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Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Coveney, has welcomed the considerable achievements of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which comprehensively banned the use of Cluster Bombs ten years ago.

Speaking on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Convention today, the Tánaiste said:

“Ireland is proud to have played a leadership role in the negotiation of the truly historic and ground-breaking Convention on Cluster Munitions. 10 years ago today the international community met in Dublin to adopt the Convention banning the use of Cluster Bombs. Ireland was among the first States to sign and ratify the Convention, which entered into force in 2010, and we remain fully committed to its implementation.

"In the last decade, over 1.4 million cluster munitions and 175 million sub-munitions have been destroyed, representing 98% of all stockpiles declared by States Parties. This is a considerable achievement by any standard, but continued and sustained action is still needed in order to finish the job.

"As of today, there are 103 States Parties and 17 Signatory States to the Convention, representing over 60% of States in the world. Ireland continues to take every opportunity to encourage States not party to the Convention to join as soon as possible.”