21 June 2010
Countdown to Entry into Force – Week 9: Bangladesh
CMC campaigner Nadira Mallik of Bangladesh participates in a campaign action in Dublin, May 2008. Photo: Mary WarehamAs a country with no history of cluster munition use or stockpiling, Bangladesh faces no obstacles to signing the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions."There is no reason for Bangladesh to stall on joining the most important disarmament treaty of the decade," said Nadira Mallik, executive director of Latifa Gono Shohay Angon (LGSA), a CMC member organisation in Bangladesh. "Now is the time for Bangladesh to sign the Convention on Cluster Munitions and urge its neighbours to do likewise."Bangladesh is not known to have produced or used cluster munitions, but neighbouring India is both a producer and a stockpiler of the weapons.Bangladesh participated in a regional meeting on the Convention held in Bali, Indonesia in November 2009. During the Conference, Bangladesh affirmed its commitment to international disarmament, stating it was evident that cluster munitions have horrendous humanitarian effects on civilian populations, and expressed a hope that the Convention will help prevent the recurrence of the stories of victims who had spoken during the Conference.Asian countries are among the most heavily contaminated by cluster bombs, but only 12 of the 40 countries in Asia and the Pacific region have signed the treaty so far and five have ratified (Fiji, Japan, Lao PDR, New Zealand and Samoa). The CMC urges all countries to join the Convention on Cluster Munitions without delay and to participate in the First Meeting of States Parties in November 2010 in Lao PDR, the most-affected country in the world.Download letters urging the government of Bangladesh to sign the Convention on Cluster Munitions:
- CMC letter urging the government of Bangladesh to sign the Convention
- Template letter urging the government of Bangladesh to sign the Convention
