The Cluster Munition Monitor 2024 is a product of the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor, a research undertaking of the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) and International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL). This is the 15th year this report has been produced with contributions by a global network of researchers and a variety of organizations, including Mines Action Canada, Humanity & Inclusion, and Human Rights Watch. It employs a civil society-based verification model to monitor implementation related to cluster munition bans. The primary purpose of this report is to follow up on the implementation of the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions regarding policy, destruction of stockpiles, contamination, and assistance to victims. Information was drawn from field missions, government sources, and UN agencies, covering 2023 and early 2024.
According to the report, no other country suffered from cluster munition as much as Ukraine, having over 1,000 injured or killed during the period 2023-2024, said to result from the Russian invasion. In 2023 alone, there were 219 global casualties; although that figured a decrease from the spike witnessed in 2022, underreporting is highly likely, and this figure could be much higher. These devices had 93% of their victims as civilians and 47% of the casualty was due to unexploded submunitions. On the issue of the destruction of the stockpiles, the Report indicates that since 2008 Convention state parties have destroyed 1.49 million cluster munitions and 179 million submunitions. In 2023, Peru became the last State Party to complete its stockpile destruction.
It further confirms that 10 countries, including Germany, retain live cluster munitions for research and training. On the other side, in 2023, Belgium significantly destroyed all of its retained cluster munitions.
Contamination and clearance remain an issue for 28 of the group. Through 2023, 83.91 km² of infected land were cleared, where a total of 73,348 remnants were destroyed. This was down from the 93.49 km² land that had been cleared in 2022.
Yet, the use of these deadly weapons is nonetheless quite extensive. This report has registered the use of cluster munitions in Myanmar, Syria, and Ukraine in 2023. The use of the weapons notwithstanding the ban has been most extensive by Russia in Ukraine, with documented deployment by both Russian and Ukrainian forces.
While there is much that has been accomplished, the report calls for increased efforts towards universalizing the convention, particularly in regions where cluster munitions continue to cause harm. Other key recommendations include improved risk education in contaminated areas, prioritization of victim assistance, and transparency in reporting. The Cluster Munition Coalition campaigns for more states to join the convention and for a halt in the production and transfer of cluster munitions.
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To read more, visit:
- Cluster Munition Monitor 2024 Report
- The Wall Street Journal, Russia Is Accused of Using Cluster Rockets in Ukraine. Why Those Weapons Are So Destructive
- Human Rights Watch, Ukraine: Civilian Deaths from Cluster Munitions
- Human Rights Watch , Northwest Syria: Government Uses Cluster Munitions
