meeting to demonstrate their support for the Convention. And I call on those States which have yet to accede to the Convention, to do so without delay.