Türkiye was actively involved in the process to develop a Political Declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, and was among the first group of states to endorse the Political Declaration in Dublin in November 2022.
Türkiye participated in the Vienna Conference on the Protection of Civilians in Urban Warfare in October 20191 and in the first round of consultations in Geneva in 2019.2 In the latter, it asserted that the Political Declaration should not aim to create new norms, and called for the consideration of non-state actors in the declaration, it its written contribution noting that care should be taken when using the term “non-state actor” due to its ambiguity.3 It reiterated these concerns in subsequent consultations, arguing that the Political Declaration should not open the door to NSAGs.4 Throughout the consultations, Türkiye emphasised the need to strengthen protection of civilians through enhancing existing international humanitarian law (IHL) rather than by establishing new rules, concepts or mechanisms.5 During the Dublin Conference in November 2022, Türkiye said it endorsed the declaration with the understanding that it is legally non-binding, and it does not create new obligations or reinterpret existing obligations. Türkiye also said that the term “non-state armed group” remains ambiguous.
Statements and positions
Türkiye attended the first international follow-up conference on the Political Declaration in Oslo, Norway in April 2024. At the conference, Türkiye re-stated that it endorsed the Declaration with the understanding that its commitments align with existing, applicable international law, including international humanitarian law and did not create new obligations. Türkiye said that the Declaration was an important instrument by which states show commitment to international humanitarian law. Türkiye also strongly condemned the indiscriminate use of explosive weapons in populated areas in ongoing conflicts and called out double standards in condemning this as undermining the Declaration6.
During the Meeting of the High Contracting Parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, Türkiye submitted a working paper in which it stated that “in line with the importance we attach to protection of civilians in armed conflict, we endorsed the Political Declaration” on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. It also expressed deep concern “with extensive use of explosive weapons in Gaza and continued export of weapons to Israel”, directly linking use and exports of explosive weapons, stating that this export was in “contradiction” with the commitments set out in the Political Declaration7.
Türkiye aligned with the World Humanitarian Summit Core Commitment to ‘Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity’ in its national capacity and as a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). 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”8.