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Madagascar

HAS ENDORSED THE POLITICAL DECLARATION

Madagascar 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. At the signing ceremony, Madagascar expressed support for the Declaration, highlighting the humanitarian effects of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and saying that each state has an obligation to develop policies and practices consistent with existing law on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.1

Statements and positions

In 2017, Madagascar endorsed the communiqué arising from the Maputo Regional Meeting on Protecting Civilians from the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas.2 The Maputo Communiqué discussed the harms of explosive weapons in populated areas, the role of African states in working against it, and the need to create a Political Declaration on the matter. The 19 African states present agreed to work independently and cooperatively to, inter alia: avoid the use of explosive weapons with wide area effects in populated areas; encourage collection of data and information; fully support the process towards adoption of an international Political Declaration; promote bilateral and regional cooperation through sharing experiences, good practices and expertise on reducing the harm caused by explosive weapons to civilians; constructively engage in discussions and initiatives at international level that could effectively provide greater protection to civilians in armed conflicts; foster deeper and further engagement from African States; and strengthen cooperation and partnerships with international organizations and civil society organisations to draw upon their relevant expertise and support. In its statement during the General Debate of the 73rd UN General Assembly First Committee in 2018, Madagascar recalled the content of the Maputo Communiqué and expressed its concerns regarding the humanitarian impacts of explosive weapons in populated areas, particularly on civilians.3

Madagascar aligned with World Humanitarian Summit Core Commitments to ‘Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity’ 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.”4 In 2018 and 2019, Madagascar joined some 50 and 71 states respectively to endorse joint statements 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.5

  1. ‘Conférence de haut niveau pour adopter la Déclaration politique sur le renforcement de la protection des civils des conséquences humanitaires découlant de l’utilisation d’armes explosives dans les zones peuplées.’ Irish Department of Foreign Affairs. 18 November 2022. https://www.dfa.ie/media/dfa/ourrolepolicies/peaceandsecurity/ewipa/Madagascar_French.pdf.

  2. ‘Communiqué from Maputo Regional Conference on the Protection of Civilians from the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas’. INEW. 28 November 2017. Available from:  https://www.inew.org/maputo-regional-conference-on-the-protection-of-civlians-from-the-use-of-explosive-weapons-in-populated-areas/.

  3. ‘UNGA73 First Committee General Debate Statement’. Permanent Mission of Madagascar to the United Nations. 29 October 2018.  https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com18/statements/29Oct_Madagascar.pdf. 

  4. Agenda for Humanity. ‘Madagascar’. https://agendaforhumanity.org/stakeholders/commitments/212.html. 

  5. ‘UNGA73 First Committee Joint Statement on Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas (explosive weapons in populated areas)’. Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations. 25 October 2018. .https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com18/statements/25Oct_explosive weapons in populated areas.pdf; ‘UNGA74 First Committee Joint Statement on Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas’. Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations. 24 October 2019. Available from https://article36.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/UNGA74-joint-statement-on-explosive-weapons-in-populated-areas.pdf; ‘Seventy-one States call for Action on Impact of Explosive Weapons in Joint Statement to UN General Assembly’. International Network on Explosive Weapons. October 2019. Available from: https://www.inew.org/seventy-one-states-call-for-action-on-impact-of-explosive-weapons-in-joint-statement-to-un-general-assembly/.

Other State Positions