I wish to sign the petition
I wish to sign the petition

CIVILIANS ARE THE FIRST VICTIMS
THE USE OF EXPLOSIVE WEAPONS

90% of victims of explosive weapons in inhabited areas are civilians!

Military budgets go up and up, but treaties to protect civilians are not complied with, and in some quarters the idea that it is desirable to provide humanitarian aid is being challenged. In present-day conflicts — in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and Myanmar — children, hospitals and schools are targeted. Handicap International draws attention to this: bombing and shelling in inhabited areas are a silent scourge, but one that could be avoided.

© E. Blanchard
  • 25% of civilian casualties are children
  • 60 000 civilians fell victim to explosive weapons in 2024
  • +30 % increase of european military budgets
  • 80 States have signed the Dublin Declaration, but not many of them are applying it

THE ARMS BUDGET GOES UP AND UP, AND SO DOES THE NUMBER OF CIVILIAN CASUALTIES

In 2025, one feature of the international context is a worrying increase in military budgets. The European Union is preparing to adopt the biggest defence budget in its history, while the USA is intensifying its strategic alliances with a number of countries in the Middle East. As part of this trend, more and more countries are rearming massively, stepping up their offensive capacity without adequate guarantees of compliance with international humanitarian law.

There has recently been a surge in the use of antipersonnel mines and cluster munitions in conflicts – weapons that are banned by the Ottawa Treaty and the Oslo Convention – particularly in the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine. These weapons are the most devastating for civilian populations. Yet five European States belonging to NATO (Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland) have announced that they may withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty and resume the use of such weapons.

These weapons — missiles, shells, aerial bombs, rockets and mortars — are precisely the explosive weapons that are most commonly used in densely populated areas. Unless this growing militarisation is strictly regulated, their use in towns will cause large-scale humanitarian disasters: destruction of homes and infrastructure, displacement of populations, contamination with explosive remnants of war, and the collapse of health and education systems.

 

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© T. Nicholson

By signing the Ottawa Treaty, the Oslo Convention and the Dublin Declaration, many countries, including Luxembourg, have committed themselves to:

  • Restrict the use of explosive weapons that impact large areas in inhabited places (antipersonnel mines, cluster munitions, etc.);
  • Help victims and facilitate access to humanitarian aid;
  • Clear areas contaminated with explosive remnants of war;
  • Gather and share data on the humanitarian impact of these weapons.

Despite this, the number of civilian victims of explosive weapons in urban environments continues to increase alarmingly, underlining the urgent need for countries to act and to comply with the commitments that they have entered into.

Signing a document does not save lives. What we call on States to do is to take action. More specifically, to

  • Prohibit the use of explosive weapons that impact large areas in towns;
  • Reverse the humanitarian consequences by means of care, education and assistance to victims;
  • Lastingly eliminate risks: educate people about the dangers, provide signage in danger areas and carry out demining;
  • Pursue the campaign in all relevant international fora, from the Human Rights Council to the European Union.

By signing, you refuse to accept an intolerable situation.

As a citizen, you can encourage Luxembourg to continue and increase its commitment by signing the petition in support of protecting civilians against explosive weapons in conflicts.

Being aware of the unacceptable suffering that the use of explosive weapons in populated areas continues to cause to civilians; considering the growing number of civilian victims of explosive weapons; noting the inaction or lack of commitment of certain States which are signatories to the Ottawa Treaty and the Oslo Convention, which prohibit the use of antipersonnel mines and cluster munitions respectively, and the International Declaration on the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas signed in Dublin; because the recent conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and elsewhere demonstrate the urgent need for action;

Handicap International :

  1. Calls on States to accede without delay to these three instruments of international law which are essential for the protection of civilians (the Oslo Convention, the Ottawa Treaty and the Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences Arising from the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas).

  2. Calls on Luxembourg and other States that are signatories to increase the commitments they have accepted under these three instruments

    • By stepping up their efforts to protect civilians against the consequences of practices involving massive bombardments in populated areas, and the use of antipersonnel mines and cluster munitions.
    • By supporting access to humanitarian aid for the populations affected and assistance to victims.

  3. Calls on Luxembourg to systematically and unequivocally condemn any attack on civilian populations in violation of international humanitarian law and any failure by signatory States to comply with their obligations, drawing attention to the risks that such failure poses to civilians and international security.

I WISH TO SIGN THE PETITION, and I will try to persuade my contacts to do the same.

I want to support the campaign!

  • Join us on Saturday, 11 October on the Place d’Armes to find out more about the protection of civilians and to take part in workshops and attend lectures and artistic performances.

  • Share information about the campaign on the social networks that you use