Jordan has endorsed the Political Declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. It did not actively participate in the negotiations towards a Political Declaration.
Statements and positions
Jordan has on several occasions spoken on explosive weapons in populated areas in multilateral forums, both in its individual state capacity and in aligned group statements. At the February 2014 UN Security Council open debate on the protection of civilians Jordan condemned the use of EWIPA, noting that it demonstrates the failure of the international community to protect civilians. This, it said, must be tackled in an effective and resolute manner.1 During the UN General Assembly First Committee in 2023, Jordan referenced explosive weapon use by Israeli armed forces in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.2
Jordan has also condemned the use of EWIPA as a member of the Human Security Network at both the August 2013 Security Council open debate on the protection of civilians3 and the 2014 Security Council open debate on the protection of civilians.4 In these statements, the Human Security Network called for all parties to an armed conflict to refrain from using explosive weapons with a wide impact area in populated areas, emphasising that these weapons are indiscriminate within their zones of detonation and therefore pose unacceptable risks to civilians.
As a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Jordan aligned with World Humanitarian Summit Core Commitments to ‘Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity’ in May 2016, including 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.”5 At the Meeting of the High Contracting Parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons in 2024, a working paper submitted by the Arab Group, of which Jordan is a member, drew attention to the Political Declaration, and the importance of strengthening civilian protection from the humanitarian consequences of explosive weapons in populated areas.6