01 August 2012
Global campaign actions mark Olympian success of ground-breaking cluster bomb ban
A CMC campaigner in Seoul dressed as a cluster bomb confronts passers-by. Photo credit: Weapon Zero(London, 1 August 2012) The second anniversary of the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) becoming international law is being celebrated in more than 30 countries all over the world today.CMC campaigners from Lao PDR to Peru, South Korea to Kuwait, Somalia to Senegal will be marking the day with sports events, press conferences, marches and even a flash dance, calling on governments to keep up the momentum of the worldwide movement to end the suffering caused by cluster bombs.Amy Little, CMC Campaign Manager said: "Today our vibrant global campaign is standing together to call on all states to join the life saving team of countries committed to a global ban on cluster bombs. The global ban is 111-strong already, but with even more on states on board we can truly stop the harm done by these terrible weapons for good."Amongst the actions taking place today are:• A football tournament between deminers, survivors and the army in Battambang, Cambodia,• Sports exercises in the Colombian congress,• An iftar in Lebanon with diplomats and donors,• A chess tournament with the army and survivors in Macedonia,• A student flash dance in the Philippines,• Campaigners dressed as cluster bombs will confront the public in Seoul,• A march through Kampala with survivors, NGOs and government officials,• Letters to Hillary Clinton to follow up on her recent visit to Laos,• Beating the drum in the centre of Sarajevo to make a noise against cluster munitions,• A survivors’ art exhibition in VietnamThe Convention on Cluster Munitions bans the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of cluster munitions and places obligations on countries to clear affected areas, assist victims and destroy stockpiles. It was signed in Oslo in 2008 and entered into force on 1 August 2010.Already at least 68.2million submunitions, or bomblets, stockpiled by States Parties to the Convention have been destroyed. These weapons will now never be used, and therefore never claim innocent lives.Throughout August the CMC will be counting down to the Third Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which will be held in Oslo from 11 – 14 September. CMC campaigners will be continuing their work to ensure their governments send representatives to the meeting, ready to update the world on their work to reduce the humanitarian impact these indiscriminate weapons have."It is only through universal adherence to the Convention on Cluster Munitions – through us working globally together as a team – that we can end the suffering that these indiscriminate weapons cause. For every country that joins the ban, the global stigma against cluster bombs strengthens. With very worrying allegations that cluster bombs have been used again recently in Syria and in Sudan, it is more crucial than ever that the rest of the world stands strong. " Little said.For more photos of 1 August 2012 see our Flickr gallery.
