Ecuador 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, Ecuador 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 organizations and civil society organizations to draw upon their relevant expertise and support.1
Many of these elements were echoed in Ecuador’s statements to the consultations, in which it emphasised that the Political Declaration should address indirect, long-term, and reverberating effects of explosive weapons in populated areas, recognise the rights of victims and affected communities, and to provide adequate victim assistance to those affected, including family members of victims of use of explosive weapons in populated areas.2 Ecuador also said a gendered perspective and intergenerational approach should be reflected within the Declaration, including involvement of local communities and on victim assistance.3 Throughout the consultations, Ecuador consistently argued for the inclusion of an avoidance policy and presumption of non-use of explosive weapons in populated areas and opposed the use of qualifiers throughout the text of the declaration in phrases such as “harms which can arise from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.”4 As the text reached its final stages, Ecuador noted that the Declaration is just the beginning of the process, and that the implementation of the commitments and their follow-up will allow an evaluation of the real impact on the protection of civilians from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.5 At the signing ceremony in Dublin in November 2022, Ecuador called states to avoid the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, especially those with wide area effects and expressed hope that the Declaration opens up a new space for dialogue with states to improve their policies and practices.6
Statements and positions
Ecuador has, on several occasions, spoken on explosive weapons in populated areas in multilateral forums, primarily to emphasise the humanitarian impact of use of explosive weapons in populated areas and call for action. In its statement to the May 2019 UN Security Council open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict in May 2019, Ecuador reaffirmed the commitments it made in the Santiago Communiqué and emphasised that the humanitarian impact of the use of explosive weapons on civilian populations cannot be overlooked, reiterating its support for “an international Political Declaration that would enable and promote the best protection of civilians, mainly women, children, the elderly and persons with disabilities, in armed conflicts by preventing the use of long-range explosive weapons in populated areas.”.7 At the 76th UN General Assembly First Committee in 2021, Ecuador condemned the continued use of explosive weapons in populated areas8 and at the January 2022 UN Security Council open debate on war in cities Ecuador called on states to step up their efforts against the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.9
Ecuador has also repeatedly aligned with other states to deliver statements on explosive weapons in populated areas. Alongside 22 other Latin American and Caribbean states, Ecuador participated in the Santiago Regional Meeting on Protecting Civilians from the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas in 2018, resulting in the Santiago Communiqué10 in which the participating states agreed to take further action on the issue. In 2019, Ecuador 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 11.
At the UN Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict in May 2023, the Group of Friends of Action on Conflict and Hunger, of which Ecuador is a member, strongly welcomed the Political Declaration, called on other states to join it, and said that the Oslo Conference will provide a critical opportunity to make progress in implementing the Declaration.12