Benin has not yet endorsed the Political Declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. It did not actively participate in the negotiations towards a Political Declaration.
Statements and positions
Benin delivered a statement during the February 2013 UN Security Council Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict in which it called for the Security Council to address use of explosive weapons in conflict, specifically emphasising its disproportionate effect on civilian populations.1
As a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Benin aligned with World Humanitarian Summit Core Commitments to ‘Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity’ in May 2016, including the commitment “to promote and enhance the protection of civilians and civilian objects, especially in the conduct of hostilities, for instance by working to prevent civilian harm resulting from the use of wide-area explosive weapons in populated areas, and by sparing civilian infrastructure from military use in the conduct of military operations.”2