Colombia 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.
In the first informal consultations on the Declaration in November 2019, Colombia delivered a joint statement with seven other Latin American and Caribbean states. In this statement, states delineated key elements of a Political Declaration on explosive weapons in populated areas including: acknowledgement of the likely humanitarian consequences of the use of explosive weapons of wide area effects in populated areas; a commitment to avoid use of such weapons in populated areas and to develop military operational policies and procedures in this regard and identify, develop and exchange best practices; promote greater compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law; commit states to enable secure and sustainable humanitarian access; recognise the rights of victims and affected communities; encourage collection of disaggregated data; strengthen cooperation and partnerships with international organisations and civil society organisations to draw upon their relevant expertise and support.1
Colombia echoed many of these priorities in its statements during the consultation process where it also emphasised that existing International Humanitarian Law (IHL) provides sufficient regulation on explosive weapons in populated areas if fully implemented and expressed that the Political Declaration should draw a distinction between lawful and unlawful uses of explosive weapons in populated areas by focussing on indiscriminate use2 Colombia also urged the Political Declaration to call on non-state actors to adhere to IHL and reflect that they carry out indiscriminate attacks without taking precautions.3 At the fourth round of consultations, it also echoed the UK and Israel’s suggestion to have clear references to the use of explosive weapons by non-state actors, and urged the states to define the term “reverberating effects”.4
Statements and priorities
Colombia attended the first international follow-up conference on the Political Declaration in Oslo, Norway in April 2024. In a statement, Colombia reiterated the risks faced by civilians from the growing use of explosive weapons as set out in the Declaration, and emphasised that experience shows that the use of explosive weapons in populated areas have devastating and long lasting direct and indirect effects. Colombia stated that it had guided its armed forces to implement the Declaration, but admitted that the challenge for the defence and security sector is to develop and materialise changes. The country emphasised its adherence to international humanitarian law, and the importance of understanding the operational context. It also highlighted its collaboration on IHL implementation with international partners and civil society.5
Alongside 22 other Latin American and Caribbean states, Colombia participated in the Santiago Regional Meeting on Protecting Civilians from the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas in 2018, resulting in the Santiago Communiqué6 in which the participating states agreed to take further action on the issue. In 2019, Colombia 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.7