Cluster Munition Coalition

09/10/2026

The ICBL-CMC congratulates Navi Pillay on the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.

Her recognition recalls the importance of defending international law even in the most challenging circumstances. It is precisely in times of conflict and insecurity that the rules protecting civilians matter most.

As 1997 Nobel Peace Prize co-laureate, the ICBL knows this well. The Mine Ban Treaty and the Convention on Cluster Mu****ons exist to protect people when the pressure to abandon those protections is greatest.

09/10/2026

02/10/2026

The Review Conference may have closed on 18 September, but our work is far from over. Meeting in Laos, one of the countries most contaminated by cluster mu*****ns, was a powerful wake-up call for everyone who attended. Decades after these weapons were dropped, communities there still live with their deadly legacy every day.

Our campaigners have returned home with renewed determination to rid the world of these atrocious weapons. This , we recommit to that goal, and we hope the day cluster mu*****ns become a weapon of the past comes sooner rather than later.

18/09/2026

This week in Vientiane, at the Third Review Conference of the Convention on Cluster Mu****ons, delegation after delegation condemned the use of cluster mu*****ns by any actor, under any circumstances. We wrap up this week with the following outcomes:

- Timor-Leste declared its commitment to accede to the Convention, a significant step for the ban in Southeast Asia.

- Thailand openly stated that its armed forces used cluster mu*****ns in the recent conflict with Cambodia, and the CMC firmly rejected any attempt to excuse the use of these weapons and called on Thailand to end any use, clear all remnants, and join the Convention without delay.

- Serious concerns were raised over the use of cluster mu*****ns in Mali, a State Party. We urged a rigorous, impartial and transparent investigation.

- States Parties voiced once again deep regret over Lithuania's withdrawal and committed to step up universalization.

And the progress is real. Every State Party with stockpile destruction obligations has completed them. That's 1.49 million cluster mu*****ns containing 179 million submu*****ns that will never be used.

The Cluster Mu****on Coalition extends its warm thanks to Lao PDR for hosting us and for the tireless work that made this Conference a success. There is no more fitting place to reaffirm this ban than the country most affected by cluster mu*****ns in the world.

Our press release is available in full through this link
https://icblcmc.org/our-impact/cluster-munition-ban-holds-firm-states-condemn-any-use-as-thailand-admits-use-and-mali-faces-calls-to-investigate

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17/09/2026

Earlier today, the CMC raised serious concerns over the confirmed use in May 2026 of cluster mu*****ns in northern Mali, a State Party to the Convention on Cluster Mu****ons.

The CMC called on Mali to conduct a rigorous, impartial and transparent investigation, including into its relationship with the Russian-controlled Africa Corps. We also urged Mali to adopt national implementation legislation, destroy any remaining stockpiles, and clear any contamination.

The full statement can be found in this link:
https://icblcmc.org/assets/events/third-review-conference-of-the-convention-on-cluster-mu*****ns/Statements/CMC-Compliance-Statement.pdf

17/09/2026

Meet Bounthanh Phommasathit, a survivor of the war in Laos during the 1970s. In this interview, she shares her personal story of escaping the war and the atrocities she witnessed, including the devastating impact of cluster bombs on her homeland. Bounthanh recounts her journey as a refugee, accompanied by her husband and two children.

In the photograph, we see 13-year-old Bounthanh Phommasathit with her classmates at Ecole Notre Dame in Vientiane City in 1970.

Read her inspiring story on this link:
https://icblcmc.org/our-impact/real-life-stories-bounthanh-phommasathit

16/09/2026

The Landmine and Cluster Mu****on Monitor just published an updated briefing paper on Cluster Mu****ons in Southeast Asia.
This paper has been released during the 3rd Review Conference on the Convention on Cluster Mu****ons in Vientiane, Lao PDR and it is available on the Monitor website through this link:
https://bit.ly/4h3Mg3O

16/09/2026

In February 1993, a cluster bomb tore through the roof of Umarbek home in Tajikistan. Three family members were killed, including his brother, and Umarbek, then just a young boy, was among the many injured.

This week he's in Vientiane, Lao PDR, as part of CMC delegation. He delivered the CMC's opening remarks at the 3rd Review Conference of the Convention on Cluster Mu****ons and reminded the delegates that the Convention isn't only about weapons. It's about upholding the dignity of those affected and preventing future suffering.

Read Umarbek's full story here
https://icblcmc.org/our-impact/real-life-stories-cluster-mu*****ns-survivor-umarbek-pulodov #

15/09/2026

(Live from the Third Review Conference in Vientiane, Lao PDR)

Timor-Leste has just declared its commitment to accede to the Convention on Cluster Mu****ons. This moment has been 18 years in the making. Congratulations, Timor-Leste 🇹🇱

That the announcement came here in Lao PDR, the most cluster munition-contaminated country in the world, gives it real weight.

Timor-Leste has yet to deposit its instrument of accession with the UN Secretary-General in New York. Only then does the clock start, with the Convention entering into force for Timor-Leste on the first day of the sixth month after the date of deposit.

The Cluster Mu****on Coalition looks forward to welcoming Timor-Leste as the Convention's newest State Party.

14/09/2026

The CMC is in Vientiane this week with a clear message: the Cluster Mu****on Monitor shows use, production, and transfers of these banned weapons have risen since the last Review Conference, and that's unacceptable.

We need the outcome documents to name these challenges honestly, and states to recommit to standing firm against use, by any actor, under any circumstances.