On 30 May 2008 the Dublin Diplomatic Conference on Cluster Munitions adopted a comprehensive new treaty banning these weapons forever, only the seventh time in history that a weapon has been prohibited outright. The 107 states that adopted the treaty finally set aside the long held arguments on military utility and technical fixes and recognised that humanitarian concerns and the protection of civilians must come first. This bold and visionary decision brought about the first major international humanitarian law treaty of the decade and consigned to history millions of cluster bomb submunitions.
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This report outlines the efforts made by the CMC in Dublin, where almost 300 NGO participants gathered to promote the humanitarian imperative of this process and to persuade government negotiators and their politicians back at home that only a comprehensive treaty with no exceptions, no delays and no loopholes would be acceptable. You will find all of the key documents related to the conference, both official papers and those circulated by the CMC, you can read about how our lobbying efforts worked, our campaign actions in Dublin and at the negotiations, our media work, our engagement with parliamentarians and the whole range of activities undertaken by the CMC over those historic two weeks in May that saw a group of energised and passionate individuals work together to change the world by writing new international law in an Irish football stadium – definitely another world first!
CONFERENCE REPORT INDEX: