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Republic of Moldova

HAS ENDORSED THE POLITICAL DECLARATION

Moldova 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

Moldova issued a statement on explosive weapons in populated areas during the Review Conference of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons in December 2016, expressing concern regarding the indiscriminate use of explosive weapons in populated areas. It also expressed support for a political commitment to prevent the humanitarian harm from the use of explosive weapons with wide area effects in populated areas.1

Moldova has also aligned with other states to deliver statements on explosive weapons in populated areas. In October 2018, Moldova was one of 50 states to endorse the 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.2 Moldova also endorsed the Ireland-led joint statement during the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly’s First Committee in 2019.3 The statement encouraged states to participate in international efforts to address the impacts of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas on civilians, including by working towards the creation of an international Political Declaration on this issue.4

The Republic of Moldova aligned with several statements delivered by the European Union (EU) on the issue of explosive weapons in populated areas, the latest one being the statement delivered during the UN General Assembly First Committee in 2023, in which the EU welcomed the Political Declaration and highlighted the importance of its adoption. The EU also highlighted the work ahead for implementing the Declaration’s commitments, including at the 2024 Oslo Conference.5

  1. ‘Statement at the Fifth Review Conference of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons’. Permanent Mission of Moldova to the United Nations. 12 December 2016. https://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/ccw/2016/RevCon/statements/12Dec_Moldova.pdf.  

  2. 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.

  3. ‘UNGA73 First Committee Joint Statement on Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas (explosive weapons in populated areas)’. Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations. 25 October 2018. https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com18/statements/25Oct_explosive weapons in populated areas.pdf.

  4. ‘UNGA74 First Committee Joint Statement on Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas’. Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations. 24 October 2019. Available from https://article36.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/UNGA74-joint-statement-on-explosive-weapons-in-populated-areas.pdf;  ‘Seventy-one States call for Action on Impact of Explosive Weapons in Joint Statement to UN General Assembly’. International Network on Explosive Weapons. October 2019. Available from: https://www.inew.org/seventy-one-states-call-for-action-on-impact-of-explosive-weapons-in-joint-statement-to-un-general-assembly/.

  5. ‘Statement on Conventional Weapons’. European Union. 23 October 2023. https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com23/statements/23Oct_EU.pdf.

Other State Positions