At the United Nations in New York, governments used the third week of the General Assembly’s First Committee to renew calls for stronger protection of civilians from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. During the session’s debate on conventional weapons, states from every region underlined the urgent humanitarian need to curb urban bombardment and to translate political commitments into concrete military restraint.
At the centre of these interventions stood the Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences of the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas (EWIPA). Since its adoption in 2022 under Ireland’s leadership and driven forward by civil society as part of the International Network on Explosive Weapons (INEW) (of which AOAV is a founding member), the declaration has been endorsed by more than 90 states.
It commits signatories to restrict or refrain from using explosive weapons in populated areas, to review military policies and practices that risk civilian harm, and to engage with civil society and international partners to advance implementation.
During this latest debate, the European Union called the declaration’s adoption “important” and expressed hope that the commitments made would now be translated into “concrete measures on the ground.” Switzerland echoed that message, urging all states to both endorse and implement the declaration. Ireland again voiced deep concern at the widespread use of explosive weapons in populated areas and reaffirmed the importance of universalising the agreement. Portugal stressed that “the focus cannot remain on normative work,” arguing that the international community must also address the “implementation gap” through cooperation that extends beyond governments to include civil society and even commercial actors.
Costa Rica, which will host the second international conference on the declaration on 19–20 November 2025, described the use of explosive weapons in populated areas as “one of the most pressing humanitarian challenges of our time.” The meeting in San José, officials said, would be an opportunity to share lessons and good practice among endorsing states.
Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom all said they looked forward to participating. The UK linked the process to broader efforts to prevent human suffering in conflicts from Ukraine to Sudan, Gaza, the DRC and Haiti, noting that Costa Rica would “strengthen our approach to tackling the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.”
Several governments offered sobering evidence of the consequences when such weapons are used in urban settings. Canada, Australia and New Zealand (the CANZ group) reported that civilian deaths in conflict rose by 40% in 2024.
Last year, AOAV’s data showed that global incidents of explosive weapons use surged by 29%, alongside a 69% spike in civilian casualties and a 50% rise in civilian fatalities compared to 2023.
Other states echoed these concerns. Germany, Kazakhstan, India and Indonesia all acknowledged that recent conflicts illustrate the urgent need to strengthen protection for civilians in armed conflict. Thailand reaffirmed that the “protection of civilians must be paramount in all disarmament and arms-control efforts”. Liberia, drawing on its own post-conflict experience, said effective conventional-arms control was essential to preventing renewed violence and to fostering resilience and development.
Together, these statements convey a widening consensus that the declaration represents a crucial step in addressing the predictable civilian harm caused by explosive weapons in populated areas. Endorser states are expected not only to align doctrine and training with the declaration’s principles but also to engage in dialogue with civil society, support interim activities, and share evidence of implementation. As Ireland and Switzerland noted, the process of universalisation and follow-up will be central to the declaration’s success.
The challenge, however, lies in moving from promise to practice. While legal frameworks such as the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, the Convention on Cluster Munitions, the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention and the Arms Trade Treaty already establish clear humanitarian standards, they do not directly address the conduct of hostilities in densely populated areas. The EWIPA declaration fills that gap by calling for restraint in how militaries plan and fight, particularly when using munitions with wide-area effects.
Portugal’s intervention drew attention to the need for broader engagement. Implementation, it argued, depends not only on political will but on accountability and cooperation across sectors. Public institutions, the private defence industry, humanitarian organisations and local authorities must all contribute to reducing the human cost of explosive violence. This collaborative approach aligns with AOAV’s long-standing advocacy for integrating data collection, civilian harm tracking, and humanitarian response into defence policy and practice.
For the upcoming San José conference, expectations are high. States are expected to present updates on national implementation, including reviews of targeting procedures, weapons-effect assessments, and post-strike investigations. The hope is that good-faith participation will encourage more transparent discussion about military doctrines and help consolidate global norms against the use of heavy explosive weapons in cities.
AOAV welcomes the renewed attention to the humanitarian consequences of explosive weapons in populated areas and urges all governments to move from commitment to implementation.
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