The Protocol on Explosive Remnants of War (Protocol V) to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects, was adopted at a meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Convention on 28 November 2003 and entered into force on 12 November 2006.
The Convention acts as a framework document, supplemented by five protocols, to establish prohibitions and restrictions on the use of weapons which cause unnecessary suffering and superfluous injury to military personnel and the civilian population.
Having studied the situation and reached the conclusion that one of the main sources of deaths and injuries among civilians and military personnel are caused by explosive remnants of war (unexploded ordnances and abandoned explosive ordnances), the High Contracting Parties to the Convention have committed to take measures to clear their territories of such explosive remnants of war following the cessation of active hostilities.
The Protocol on Explosive Remnants of War (Protocol V) to the Convention, designed to deal with the post-conflict humanitarian problems caused by explosive remnants of war, was adopted at a meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Convention in Geneva on 28 November 2003 and developed with active Russian participation.
The Protocol obliges States Parties to facilitate the clearance, removal or destruction of explosive remnants of war on their territory after the cessation of hostilities.
It indicates the desire of the Contracting Parties to cooperate both among themselves and with relevant regional, international and non-governmental organisations to address the problem of explosive remnants of war, as well as in making recommendations on the technical characteristics of weapons and their applications. The effects of the Protocol apply only to future armed conflicts.
During work on the Protocol it was possible to prevent the adoption of legally-binding engagements and military technical standards of production related to using and transferring weapons, which a number of western countries insisted on under the pretext that these standards would increase the reliability of weapons, but which Russia did not approve of.
The application of the Protocol contributes to the further development of humanitarian law, and diminishes suffering and deaths among civilians and military personnel.
To date, 35 States have agreed to be bound by the Protocol. They include most European Union countries and India.
Given the increased importance of the problems of using ”inhumane weapons“, as well as the attention paid to these weapons by the international community, the ratification of the Protocol will help to strengthen Russia’s international position and demonstrate its commitment to respect the principles of international humanitarian law.