10th anniversary of the Oslo Conference

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Oslo Conference, which marked the beginning of the Oslo Process, Germany in its capacity as the current Presidency of the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) states the following:

On 22nd February 2007, 46 States met for the first time to start the process of eliminating a whole class of weapons which are widely deemed as overly indiscriminate, cause disproportionate civilian suffering and which are considered to be a major impediment to post-conflict reconstruction.

As a result of this process the CCM was adopted in May 2008 and entered into force on 1st August 2010. Currently there are 119 States that have committed to the CCM: 100 States Parties and 19 signatories.

Despite some large military powers still being outside the convention, the legal norm established by the CCM is gaining strength and has helped to significantly reduce the use of cluster munition in conflicts around the world and to tackle the legacy of previous cluster munition use.