Libya has not yet 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, though it was present at the second round of consultations in Geneva in 20201 and at the Vienna Conference on the Protection of Civilians in Urban Warfare in 2019 where it stressed the importance of an implementation mechanism to the measures adopted in the declaration.2
Statements and positions
Libya has acknowledged the need to protect civilians from the humanitarian consequences from explosive weapons in populated areas as a member of the Arab Group. 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 drew attention to the Political Declaration, and the importance of strengthening civilian protection from the humanitarian consequences of explosive weapons in populated areas.3
As a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Libya 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.”4