On 3 and 4 December 2008, 94 states signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions. This treaty prohibits the use, stockpiling, manufacture and transfer of cluster munitions and includes groundbreaking provisions to assist victims. Handicap International actively participated in drafting this treaty and for several years campaigned to prohibit these weapons together with partners from the Cluster Munition Coalition, a network that includes about 300 NGOs. In the last two years, the process has accelerated.

Together with its many partners, Handicap International keeps pushing for the full implementation and universalization of the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty (Ottawa Convention).

The most significant disarmament and humanitarian treaty in over a decade takes effect on Sunday, 1 August 2010. From then on, cluster munitions will become illegal and this historic achievement will be celebrated all over the world, not in the least by survivors who have played a crucial role in shaping the treaty. One of them, Sladjan Vuckovic from Serbia spoke today in Brussels about the importance of victim assistance. He also introduced the web release of the film “Ban Advocates: from Victims to Champions”.

The "Ban Newsletter" provides a regular update on the conventions on landmines and cluster munitions.