WILPF submits views on human rights implications of France’s and Canada’s weapons policies

In May 2021, WILPF submitted its views on the human rights impacts of France’s and Canada’s weapons and security policies to the UN Human Rights Committee, in submissions to the list of issues prior to reporting (LOIPR).

In an individual submission on France, WILPF outlines the human rights impacts of France’s nuclear testing in Algeria and French Polynesia, and exposes the serious obstacles to access to compensation for survivors. It also highlights that France’s possession and modernisation of nuclear weapons violates various obligations under international law, including human rights law. In addition, the submission raises serious concerns about the disproportionate use of force by, and militarisation of, the French police.

WILPF's joint submission on France to the Committee's LOIPR, together with the European Center for Constitutional Human Rights (ECCHR), sheds light on France's international and national obligations regarding the arms trade. It criticises that France's arms transfers to the Coalition in Yemen and its exports of surveillance technology to Egypt and China violate its human rights obligations. 

In the submission on Canada, WILPF shares its concerns about Canada’s arms transfers and their impacts on human rights, and reviews Canada’s obligations relating to the arms trade. It also provides examples of problematic arms transfers. The submission features a section on nuclear weapons, challenging Canada’s support for nuclear deterrence.

The submissions will inform the choice of the Committee’s key priority areas that the states under review will focus on in their national reports for the actual review.