Speech at Convention on Cluster Munitions Signing Conference

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President, Ministers, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

This has been an exceptional day. I am deeply moved. I am tired, but delighted with our achievement.

Together we have added a new, important component to the international system set up to protect civilians during and after armed conflicts.

I am grateful for this opportunity to thank you all for sharing this day and evening with us here in Oslo. Right here at Akershus Castle, which has played a central role in Norwegian history for 700 years as a Royal residence and a military fort, and where so many dramatic, historical events have taken place. It was built for war, but it is now being used as a tool for peace.

I have given you all a small picture of one of the heroes of the work to ban cluster munitions. The picture shows Som Ouern, a man from Cambodia, holding hands with his son. He was not able to come to Oslo. Mr Som lost both his arms and also his eyesight when he was trying to destroy cluster munitions to protect his children from them. Mr Som says: “I knew how dangerous the bomblets were, but I saw my children playing with them and I had to do something to keep them safe”.

Let this picture, let these hands, these damaged fingers, be a constant reminder of the right we have to protect our children, and the obligation we have to make sure all people can do so, without being harmed or killed.

Let this picture also be a symbol of the enormous strength human beings can mobilise and find within themselves.

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The Convention on Cluster Munitions now (3 December) has 92 signatories, an impressive number for a first day.

More signatures will follow, and although we will continue to work together to make the Convention universal, it is in practice already established as the international norm.

Politically, the use of cluster munitions is no longer a viable option in warfare. Thousands of human lives will be saved because these weapons will not be used again.

This is a victory for civilians, for victims, for international humanitarian law, and for civil society. It is a victory for states and for political and diplomatic craftsmanship. It is a victory for the power of dialogue. It shows what can be achieved by listening, learning and responding.

There are – in my view – four key factors that explain our success:

First: the process and the Convention have been built on trust. Trust between civil society and states, trust between affected states and non-affected states, trust that extends across levels, regions and peoples.

There have been no hidden agendas. We have all shared a goal, we have all shared a common understanding of the urgency of our task.

Second –  confidence.

We were confident that we could do it, that we could make it. We were ambitious. We have worked hard together and we have fulfilled our ambitions.

Third – and perhaps the most significant factor: partnership.

States, civil society, the ICRC and the UN – and a whole range of other networks and actors – all working together. By respecting our different roles while listening carefully to each others’ experiences and needs, we have been able to focus – and to focus on solutions rather than problems.

Fourth –  ownership.

This has been an open and inclusive process. This has been a collective effort to enhance collective security. For all, for everyone.

Today we see ownership demonstrated in concrete terms. All of us here, together with many others around the globe, have a stake in this Convention.

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These four key factors sum up the spirit of the Convention on Cluster Munitions: trust, confidence, partnership and ownership.

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The next task is to implement the Convention.  We will all be its guardians. We will all be responsible for making it happen.

Today is a milestone, but it is not our destination. A lot of work lies ahead of us.

We will allocate special funds and other resources to support the Convention in the crucial time ahead. This will ensure that we can reach the next milestones – the entry into force of the Convention, and the first Meeting of States Parties to the Convention.

Our business in the future must be business as unusual. We must strive to make a difference through our actions every day. We must continue to pursue our goals in the spirit of the Convention on Cluster Munitions. In honour of fathers like Som Ouern and all the other courageous victims of these weapons.

Thank you.