Because I can’t make it to Dublin, I have signed a petition calling governments to support a treaty banning cluster bombs.
More than 100 governments have gathered in Dublin along with hundreds of representatives of non-governmental organizations. They are there with the common purpose of ridding the world of cluster munitions.
Cluster bombs have killed and injured thousands of civilians during the last 40 years and continue to do so today. They cause widespread harm on impact and yet remain dangerous, killing and injuring civilians long after a conflict has ended. One third of all recorded cluster munitions casualties are children. 60% of cluster bomb casualties are injured while undertaking their normal activities.
The Cluster Munition Coalition is a key sponsor. The International Committee of the Red Cross is there. The United Nations is involved.
In his opening remarks, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon emphasized the importance of ridding the world o, "Because they are inherently inaccurate and often malfunction, they are particularly indiscriminate and unreliable. This poses a very real danger to civilians, both at the time of use and long after conflicts have ended."
It promises to be a challenging, prossibly frustrating, task. But it is a key task to building a safer world. May God guide and bless those who undertake the task.