Ending the use of explosive weapons in populated areas
The use of explosive weapons in populated areas, or the bombing of towns, cities, and villages, leads to vast humanitarian harm, destruction of civilian infrastructure, and environmental degradation. Reaching Critical Will supports efforts to end this inhumane and illegal practice, including through the development of an international political declaration and by holding governments and companies to account for arms transfers that lead to such bombing.
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 engaged actively 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 reported on the consultations, archived statements and documents from the process, and issued recommendations for the declaration, including through 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. The negotiations on the text of the declaration were concluded in June 2022, and a signing ceremony was held in Dublin in November 2022, when 83 states signed the Political Declaration.
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, 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.
RELEVANT PUBLICATIONS
RCW published a briefing paper with recommendations for states that endorsed the Political Declaration on EWIPA ahead of the first follow-up conference in Norway in April 2024, regarding Israel's use of explosive weapons in Gaza.
Comments on the second revised draft political declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areasWILPF published reflections and suggestions in response to the second revised draft political declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, circulated by the government of Ireland in March 2021.
WILPF published reflections and suggestions in response to the revised draft political declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, circulated by the government of Ireland in January 2021.
Remarks on the draft political declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas
WILPF published reflections and suggestions in response to the draft political declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, circulated by the government of Ireland in March 2020.
WILPF published comments and suggestions in response to draft elements for a political declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, circulated by the government of Ireland in January 2020.
Recommendations for a political declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas
As a contribution to the diplomatic process to address humanitarian harm from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, WILPF has published these recommendations for the development of a political declaration.
We Are Still Here: Mosulite Women 500 Days After the Conclusion of the Coalition Military Operation
WILPF has released a comprehensive report about the gendered impacts of military operations in Mosul, Iraq. During this operation, all parties to the conflict displayed disregard for the human rights of the local civilian populations, including through the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.
Trading arms, bombing towns: the lethal connection between the international arms trade and the use of explosive weapons in populated areasThis briefing paper explores the potential effects that stricter prohibitions against arms transfers and the development of new commitments against the use of explosive weapons in populated weapons could have on reducing humanitarian harm and the drivers of displacement.
Women and explosive weaponsThis publication seeks to draw attention to some of the unique impacts on women that explosive weapons have when used in populated areas. The publication argues that it is important to ensure that women affected by the use of explosive weapons receive the same assistance and legal protection as men, and that they are seen as active agents of change rather than only as victims.
Explosive weapons and the right to health, education, and adequate housing
Together with WILPF's Human Rights programme, Reaching Critical Will prepared three briefs to the Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights on the transfer of weapons from France, Sweden, and the United Kingdom to Saudi Arabia and the use of explosive weapons in populated areas in Yemen.
WILPF INPUTS TO THE POLITICAL DECLARATION PROCESS
- WILPF comments on the second revised draft political declaration, April 2022
- WILPF comments on the revised draft political declaration, February 2021
- WILPF remarks on the draft political declaration, April 2020
- RCW report on the 10 February consultations, 14 February 2020
- WILPF comments on the draft EWIPA declaration elements paper, January 2020
- WILPF recommendations for a political declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, January 2020
- WILPF statement to the Vienna conference on Protecting Civilians in Urban Warfare, October 2019
ARTICLES
Ray Acheson, "Abolishing Geopolitics and Building a World Without State Violence," Metapolis 3(2), January 2023
Ray Acheson, "COVID-19: From Ceasefire to Divestment and Disarmament," Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, 23 March 2020
Ray Acheson, "The lethal connections between the international arms trade and the use of explosive weapons in populated areas," ATT Monitor Vol. 13, No. 1, 3 February 2020
Ray Acheson, "Explosive weapons and human rights," Reaching Critical Will of WILPF, 2 June 2016
Ray Acheson, "Political action to end the use of explosive weapons in populated areas," Peace in Progress, No. 26, January 2016
Ray Acheson, "Bloodbath in Syria: wherefrom the weapons?" Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, 25 January 2016
Ray Acheson, "States move to stop bombing and bombardment in towns and cities, Reaching Critical Will of WILPF, 24 September 2015
Ray Acheson, "Ending the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, Reaching Critical Will of WILPF, 17 September 2015