Vanuatu Becomes the 112th State Party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions

Geneva, 5 September 2025 – In a significant boost for humanitarian disarmament, the Republic of Vanuatu today deposited its instrument of accession to the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions with the United Nations Secretary-General. This action makes Vanuatu the 112th state to join the treaty that prohibits the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of cluster munitions.

The accession follows years of gradual alignment with the convention’s humanitarian goals. A non-signatory until now, Vanuatu had endorsed the treaty's principles since its inception, having participated in the Oslo Process that created it and joined in the consensus adoption of the convention in Dublin in 2008. Despite not attending the signing conference, Vanuatu has consistently voted in favor of the annual UN General Assembly resolution promoting the treaty since 2016.

Vanuatu’s instrument of accession, deposited on 5 September 2025, will bring the treaty into force for the nation on 1 March 2026. From this date, Vanuatu will be fully bound by the treaty’s obligations.

The Pacific nation has long stated that it does not use, produce, stockpile, or transfer cluster munitions, meaning its existing practice is already in line with the convention's core prohibitions. The decision to formally accede culminates a domestic process that began over a decade ago, with the Council of Ministers first considering a proposal for accession in 2011. 

Vanuatu’s accession strengthens the Pacific region’s leadership in humanitarian disarmament. It follows the Marshall Islands' ratification of the Mine Ban Treaty in March 2025 and Tonga’s accession to the same treaty in June 2025, further solidifying the region’s collective commitment to a future free from indiscriminate weapons.