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Parliamentary Appeal

International Parliamentary Appeal to prevent human suffering from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas

Harm

The use of explosive weapons in populated areas causes broad, substantial and ongoing harm.

Smoke rises over Syrian town of Kobani after an airstrike. © REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

Political response

INEW calls for immediate action to prevent human suffering from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas

The tail of a 120 mm mortar in a garden in the village of Semenivka, Ukraine. © Dirk-Jan Visser for PAX and UNOCHA

Resources

INEW member Save the Children's recent report highlights the impact of explosive weapons on children

Events

INEW organises, hosts and participates in a range of meetings, conferences and other events related to explosive weapons use

Views of Beit Hanoun, one of the neighbourhoods most affected by the bombings in Northern Gaza. © Yann Libessart/MSF

The Vienna Conference

The Vienna Conference on Protecting Civilians in Urban Warfare

Unexploded MK 82 bomb dropped by the Coalition, which was subsequently rigged by IS and turned into a large IED, surrounded by six mortars locally produced by IS. © Amnesty International

Welcome to INEW

The International Network on Explosive Weapons (INEW) is an NGO partnership calling for immediate action to prevent human suffering from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.

Explosive weapons include improvised explosive devices (IEDs) as well as explosive ordnance such as mortars, rockets, artillery shells and aircraft bombs. These weapons use blast and fragmentation to kill and injure people in the area around the point of detonation. When used in public places, this area-effect means that innocent people are often severely affected. Data indicate that between 80 and 90% of those killed and injured are civilians; still more are affected when there is damage to vital infrastructure (such as schools, hospitals, housing and water and sanitation systems).

INEW believes that this suffering can be reduced and unnecessary deaths and injuries prevented. We are calling on states and other actors to face up to this problem as a policy challenge, to meet the needs of victims and survivors, to review their national practices and to come together to develop stronger international standards to curb this pattern of violence. INEW members undertake research and advocacy to promote greater understanding of the problem and the concrete steps that can be taken to address it.

Latest news

Recent Event See all calendar

First consultation on Protecting Civilians in Urban Warfare: Towards a political declaration to address the humanitarian harm arising from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas

November 18, 2019

The first of a series of consultations on the development of a political declaration on explosive weapons

Recent News See all post

INEW statement to the first Geneva Consultation “Towards a Political Declaration to Address the Humanitarian Harm Arising from the use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas”

November 18, 2019

INEW statement Geneva Consultations: “Towards a Political Declaration to Address the Humanitarian Harm Arising from the use of Explosive Weapons Read More

Recent Resource See all resources

INEW briefing note for states ahead of the 18 November informal consultation on an EWIPA political declaration

November 15, 2019

Towards a political declaration to address the harm from explosive weapons in
populated areas: Key issues ahead of the informal consultation in Geneva on 18 November 2019

Recent Event See all calendar

Briefing on EWIPA for Asian states

November 7, 2019

Recent Event See all calendar

Briefing on EWIPA for African states

November 6, 2019

Recent News See all post

First Committee 2019 update – week 3

October 28, 2019

A particular highlight of the conventional weapons debate was the joint statement on explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA), coordinated Read More

Recent News See all post

Seventy-one states call for action on impact of explosive weapons in joint statement to UN General Assembly

October 25, 2019

On 24 October at the UN General Assembly’s First Committee in New York, seventy-one countries joined a statement led by Read More

Recent News See all post

First Committee 2019 update – week 2

October 23, 2019

In the second week of general debate, Angola, Austria, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, San Marino, Switzerland all raised concern over the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, alongside the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Network on Explosive Weapons (INEW).

Recent News See all post

Turkey’s operations in north-eastern Syria: The devastating impact of explosive weapons

October 17, 2019

The escalation of hostilities in north-eastern Syria once again illustrates the urgent need for the international community to take decisive political action that will set a stronger standard for civilian protection from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.
Photo: © Save the Children

Recent News See all post

First Committee 2019 update – week 1

October 17, 2019

In the opening couple of days of First Committee, the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, and Uruguay both raised the issue of explosive weapons in populated areas, and referenced the recent meeting on this theme which took place in Vienna on 1-2 October 2019. The Vienna Conference on the Protection of Civilians in Urban Warfare was hosted by the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and saw the participation of 133 states as well as international organisations and civil society and concluded with plans to start discussions for an international political declaration through a meeting in Geneva on 18 November 2018.
[Photo credit: Philippe Kropf/OCHA]