Niger 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.
Statements and positions
Niger has aligned with other states to deliver statements on explosive weapons in populated areas. At the UN Security Council open debate on the protection of civilians in May 2021, the A3+1 (of which Niger is a member, alongside Kenya, Tunisia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), condemned the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, highlighting the grave impacts for civilians.1 They also specifically expressed alarm at the bombings in Gaza and hostilities in the other occupied Palestinian territories, and called for full implementation of the ceasefire and provision of humanitarian assistance to Palestinians. At the UN Security Council open debate on the protection of civilians in May 2023, the Group of Friends of Action on Conflict and Hunger, of which Niger 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.2
As a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Niger 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.”3