Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein was not directly involved in the process to develop a Political Declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. It was, however, among the first group of states to endorse the Political Declaration in Dublin in November 2022.

Statements and positions

Liechtenstein attended the first international follow-up conference on the Political Declaration in Oslo, Norway in April 2024. At the conference, Liechtenstein stated it was “appalled by the steep upsurge in the number of civilians harmed by the use of explosive weapons in populated areas”. It urged “all armed forces to establish clear responsibilities and internal procedures for identifying and responding to civilian harm.”1 

Liechtenstein also “encouraged the international community to recognise and support the importance of data collecting on casualties through national authorities, international organisations and civil society actors.” It welcomed efforts by the UN to “collect comprehensive and verifiable data on civilian casualties in a large number of conflicts” and stated that it was a member of the core group and penholder of the resolution on the human rights impact of casualty recording at the UN Human Rights Council in its 50th Session. In addition, Liechtenstein stated that “in order to fully understand the negative impacts of” the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, data collection, beyond fatality numbers, must be collected. For example, it suggested that improved occupational information about victims could “contribute to the quality of assessments of possible societal impacts of armed conflicts and enable improvements to the flow and coordination of humanitarian aid, including the activities of the ICRC.” Liechtenstein strongly encouraged the collection of new and additional information on the impact of explosive weapons to take use of and adapt existing mechanisms and called for standardisation, stating that “the true value of information can only be unlocked, if the available data is comparable and reliable.”2 

At the conference Liechtenstein also emphasised the importance of highlighting the voices of people from affected communities, stating that they are often the experts of the impact of explosive weapons. “Civilan organisations - including but not limited to healthcare providers, faith leaders, journalists and human rights groups - have unparalleled access to information about victims. Liechtenstein therefore encourages armed forces, international organisations and national authorities to engage directly with civilian casualty recorders to better understand and address the impact of their military operations.”3 

Liechtenstein has spoken on explosive weapons in populated areas in multilateral forums, primarily to express concern over the harms caused to civilians. Liechtenstein issued statements on explosive weapons in populated areas during UN Security Council open debates on the protection of civilians in armed conflict in 20104 and in August 2013, Liechtenstein called on all parties in conflict to strictly respect the principles of distinction and proportionality and avoid the use of explosive force in densely populated areas.5 In 2024, Liechtenstein “noted that the widespread use in armed conflicts of explosive weapons in populated areas is a particularly disturbing trend in the violation of international humanitarian law.”6 In 2024, Liechtenstein called upon all states that have not yet done so to endorse the Political Declaration “and to fully and effectively implement it” both at the Security Council debate and UN General Assembly First Committee General debate7 At the latter, Liechtenstein also expressed concern about the increase in conflicts taking place in populated areas, as well as the use of explosive weapons herein, which has had a devastating impact on civilians. Liechtenstein expressed concern for the particularly alarming level of use of explosive weapons in Gaza, but also in Ukraine, Sudan and Myanmar, with immense humanitarian costs.8 At the UN General Assembly First Committee General Debate in October 2016, Liechtenstein expressed concern over explosive weapons in populated areas and support for the UN Secretary General’s “call upon parties to conflicts to refrain from using these weapons and to elaborate a political commitment to this effect”.9 

Alongside its individual statements, Lichtenstein has repeatedly aligned with other states to deliver statements on explosive weapons in populated areas. As a member of the European Union (EU), Liechtenstein has signed onto numerous joint statements condemning the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and the harms it causes to civilians and civilian objects, as well as calling for greater IHL compliance. This includes at several UN Security Council open debates on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict10 and at the General Debate of UN General Assembly First Committee,11  as well as at the 2022 UN Security Council open debate on War in Cities where the EU expressed concern over the indiscriminate use of explosive weapons in populated areas, including near hospitals, schools, and universities.12 The EU, with Liechtenstein signing on, has also repeatedly welcomed the Political Declaration on explosive weapons in populated areas – at the 2022 Dublin Conference, the 2022 and 2023 UN General Assembly First Committee (where it highlighted the work ahead for implementing the Declaration’s commitments), and at the 2023 UN Security Council open debate on the Protection of Civilians.  

Liechtenstein also aligned with the World Humanitarian Summit Core Commitments to ‘Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity’ 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.”13 It also aligned with the Commitment 123002 at the World Humanitarian Summit in May 2016, reinforcing the commitment to data collection on the impacts of explosive weapons in populated areas, to exchange of best practices, and to explore effective measures to ensure respect for International Humanitarian Law (IHL), including a Political Declaration on the issue.14