Thank you, Chair.
A central principle of the Convention on Cluster Munition is transparency. Article 7 requires that States Parties submit an initial transparency report no later than 180 days after entry into force for their country, detailing their implementation of the Convention’s provisions. Then States Parties need to provide annual updated reports by 30 April of each year.
Transparency reporting is vital to showing the implementation activities of States Parties, particularly those with clearance, stockpile destruction, and/or victim assistance obligations.
In good news, the CMC welcomes the initial transparency reports delivered this year by Nigeria and Sāo Tomé and Príncipe. The record of compliance with the initial reporting obligation has been strong. However, we regret that seven States Parties still have not delivered their initial reports, of which three are now more than a decade late: Cabo Verde and Comoros, both due in 2011, and Togo, due in 2013.
Sadly, far fewer States Parties are managing to provide annual updated transparency reports. As of 1 September, only 58 States Parties have provided their annual updated reports covering activities in the year 2022, of which just 36 States Parties submitted by the 30 April deadline. Unfortunately, over the past couple years only about 50% of States Parties have consistently submitted annual updated reports.
We remind all States Parties of their commitment under the Convention’s Lausanne Action Plan to provide timely transparency reports.
We also encourage the Convention’s signatories as well as States not Party to provide voluntary transparency reports to demonstrate their commitment to transparency on cluster munitions. We acknowledge that the newest State Party, South Sudan, provided four voluntary transparency reports before acceding to the Convention last month.
The CMC would like to express its appreciation to the Gambia for leading the work on transparency reporting, including the recent effort to update and adapt the reporting forms, and we stand ready to continue our support.
We thank all those states which provided their transparency reports on time and urge those who have not done so to submit their reports immediately. Comprehensive and timely transparency reporting is essential to realizing the commitment of the Convention and to address the humanitarian consequences and unacceptable harm caused by cluster munitions.
Thank you.
