Thursday 25 February 2021, 13.00 – 14.30 CET

On Zoom: a recording of the webinar is available here

Civilian harm from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA) has been highlighted as a major humanitarian priority following conflicts increasingly taking place in urban settings, resulting in high levels of civilian death, injury and psychological distress. Beyond death and injury, bombing and shelling in towns and cities damages and destroys property, vital infrastructure and services upon which the civilian population relies, and is a driver of forced displacement. While there is a pattern of harm associated with explosive weapons in populated areas in general, the risk to civilians is most severe when the weapons have wide area effects.

Children play in front of a hotel damaged by mortar shelling, in Humera, Ethiopia, on November 22, 2020 © Photo by EDUARDO SOTERAS / AFP via Getty Images

This briefing gave an overview of civilian harm resulting from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas looking at a recent case study on the Tigray region in Ethiopia. Ahead of consultations resuming on 3-5 March 2021, it suggests actions that can be taken to address such harm, including through changes in policy and operational practice by militaries and at the political level towards the development of an international political declaration on explosive weapons.

Moderator:

• Himayu Shiotani, Programme Lead for Conventional Arms, UNIDIR

Speakers:

• Alma Taslidzan Al-Osta, Arms Advocacy Manager, Humanity & Inclusion
• Richard Weir, Crisis and Conflict Researcher, Human Rights Watch
• Eirini Georgiou, Legal Advisor, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
• Laura Boillot, Coordinator, International Network on Explosive Weapons (INEW)