Slovenia 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. In a written contribution to the consultations, Slovenia suggested including an appeal for universalisation of relevant instruments in the field of disarmament. 1 It also agreed with a proposal that the improvised explosive devices (IEDs) get a more prominent place in the Declaration and suggested the inclusion of a reference to risk education on explosive remnants of war (ERW) and IED in paragraph 4.3. 2 At the signing conference in November 2022, Slovenia underlined the long-lasting consequences of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and said it attaches great importance to victims' assistance. Slovenia said that efforts should continue to focus on providing a safe environment for all and ensuring the social and economic inclusion of survivors. 3
Statements and priorities
Slovenia attended the first international implementation conference on the Political Declaration in Oslo, Norway in April 2024, and the second implementation conference in San Jose, Costa Rica in November 2025. In San Jose, it emphasised the humanitarian urgency of the issue as well as its belief that the Declaration provides “a crucial framework” for preventing civilian harm in conflict, calling on states to implement the Declaration and work towards universalisation. 4 It also drew particular attention to the need to protect civilian infrastructure, noting that “protecting civilians and maintaining the resilience of essential systems are two sides of the same coin. When infrastructure collapses, humanitarian suffering multiplies and the road to recovery becomes far longer and harder”. 5
Slovenia has on several occasions spoken at the annual UN Security Council open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, where it has raised concerns over the harms caused by explosive weapons in populated areas. 6 At the UN General Assembly First Committee in 2022, Slovenia welcomed the conclusion of the negotiations on the Political Declaration. 7
Alongside its individual statements, Slovenia has repeatedly aligned with other states to deliver statements on explosive weapons in populated areas. As a member of the European Union (EU), Slovenia has signed onto numerous joint statements condemning the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and the harms it causes to civilians and civilian objects, as well as calling for greater IHL compliance and welcoming the Political Declaration. This includes at several UN Security Council open debates on the protection of civilians in armed conflict 8, including in 2024 when it expressed deep concern about the use and humanitarian consequences of explosive weapons in populated areas ‘which has significant civilian impact and should thus be restricted and avoided’9 as well as at the 2022 UN Security Council open debate on war in cities where the EU expressed concern over the indiscriminate use of explosive weapons in populated areas, including near hospitals, schools, and universities 10 and at the UN General Assembly’s First Committee. 11
In 2018 and 2019, Slovenia 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 At the 2025 open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, the Group of Friends of Action on Conflict and Hunger, of which Slovenia is a member, said that “overly permissive interpretations of the rules of international humanitarian law are undermining their key objective, that is, the protection of civilians and civilian objects” and, referencing Gaza, decried the “immense civilian harm has been caused by Israel’s indiscriminate use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas and its obstruction of life-saving aid”. In closing, it urged states to “work for the universal endorsement and implementation of the Political Declaration”. 13 As part of the Human Security Network, Slovenia has also endorsed two statements addressing the risk of explosive weapons in populated areas, emphasising the importance of data collection, and calling on states to refrain from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas at the UN Security Council open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict in 2013 14 and 2014. 15
Slovenia also aligned with the World Humanitarian Summit Core Commitments to ‘Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity’ as an EU member state 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.” 16