8 Conventional Weapons Convention

Subject(s):

Armed conflict, international — Armed conflict, non-international — International criminal law, victims — Marine environment, protection — Warfare, air — Weapons control — Weapons, conventional

This chapter discusses the important provisions of the UN Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects (CCW). It explains the significance of the Convention in relation to the evolution of the law relating to weapons, noting that it provides a framework within which specific Protocols have been negotiated to address particular weapons or weapon issues. The procedures for amending the Convention, for amending Protocols and for negotiating and adopting new Protocols are examined. The extension in scope agreed at the First Review Conference is discussed. The requirement for consensus as a condition precedent to the adoption of new Protocols and the increasing difficulty in securing such consensus as to new Protocols as the number of States party to the Convention increases are both considered.