India and the Convention on Cluster Munitions

On May 30, 2008, the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) was adopted by 107 countries at a diplomatic conference in Dublin, Ireland. However, India was not a party to this Convention. The signing of the Convention took place in Oslo on December 3, 2008. It bans the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of cluster munitions, and places obligations on countries to clear affected areas, assist victims, and destroy stockpiles. This commentary throws light on the background of how cluster munitions came to be used in various conflicts and highlights the ongoing international efforts to ban them. It also looks at India’s position in the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) process.