Liechtenstein was not directly involved in the process to develop a Political Declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. It was, however, among the first group of states to endorse the Political Declaration in Dublin in November 2022.
Statements and positions
Liechtenstein attended the first international follow-up conference on the Political Declaration in Oslo, Norway in April 2024. At the conference, Liechtenstein stated it was “appalled by the steep upsurge in the number of civilians harmed by the use of explosive weapons in populated areas”. It urged “all armed forces to establish clear responsibilities and internal procedures for identifying and responding to civilian harm.” 1
Liechtenstein also “encouraged the international community to recognise and support the importance of data collecting on casualties through national authorities, international organisations and civil society actors.” It welcomed efforts by the UN to “collect comprehensive and verifiable data on civilian casualties in a large number of conflicts” and stated that it was a member of the core group and penholder of the resolution on the human rights impact of casualty recording at the UN Human Rights Council in its 50th Session. In addition, Liechtenstein stated that “in order to fully understand the negative impacts of” the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, data collection, beyond fatality numbers, must be collected. For example, it suggested that improved occupational information about victims could “contribute to the quality of assessments of possible societal impacts of armed conflicts and enable improvements to the flow and coordination of humanitarian aid, including the activities of the ICRC.” Liechtenstein strongly encouraged the collection of new and additional information on the impact of explosive weapons to take use of and adapt existing mechanisms and called for standardisation, stating that “the true value of information can only be unlocked, if the available data is comparable and reliable.” 2
At the conference Liechtenstein also emphasised the importance of highlighting the voices of people from affected communities, stating that they are often the experts of the impact of explosive weapons. “Civilian organisations - including but not limited to healthcare providers, faith leaders, journalists and human rights groups - have unparalleled access to information about victims. Liechtenstein therefore encourages armed forces, international organisations and national authorities to engage directly with civilian casualty recorders to better understand and address the impact of their military operations.” 3
Liechtenstein has spoken on explosive weapons in populated areas in multilateral forums, primarily to express concern over the harms caused to civilians, including at the 2025 UN Security Council open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict where their statement expressed alarm at “the growing use of explosive weapons in populated areas, in grave violation of international humanitarian law”, citing “widespread destruction and human suffering in conflict zones worldwide” that “will endure across generations”. 4 Lichtenstein urged all States to sign and implement the Political Declaration. 5 In 2024, Liechtenstein “noted that the widespread use in armed conflicts of explosive weapons in populated areas is a particularly disturbing trend in the violation of international humanitarian law.” 6 That year, at both the UN Security Council debate and the UN General Assembly First Committee, Liechtenstein called upon all states that have not yet done so to endorse the Political Declaration “and to fully and effectively implement it”. 7 At the latter, Liechtenstein also expressed concern about the increase in conflicts taking place in populated areas, as well as the use of explosive weapons herein, which has had a devastating impact on civilians. Liechtenstein expressed concern for the particularly alarming level of use of explosive weapons in Gaza, but also in Ukraine, Sudan and Myanmar, with immense humanitarian costs. 8 It echoed these concerns in at First Committee in 2025, where it referenced the use of explosive weapons in Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine, underlining the unspeakable suffering amongst civilians in these conflicts and encouraging all states to endorse the Political Declaration. 9 At the UN General Assembly First Committee General Debate in October 2016, Liechtenstein expressed concern over explosive weapons in populated areas and support for the UN Secretary General’s “call upon parties to conflicts to refrain from using these weapons and to elaborate a political commitment to this effect”. 10
As a member of the Group of Friends on Protection of Civilians, Liechtenstein has supported statements at the UN Security Council open debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict stressing the importance of respecting IHL and the need to enhance the protection of civilians. 11 In 2024, the Group highlighted the harm caused by explosive weapons in populated areas across ongoing conflicts and stressed that “the effective protection of civilians and civilian objects must be made a strategic priority in the planning and conduct of military operations.” 12 To that end, the Political Declaration was identified as providing “practical tools that ensure that protection is real and effective”, a sentiment the Group echoed at the 2025 debate where it flagged the Political Declaration as a tool that “plays a critical role in the protection of civilians” and encouraged states to consider endorsing. 13 In 2018 and 2019, Liechtenstein 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. 14
Liechtenstein also aligned with the World Humanitarian Summit Core Commitments to ‘Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity’ in May 2016. This included 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.” 15 It also aligned with the Commitment 123002 at the World Humanitarian Summit in May 2016, reinforcing the commitment to data collection on the impacts of explosive weapons in populated areas, to exchange of best practices, and to explore effective measures to ensure respect for International Humanitarian Law (IHL), including a Political Declaration on the issue. 16