New Cluster Munitions Treaty!
5/30/2008 2:38:50 PM
Tracey Begley
Survivor Corps Program Officer
This week, I traveled with other Survivor Corps staff members to Dublin Ireland, where over 100 countries met to negotiate a treaty banning cluster munitions. I was so proud to be able to be there on behalf of Survivor Corps. We were one of the leading non-governmental organizations attending the negotiations and making sure the voice of survivors was heard. Today, after ten days of intense discussions, a treaty has been negotiated that includes groundbreaking provisions addressing the human rights of those affected by cluster munitions.
Because these weapons claim so many innocent victims, (it's estimated that eighty percent of the victims of cluster bombs are civilians) Survivor Corps attended the negotiations and led the charge to include provisions in the treaty that require governments to not only stop using, selling and stockpiling cluster munitions (all essential elements!), but also to assist individuals and families who have been harmed by them, including victims' family members and communities. This is a revolutionary achievement in a weapons treaty. We're so glad we were able to attend the negotiations, work with governments and campaigners, and help create a treaty that will have a tremendous impact on the lives of survivors around the world.