Attachments
Background:
For more than fifteen years, every report of the UN Secretary-General on the protection of civilians in armed conflict has drawn attention to the devastating impact on civilians and critical civilian infrastructure, as well as ongoing protection challenges that civilians face, when explosive weapons are used in populated areas.
The latest report states that civilians were killed and injured from the use of explosive weapons in Lebanon,
Myanmar, Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, Ukraine, Gaza and elsewhere. The UN recorded more than 36,000 civilian deaths in 14 armed conflicts in 2024 – marking an increase in civilian harm from previous years. In 2023, over 58% of children verified by the UN as killed and maimed in the 26 situations on the Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) agenda were killed or maimed by explosive weapons, overwhelmingly in populated areas. Civilians also suffered complex and life-changing injuries and long-term psychological distress or mental health concerns from living under bombing, with children especially vulnerable.
The Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences Arising from the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas from 2022 is a vital tool for the strengthened protection of civilians from the use of EWIPA. In preparation for the EWIPA San Jose Conference 2025, the second international conference since the launch on the Political Declaration, it is paramount that all states and other relevant stakeholders commit to reinforcing the protection of civilians by promoting the universalisation and effective implementation of the Declaration, as well as its principles and norms.
This PoC Week side-event will provide a space to address the widespread harm associated with the use of EWIPA in current conflicts, and both the direct and reverberating effects on civilians, including children.
These impacts include death and injury, psychosocial consequences, and leaving people without access to healthcare, education, clean water, humanitarian aid and other essential services. Speakers will also identify ways in which endorsing and implementing the Political Declaration can contribute to the protection of civilians and civilian objects and strengthen compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL), including concrete actions that states can take ahead of the San Jose Conference.