If only the major producers of cluster bombs such as the US, China, Russia and India were present. If only it wasn’t so profitable and acceptable to Congress. As it stands today, there is a fairly high rate of unexploded traditional ordnance scattered across the world. Cluster bombs increase that rate exponentially making a bad problem much worse. Even yesterday there was an incident in Tokyo with an unexploded WWII bomb and the world powers have left their mark in every corner of the globe. Farmers in countries such as Angola and Laos often live with the reality of working the soil and exploding leftover ordnance from another era. The people of Lebanon potentially have a much more serious problem since the recent war with Israel left cluster bomblets (probably US made) throughout the battle zones.

“Governments have been talking about the dangers of cluster bombs for years. More delays mean more injuries and death for ordinary people. We have a unique opportunity to ban cluster bombs in Dublin — it is now or never,” she said. Cluster munitions are among the weapons which pose the gravest dangers to civilians, according to the CMC. Dropped from planes or fired from artillery, they explode in mid-air, randomly scattering bomblets. Countries are seeking a ban due to the risk of civilians being killed or maimed by their indiscriminate, wide area effect.