The global treaty that bans cluster bombs, formally known as the Convention on Cluster Munitions has been signed by over 100 countries and ratified by more than 30 countries! On AUGUST 1st, it became binding, international law! WVCBL/PSALM and The Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) is calling on all governments that have not yet done so to sign and ratify the Convention. The CCM has full legal force and effect as a binding piece of international law: the use, production, transfer of cluster bombs will be illegal and deadlines for destroying stockpiles and clearing contaminated land will start counting down.

PSALM/WVCBL Night Display

Since the historic signing of the Convention on Cluster Munitions in Oslo in December 2008, campaigners launched a call on governments to stem the flow of money to producers of these indiscriminate weapons. The new CMC campaign is entitled ‘stop explosive investments’.

“Governments made history when they signed the cluster bomb ban last year. Now they need to make it clear that funding the production of cluster bombs is unacceptable and undermines the spirit of the ban,” said Thomas Nash, coordinator of the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC), a global network of non-governmental organizations that spearheaded the successful campaign to ban the weapon. How can you get involved? Go to www.stopclustermunitions.org and www.icbl.org  for ways in which you can help us achieve a mine and cluster bomb free world.