The use of explosive weapons (e.g. mortars, rockets, artillery shells, aircraft bombs, and improvised explosive devices) in populated areas inevitably leads to the disproportionate death and injury of civilians and destruction to civilian infrastructure. Reverberating effects, caused by damage to housing, places of work, health and sanitation facilities, and more, impact people’s access to food, water, housing, and healthcare and have implications for social capital and gender relations.

Reaching Critical Will represents WILPF on the steering group of the International Network on Explosive Weapons (INEW). This network of non-governmental organisations calls for immediate action to prevent human suffering from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. We call on states and other actors to make a commitment that explosive weapons with wide area effects will not be used in populated areas. As part of this commitment, states will need to review national policy and practice and make changes that will strengthen the protection of civilians. They should also support stronger data-gathering on the use and impact of explosive weapons, including age-, sex-, and disability-disaggregated recording of casualties and records of the type and impacts of weapons used. And they should recognise the rights of survivors, families of those killed or injured, and affected communities, and ensure a response to their short- and long-term needs.

To this end, WILPF is engaging in the political process initiated by the government of Ireland in 2019 to create a political declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. RCW is reporting on the consultations, is collecting statements and documents from the process, and has issued recommendations for the declaration, a response to the draft elements circulated by Ireland in January 2020, a response to the first draft declaration issued by Ireland in March 2020, and a response to the second draft declaration issued by Ireland in January 2021

At WILPF, we also believe that states need to prevent those that use explosive weapons in populated areas from acquiring arms. Even if a state commits itself to not using such weapons in populated areas, arms transfers they approve may end up being used to bomb civilians. Regardless of whether or not states are party to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), they must not transfer weapons to countries that are bombing or shelling in villages, towns, cities, or other populated areas. Thus, we urge the political declaration on explosive weapons to reflect this and for all states to end arms transfers that contribute the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.