Convention on Cluster Munitions
Austrian Federal Ministry of Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs
Dr. Wolfgang Bányai, Head of Unit Conventional Disarmament, C- and B-Weapons,
e-mail: wolfgang.banyai@bmeia.gv.at
Yes
Austria engages to promote the signing and ratification of the Oslo Convention by States which have not done so, and upholds its commitment to safeguard the humanitarian standards set by the Convention. Austria uses every possibility to promote universalization of the Convention by addressing the topic at every meeting of the Foreign Minister with his counterparts from countries not yet member of the Convention. Victim assistance remains one of the main concerns of Austria, which is evidenced by financial support to projects in this field (i.e. 2016 in Iraq, 2017 in Ukraine). Moreover, Austria consistently voices concern about allegations of the use of cluster munitions.
In this context, the Austrian Ministry of Defence was raising awareness about the humanitarian standards set by the Convention on Cluster Munitions on the occasion of the Vienna Course on International Law for Military Legal Advisers, where international law training is provided to about 200 military or civilian legal advisers in the Armed Forces or the Ministries of Defence from 30 European States as well as from the European External Action Service. Until 2016, the Austrian MoDS has organized the Vienna Course on International Law eight times and will organize the 9th Vienna Course on International Law for Military Legal Advisers in 2017/18. The humanitarian consequences related to the use of cluster munitions are a topic of the Vienna Course on International Law.