Uruguay 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 Dublin Conference in November 2022, Uruguay expressed support for the declaration, as it recognizes the harm caused by explosive weapons in populated areas and will contribute to reduce human suffering.1 During the early consultations, Uruguay agreed the regional Maputo and Santiago Communiqués should be reflected in the text, as well as the impacts of explosive weapons use on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).2 It also agreed that language on victim assistance could be strengthened, and that the protection of schools and medical facilities should be explicitly included, and urged that the declaration reflect the reverberating effects of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.3
This was a recurring theme throughout Uruguay’s statements, alongside support for strong and detailed commitments on non-discriminatory humanitarian assistance. This included suggestions that reference should be made to emergency medical assistance, physical and psychological rehabilitation, family reunification and the protection of children, women and minority and vulnerable groups for their social reintegration, as well as replacing “make every effort to assist” with “ensure assistance is provided”.4 Uruguay consistently opposed the inclusion of qualifying language such as “can cause harm” in the text.5 It also agreed with the principle of avoiding the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, in line with the principle of the non-use of force. On this, it added that “when there are no other means to achieve a given military objective, it will be required that mitigation measures are adopted to limit its effects on the chosen objective, seeking to safeguard human lives in populated areas.”6
Statements and positions
Uruguay has frequently spoken on explosive weapons in populated areas in multilateral forums, primarily to highlight the harms caused to civilians. During the August 2016 Security Council Open Debate on Children and Armed Conflict, Uruguay said the growing use of explosive weapons in populated areas was “reprehensible,” and condemned attacks against civilians in Syria and Yemen, including attacks against schools and hospitals.7 During the UN Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict in May 2019 Uruguay called for a reduction of the proliferation of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, and highlighted a regional meeting on the issue in Chile in 2018.8
Uruguay has also repeatedly aligned with other states to deliver statements on explosive weapons in populated areas. Alongside 22 other Latin American and Caribbean states, Ecuador participated in the Santiago Regional Meeting on Protecting Civilians from the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas in 2018, resulting in the Santiago Communiqué9 in which the participating states agreed to take further action on the issue. In 2019, Uruguay 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.10
At the UN Security Council Open Debate War in Cities: Protection of Civilians in Urban Settings on 25 January 2022, the Group of Friends of the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, of which Uruguay is a member, called on states to enhance the protection of civilians, including from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, and took note of the ongoing consultations to develop a Political Declaration on this subject.11 At the UN Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict on 23 May 2023, the Group noted the adoption of the Political Declaration.12