The Republic of Paraguay became the 90^th State Party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, having deposited its instrument of ratification with the Secretary-General of the United Nations on 12 March 2015. The Convention will enter into force for Paraguay on 1 September 2015.

The Cluster Munition Coalition congratulates Paraguay on its ratification and encourages it to actively promote the universalization of the Convention by inviting all states not party to join the Convention, in particular Latin American and Caribbean countries that have not yet renounced cluster munitions.

“Paraguay’s ratification brings Latin America one step closer to being a cluster munition-free region,” said Hector Guerra, representative of the Cluster Munition Coalition in Mexico. “Latin America will only be free of these indiscriminate weapons when Colombia ratifies the Convention on Cluster Munitions and Argentina, Brazil, Cuba and Venezuela accede to it.” He added.

Paraguay does not use, produce, transfer or stockpile cluster munitions.

Paraguay participated in the Oslo Process to develop the Convention, including the formal negotiations in May 2008. Paraguay was one of many Latin American states that pushed for the strongest possible Convention. It signed the Convention on 3 December 2008.

With the ratification of Paraguay, Colombia is the only signatory in Latin America left to ratify the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Argentina, Brazil, Cuba and Venezuela have not signed the Convention, so they can join through a one-step procedure known as accession.

The Cluster Munition Coalition supports the call by Costa Rica Presidency of the Convention in aiming to increase membership of the Convention to 100 States Parties by the time of the First Review Conference of the Convention which will be held in Dubrovnik, Croatia in early September 2015.

To date 116 states have joined the Convention, of which 91 are States Parties, and the remaining 25 are signatories that have yet to ratify the Convention.

Source: CMC