Finland has acknowledged the harm caused by the use of explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA) and committed to action on the matter.
Statements
Finland delivered a statement on behalf of the Nordic countries during the 72nd UN General Assembly First Committee in October 2017 that called on countries to participate in the ongoing discussions on protecting civilians in conflict, drawing attention to the indiscriminate use of explosive weapons with wide area effects in populated areas, which cause a degree of civilian loss of life that is clearly disproportionate and in violation of international humanitarian law (IHL).[1]
Finland has also signed onto other joint statements by the Nordic Group that have drawn attention to the importance of adhering to IHL and avoiding the use of EWIPA, including at the UN Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict in 2012,[2] 2013,[3] 2014,[4] and 2016.[5] In these statements, the Nordic Group highlighted the use of EWIPA as an issue that requires immediate attention, including through robust data collection on its impact and the sharing of policies and practices to prevent the use of EWIPA. At the UN Security Council Open Debate War in Cities: Protection of Civilians in Urban Settings on 25 January 2022, the Nordic Countries jointly called on all parties to conflict to prevent civilian harm resulting from use of EWIPA, especially those with wide area effects.[6]
As a member of the European Union (EU), Finland has signed onto numerous joint statements condemning the use of EWIPA and the harms it causes to civilians and civilian objects, including during the UN Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict in 2011,[7] 2012,[8] and 2013.[9] The EU also spoke out against the use of EWIPA during the General Debate of the 72nd UN General Assembly First Committee in 2017, recognising its potential impact on civilians and calling on all parties to armed conflict to fully comply with IHL.[10] At the UN Security Council Open Debate War in Cities: Protection of Civilians in Urban Settings on 25 January 2022, the EU expressed concern with the indiscriminate use of EWIPA, including near hospitals, schools, and universities.[11]
Finland aligned with the World Humanitarian Summit Core Commitments to ‘Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity’ in its national capacity and 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.”[12]
In October 2018, Finland was one of 50 states to endorse the joint statement on the use of EWIPA at the UN General Assembly First Committee, calling attention to the devastating and long-lasting humanitarian impact of the use of EWIPA and urging states to reverse the trend of high levels of civilian harm.[13] Finland also endorsed the joint statement during the 74th United Nations General Assembly First Committee in 2019.[14] The statement encouraged states to participate in international efforts to address the impacts of the use of EWIPA on civilians, including by working towards the creation of an international political declaration on this issue.[15]
Political declaration
Finland has also been an active participant in the process toward a political declaration on the use of EWIPA. In the 2020 consultations for a political declaration, Finland suggested that the declaration include considerations of the environmental effects of the use of EWIPA. It also stressed the importance of specifying that all parties to a given conflict, including non-state actors, are bound by IHL.[16] Finland also suggested the addition of a reference to binding obligations to protect hospitals and demilitarised zones, and for the evacuation of civilians.[17]
During the 2021 consultations, Finland reaffirmed many of these positions. Finland expressed approval of the inclusion of the environmental effects which they had suggested the year prior.[18] Finland also commented on the need to include “all vulnerable groups” within provisions regarding victim assistance.[19]
[1] The Nordic Group (2017). ‘UNGA72 Statement by Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden’. https://www.un.org/disarmament/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/statement-by-norway-on-behalf-of-the-nordic-countries-.pdf.
[2] The Nordic Group (2012). ‘Nordic Group Statement during the June 2012 Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict’. https://undocs.org/en/S/PV.7019.
[3] The Nordic Group (2013). ‘Nordic Group Statement during the August 2013 Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict’. http://www.peacewomen.org/sites/default/files/european_union_poc_august_2013_debate_0.pdf.
[4] The Nordic Group (2014). ‘Nordic Group Statement during the February 2014 Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict’. https://undocs.org/en/S/PV.7109.
[5] The Nordic Group (2016). ‘Nordic Group Statement during the January 2016 Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict’. https://undocs.org/en/S/PV.7606.
[6] Ray Acheson, Reaching Critical Will (2022). ‘UN Security Council Debates War in Cities and the Protection of Civilians’. https://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/news/latest-news/16009-un-security-council-debates-war-in-cities-and-the-protection-of-civilians.
[7] European Union (2011). ‘EU Statement during the May 2011 Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict’. http://www.peacewomen.org/sites/default/files/eu_poc_11may2011_0.pdf.
[8] European Union (2012). ‘EU Statement during the June 2012 Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict’. http://www.peacewomen.org/security-council/security-council-open-debate-protection-civilians-armed-conflict-june-2012/.
[9] European Union (2013). ‘EU Statement during the August 2013 Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict’.
[10] European Union (2017). ‘UNGA First Committee Statement’. https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com17/statements/18Oct_EU.pdf
[11] Ray Acheson, Reaching Critical Will (2022). ‘UN Security Council Debates War in Cities and the Protection of Civilians’. https://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/news/latest-news/16009-un-security-council-debates-war-in-cities-and-the-protection-of-civilians.
[12] Agenda for Humanity Archives, ‘Denmark’. https://agendaforhumanity.org/stakeholders/commitments/152.html
[13] Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations (2018). ‘UNGA73 First Committee Joint Statement on Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas (EWIPA)’. https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com18/statements/25Oct_EWIPA.pdf.
[14] INEW (2019). ‘Seventy-one States call for Action on Impact of Explosive Weapons in Joint Statement to UN General Assembly’. https://www.inew.org/seventy-one-states-call-for-action-on-impact-of-explosive-weapons-in-joint-statement-to-un-general-assembly/.
[15] Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations (2019). ‘UNGA74 First Committee Joint Statement on Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas (EWIPA)’. https://article36.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/UNGA74-joint-statement-on-explosive-weapons-in-populated-areas.pdf.
[16] Permanent Mission of Finland to the United Nations (2020). ‘Written Submission’. https://www.dfa.ie/media/dfa/ourrolepolicies/peaceandsecurity/ewipa/Finland-Written-Submission—10-February-2020.pdf.
[17] Ray Acheson, Reaching Critical Will (2020). ‘Impacts, not Intentionality: The Imperative of Focusing on the Effects of Explosive Weapons in a Political Declaration’. https://reachingcriticalwill.org/news/latest-news/14658-impacts-not-intentionality-the-imperative-of-focusing-on-the-effects-of-explosive-weapons-in-a-political-declaration.
[18] Permanent Mission of Finland to the United Nations (2021). ‘Comments by Finland on the Draft Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences that Can Arise from the Use of Explosive Weapons with Wide Area Effects in Populated Areas’. https://www.dfa.ie/media/dfa/ourrolepolicies/peaceandsecurity/submissions3-5march/FINLAND-ewipa-kommentit-5.3.2021.pdf.
[19] Ray Acheson, Reaching Critical Will (2021). ‘Report on the March 2021 Consultations on a Political Declaration on the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas’. https://reachingcriticalwill.org/news/latest-news/15213-report-on-the-march-2021-consultations-on-a-political-declaration-on-the-use-of-explosive-weapons-in-populated-areas.