Summary

Non-signatory Bhutan has expressed interest in the Convention on Cluster Munitions but has not taken any steps to join it. Bhutan has participated in several meetings of the convention since 2015. It voted in favor of a key United Nations (UN) resolution promoting the convention in December 2021.

Bhutan has stated that it does not possess cluster munitions. It is not known to have used, produced, or transferred these weapons.

Policy

The Kingdom of Bhutan has not acceded to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Bhutan has never commented on its position on joining the convention, but officials have expressed the government’s support for the convention’s objectives.[1] In September 2019, a government representative told the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) that resource constraints have prevented Bhutan from undertaking the process necessary to accede to the convention.[2]

Bhutan did not participate in the Oslo Process that created the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Bhutan has participated as an observer in several meetings of the convention since 2015, most recently the Ninth Meeting of States Parties in Geneva in September 2019 and an Asia-Pacific workshop in Manila, the Philippines in June 2019.[3] Bhutan was invited to, but did not attend, the convention’s Second Review Conference held in November 2020 and September 2021, or the intersessional meetings held in May 2022

In December 2021, Bhutan voted in favor of a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution that urged states outside the convention to “join as soon as possible.”[4] Bhutan has voted in favor of the annual UNGA resolution promoting the convention since it was first introduced in 2015.

Bhutan is a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty. It is not party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW).

Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling

Bhutan is not known to have used, produced, transferred, or stockpiled cluster munitions. In 2010, a government representative said that Bhutan is a peaceful country that does not possess cluster munitions and has no plans to acquire them.[5]

Policy

The Kingdom of Bhutan acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty on 18 August 2005 and the treaty entered into force for the country on 1 February 2006. Bhutan has stated that the treaty is “self-enacting” under existing domestic law.[1]

In May 2013, Bhutan informed States Parties that “By the virtue of the Constitution of Bhutan, all international treaties and conventions are deemed as national laws. Furthermore, the Bhutan Civil and Criminal procedure code also contains relevant provisions, which would adequately cover implementation of the Convention for the time being.” The representative of Bhutan added, “the Royal Government will continue to adopt additional measures for implementation of the Convention as and when deemed necessary.”[2]

Bhutan has submitted three Article 7 reports to the treaty, in 2007, 2014, and 2018.

Bhutan attended the Fourteenth Meeting of States Parties in Geneva in November–December 2015, where it provided an update on its stockpile destruction and mine clearance efforts. Bhutan has not attended any subsequent meetings of States Parties.

On 12 December 2019, Bhutan voted in favor of the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 74/61, promoting the universalization of the Mine Ban Treaty.[3]

Bhutan is not a party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, nor the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW).

Use, transfer, production, stockpiling, and retention

Bhutan’s initial Article 7 report, submitted in 2007, acknowledged that it had imported and used antipersonnel mines in the past but did not produce them.[4] At that time, Bhutan declared a stockpile of 4,491 antipersonnel mines, all of which it stated it would retain for training purposes.[5] In May 2013, Bhutan informed States Parties that it retained 490 antipersonnel mines, which was subsequently the amount reported in Bhutan’s 2014 Article 7 report.[6] Bhutan has reported that, “Annually officers and troops undergo a week long training on basic mine laying and mine clearing and few of them undergo specialized training in mine clearing and removable [sic] of IEDs [improvised explosive devices].”[7]

Bhutan informed States Parties in December 2012 that subsequent to the submission of their initial Article 7 report, they had destroyed 2,370 MNM-14 and 2,183 M-16 antipersonnel mines that were “either unserviceable or expired.”[8] The number of mines it destroyed after 2007 was greater than the total stockpile declared by Bhutan in its initial Article 7 report. No explanation regarding the decision to reduce its mines retained or the change in numbers was provided.

In 2018, Bhutan reported that it retained 211 antipersonnel mines for training purposes.[9] It has not provided any details on the disposition of 279 antipersonnel mines between its current and previous Article 7 report.

Bhutan’s treaty-mandated deadline for destroying any stockpiled antipersonnel mines was 1 February 2010.