Meeting On Cluster Munitions in Vientiane, LaosMeeting on Cluster Munitions opens in Vientiane, Laos. First Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, currently being held in Vientiane from the 9th-12th of November. The ceremony was opened by Dr.Thongloun Sisoulith Deputy Prime Minister, Minister Of Foreign Affairs and follow by Follow by by UN Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro, here are some highlight of her remarks: "I am honored to be here for the First Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. I thank the Government and people of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic for their impressive leadership on this important issue. This Convention has great potential, not just in removing the physical threats posed by these weapons, but in supporting economic and social development. The United Nations is a proud partner in this noble cause, and stands with the people of Laos, and others whose lives and well-being are threatened by unexploded remnants of war."
Between 1964 and 1973, the United States dropped more than 270 million cluster munitions over Laos. An estimated 80 million cluster munitions that did not explode on impact are scattered in rice fields, waterways and on roads, threatening the daily lives of civilians. More than 50,000 people were killed or injured in accidents caused by explosive remnants of war between 1964 and 2008, almost half occurring during peacetime[1]. What makes the situation all the more unacceptable is the fact that children are the main victims of these weapons. Between 1979 and 2008, 60 percent of civilian victims were young boys. The Convention on Cluster Munitions, which entered into force on August 1, 2010, represents a major opportunity to bring about change in Laos, as well as in the other 35 countries and territories contaminated by these weapons. Below you can find some videos clips about American drop bombs in LaosU.S. Bombs Killed or Injured 50,000 in Laos
Laos, the most bombed country on earth
Cluster munitions in Lao PDR
Cluster Bombs in Laos
Laos is hosting the First Meeting on Cluster Munitions, which bans the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of cluster munitions and requires the destruction of stockpiles, clearance of cluster munition remnants from affected land and the provision of assistance to victims and affected communities. To date, 108 countries have signed the treaty, including 46 states that have already ratified it.
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