Montenegro has acknowledged the harm caused by the use of EWIPA and committed to action on the issue. 

Statements

Montenegro issued statements during the UN Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in 2013, where it called on the parties to conflicts to honour their obligations in refraining from the use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas.”[1] At the UN Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in 2016, Montenegro continued to express its concern at the use of EWIPA.[2]

The European Union (EU) issued a statement on EWIPA during UN Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict in June 2012. Montenegro aligned with this statement.[3]

Montenegro endorsed the joint statement on EWIPA during 73th UN General Assembly First Committee in October 2018. The statement, delivered by Ireland, called attention to the devastating and long-lasting humanitarian impact of the use of EWIPA and urging states to reverse the trend of high levels of civilian harm.[4] Montenegro also endorsed the joint statement on EWIPA during the 74th UN General Assembly First Committee in October 2019.[5] The statement, also delivered by Ireland, encouraged states to participate in international efforts to address the impacts of the use of EWIPA on civilians, including by working towards the creation of an international political declaration on this issue.[6]

Political declaration

Montenegro participated in the Conference on the Protection of Civilians in Urban Warfare in October 2019 in Vienna,[7] as well as in the second round of consultations in Geneva in 10 February 2020,[8] but it did not issue any statement at those occasions.

[1] Permanent Mission of Montenegro to the United Nations (2013). ‘UN Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict Statement’. https://undocs.org/en/S/PV.6917(Resumption1). 

[2] Permanent Mission of Montenegro to the United Nations (2016). ‘UN Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict Statement’. https://undocs.org/en/S/PV.7711.

[3]  Permanent Mission of the European Union to the United Nations (2011). ‘EU Statement during the May 2011 Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict’. 2011,http://www.peacewomen.org/sites/default/files/eu_poc_11may2011_0.pdf.

[4] Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations (2018). ‘UNGA73 First Committee Joint Statement on Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas (EWIPA)’. https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com18/statements/25Oct_EWIPA.pdf.

[5] INEW (2019). ‘Seventy-one States call for Action on Impact of Explosive Weapons in Joint Statement to UN General Assembly’. https://dev.inew.org/seventy-one-states-call-for-action-on-impact-of-explosive-weapons-in-joint-statement-to-un-general-assembly/.

[6] Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations (2019). ‘UNGA74 First Committee Debate on Conventional Weapons: Joint Statement on Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas Delivered by H.E. Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations, 2019, https://article36.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/UNGA74-joint-statement-on-explosive-weapons-in-populated-areas.pdf.

[7] INEW (2019). ‘Vienna Conference Marks Turning Point as States Support Negotiation of an International Political Declaration on Explosive Weapons’. https://dev.inew.org/vienna-conference-marks-turning-point-as-states-support-negotiation-of-an-international-political-declaration-on-explosive-weapons/.

[8] INEW (2020). ‘More than 70 States Engage in Discussions on Political Declaration’. https://dev.inew.org/more-than-70-states-engage-in-discussions-on-political-declaration/.