Episode Summary

After years of building awareness of the humanitarian impacts from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, and seeking to advocating for an effective response to this issue, this year has seen important progress: namely, the development of an international political declaration. The declaration is the first formal international recognition that the use of explosive weapons in populated areas has severe humanitarian consequences and that these must be addressed urgently.

States will meet in Dublin, Ireland on 18 November 2022 to endorse the new political declaration. In this episode, Uldduz Sohrabi speaks to Laura Boillot and Richard Moyes to discuss how the issue was first framed, how it progressed, and what impact the political declaration can have in shifting norms and behaviour that can better protect civilians in conflict.