Laos prepares for hosting Convention on Cluster Munitions Meeting

(KPL) More than 100 states parties are expected to take part in the First Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions in Laos from 9 to 12 November this year, said General Director of Foreign Ministry’s International Organisation Department, Mr. Saleumsay Kommasith.

The Convention on Cluster Munitions, signed by 108 states and 38 ratifications, has come into force on 1 August, according a Wednesday’s seminar on Laos’s preparation for hosting the convention.

More than 100 representatives from relevant government ministries and departments have discussed the matters related to the International Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Mr. Saleumsay said that the main objective of the seminar was to disseminate the content of the Convention, the states parties’ policy on unexploded ordnances (UXOs), and progress on preparations for the First Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

The Convention on cluster munitions is a legally binding international instrument that prohibits the development, use and stockpiling of cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians, and secures adequate provision of care and rehabilitation to survivors and clearance of contaminated areas.

The first meeting of states parties will lay the foundation for future engagement on the Convention by bringing together the States Parties to the Convention, UN agencies, international organisations, civil society, and cluster bomb survivors. The participating members will share progress and plans for implementation, with the aim of drawing up a blueprint to translate the treaty into action. Over 288 million cluster munitions - including 18 different types of bombies, were dropped on Laos during the Indochina war. More than 580,000 bombing missions were conducted over Laos, with over 2 million tonnes of bombs dropped on Laos between 1964 and 1973.

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