On Tuesday April 19th, Palau deposited its instrument for ratification to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), meaning it will become the 100th State Party of the Convention.

Palau had signed the Convention before its entry into force and will officially become a State Party on October 1st, 2016. Minister of Foreign Affairs Bert Koenders of the Netherlands, the State Party that currently serves as the President of the CCM, congratulated Palau on its ratification.

Palau’s ratification follows shortly after Cuba’s deposition of its instrument that proves its accession on April 6th. Seeing this successful development and stressing the importance of further universalization, the Netherlands calls upon all States that are not yet Party to the Convention to either accede to or ratify the CCM and to join in the common effort towards a world free from cluster munitions.