Cluster munitions cause unacceptable suffering among civilians, during conflict and many years thereafter. Article 1 (1) c of the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) 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. Investments are active choices that facilitate the production of cluster munitions, and are in conflict with article 1 (1) c and the spirit of the Convention. Belgium, New Zealand, Ireland, Italy and Luxembourg have legislation in place that prohibits these kind of investments. France and the United Kingdom have given ministerial statements that affirmed that investing in cluster munitions producers is not allowed. Other countries, such as Australia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Colombia, Croatia, the Holy See, Hungary, Lebanon, Guatemala, Cameroon, Madagascar, Malawi, Malta, Mexico, Rwanda, Senegal, Lao PDR, and Zambia have made interpretive statements that reflect the interpretation that investments are prohibited by the CCM. Additionally, there are several countries, such as Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland, where parliamentary action to ban investments in cluster munitions is ongoing. In the Netherlands, motions have been adopted in the Parliament (2009) as well as in the Senate (2011) that call for a prohibition on financial investments in cluster munitions producers. In October 2011, the government stated it will install a prohibition on direct investments in cluster munitions producers. For an overview of existing legislation, legislation proposals and initiatives, and interpretive statements, click here.

 

In collaboration with Netwerk Vlaanderen, Belgium, IKV Pax Christi has carried out research on global financial institutions that invest in producers of cluster munitions. The report "Worldwide Investments in Cluster Munitions; a Shared Responsibility" was first published in October 2009. In the report, the authors call for national legislation which prohibits investments in cluster munitions, and call upon financial institutions to completely cease investments in cluster munitions producers. The first update of the report dates from April 2010. IKV Pax Christi and Netwerk Vlaanderen published the second update of the report in May 2011.

 

The reports’ Hall of Shame offers a list of financial institutions that recently invested in producers of cluster munitions. The Hall of Fame and the runners-up category show that disinvestment is possible. These lists give examples of financial institutions that took their responsibility and implemented a policy that bans investments in cluster munitions. In addition, the chapter on ‘Countries’ Best Practices’ highlights initiatives from states to ban investments in cluster munitions.　　

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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.