31 August 2018

Congratulations to Spain on Treaty Commitment

Spain Completes Stockpile Destruction Treaty Obligation

As we prepare for the opening of the 8th Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) on Monday 3 September, the Cluster Munition Coalition notes the immense progress made since the treaty adoption ten years ago, due to the unwavering commitment of member states.

The Kingdom of Spain signed the CCM on 3 December 2008, ratified on 17 June 2009, and was among the first 30 ratifications to trigger the convention’s entry into force on 1 August 2010. In fact Spain's committment to the global ban dates to July 2008 when the country declared a unilateral moratorium on use, production, and transfer of cluster munitions, prior to the convention’s entry into force.

Spain was also the first signatory to the Convention on Cluster Munitions to report completion of their stockpile destruction obligations in March 2009.  The country subsequently declared additional cluster munition stocks, and it committed to destroy these by the convention’s August 2018 deadline. Earlier this year, Spain successfully completed the destruction of its remaining stockpile of cluster munitions, as per Article 3 of the Convention, well ahead of the stipulated deadline.

The Cluster Munition Coalition congratulates Spain on its commitment to the Convention and welcomes further news during the 3-5 September Meeting of States Parties to the CCM, on progress being made to eliminate these weapons that indiscriminately kill and injur civilians and military alike.