Guatemala was actively involved in the process to develop a Political Declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, and was among the first group of states to endorse the Political Declaration in Dublin in November 2022. During the consultations to develop the Declaration, Guatemala said that the urbanisation of war and the rapid development of weapons technologies are major causes of harm to civilians in today's armed conflicts, especially when the effects of these weapons are long-range and designed for open battlefields and not for urban areas. It also expressed concern about the risks of short or long term damage, whether direct or indirect, personal or material, resulting from war in urban contexts, including the destruction of critical infrastructure that prolongs suffering.1
Statements and positions
Guatemala has frequently spoken on explosive weapons in populated areas in multilateral forums, primarily to highlight the harms caused to civilians and call for action to better protect civilians as well as greater compliance with international humanitarian law (IHL). At the UN Security Council’s open debates on the protection of civilians in armed conflict in 2024 Guatemala stated that “we must resolutely address one of the greatest threats to civilians in in armed conflict: the use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas or in indiscriminate attacks, which is a clear violation of international humanitarian law and the fundamental principles of humanity, proportionality and distinction.”2 At the debate in 2023 Guatemala said that “experience has shown us that the use of explosive weapons in populated areas causes serious harm to civilians and affects services essential to their survival,” and called the attention of all States to their commitment to the application of international humanitarian law in armed conflict,3 echoing its statement at the 2019 debate. Guatemala has also raised the issue of explosive weapons in populated areas at the UN General Assembly First Committee in 2015,4 2022,5 20236 and 20247 when Guatemala again acknowledged the pattern of harm caused by explosive weapons in populated areas.
At the 2013 UN Security Council Debate on Children and Armed Conflict, Guatemala expressed its concern with the use of “explosives of ample coverage in dense population centers or areas where populations converge”8 and again in 2015 condemned the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, “because this increases the vulnerability of children, resulting in an increased number of deaths and incidents of mutilation, as well as prolonged suffering, destruction and chaos.”9
Alongside 22 other Latin American and Caribbean states, Guatemala participated in the Santiago Regional Meeting on Protecting Civilians from the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas in 2018, resulting in the Santiago Communiqué10 in which the participating states agreed to take further action on the issue. In 2019, Guatemala joined 71 states to endorse a joint statement on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas at the UN General Assembly First Committee, calling attention to the devastating and long-lasting humanitarian impact of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and urging states to reverse the trend of high levels of civilian harm.11 In 2018 and 2019, Guatemala joined some 50 and 71 states respectively to endorse joint statements on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas at the UN General Assembly First Committee, calling attention to the devastating and long-lasting humanitarian impact of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and urging states to reverse the trend of high levels of civilian harm.12