20 April 2016
Palau ratifies the Convention on Cluster Munitions
H.E. Dr. Caleb Otto Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Mission of the Republic of Palau. 19 April 2016 @UNTC
Palau deposited its instrument of ratification of the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 19 April at the United Nations’ headquarters in New York. Congratulations on becoming the 100th State Party!
A signatory of the Convention on Cluster Munitions since 2008, Palau does not possess a stockpile of cluster munitions, does not have production facilities, and has not retained any cluster munitions for training and research purposes.
“I am very pleased that Palau has ratified the Convention on Cluster Munitions,” said H.E. Dr. Caleb Otto Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Mission of the Republic of Palau to the United Nations in New York. “As a country that is contaminated by explosive remnants of war, we know firsthand the importance of addressing the impact of cluster munitions and other remnants to keep our people safe. I urge all remaining states to follow suit and join the Convention.”
It is not known to what extent Palau is contaminated with cluster munition remnants. Unexploded ordnance (UXO) left over from World War II is still found on many of Palau’s 200 islands. An estimated total of 2,800 tons (2.8 million kg) of ordnance was dropped or fired on Palau.
"We welcome Palau’s ratification of the Convention on Cluster Munitions as State Party #100, joining what is arguably the most important humanitarian and disarmament treaty of the last decade. With its ratification, Palau is setting an example for the Pacific states which have yet to join the Convention," said Megan Burke, Director of the Cluster Munition Coalition.
In the Pacific region, seven states (Australia, Palau, Cook Islands, Fiji, Nauru, New Zealand and Samoa) have joined the Convention on Cluster Munitions, while nine Pacific states (Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Niue, Salomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu) remain outside the Convention.
The Convention will enter into force for Palau on 1 October of this year.
