Cluster munitions cause unacceptable suffering among civilians, during conflict and many years thereafter. Article 1c of the Convention on Cluster Munitions states: "Each State Party undertakes never under any circumstances to assist, encourage or induce anyone to engage in any activity prohibited to a State Party under this Convention." IKV Pax Christi interprets this article as such that the prohibition on assistance also means a ban on investments in cluster munitions. Investment, lending and such are active operations that make it possible for a company to produces cluster munitions, and this goes against Article 1c and the nature of the Convention. In collaboration with Netwerk Vlaanderen, Belgium, IKV Pax Christi has done research on global financial institutions that invest in producers of cluster munitions. In this report, IKV Pax Christi calls for national legislation which prohibits investment in cluster munitions, and it calls on financial institutions to completely eliminate investments in cluster munitions producers. The research will also show examples of countries that already have made laws, and financial institutions who have taken their responsibility and banned investment in cluster munitions completely.

 

The research results are incorporated in the report Worldwide Investments in Cluster Munitions, a Shared Responsibility.

 

The research results are updated in December 2009.

See the Explosive Investments campaign toolkit and find out what you can do!

For more on Stop Explosive Investments, check the campaign website here. For a short film on the official presenation of the report in London and a newsitem on the publication, see below.