Maldives
Cluster Munition Ban Policy
Summary
The Maldives acceded to the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 27 September 2019. It has participated in the convention’s meetings, most recently in September 2021. The Maldives voted in favor of a key United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution promoting the convention in December 2021.
In its initial Article 7 transparency report for the convention, provided in August 2020, the Maldives formally confirmed that it has never used, produced, or stockpiled cluster munitions.
Policy
The Republic of Maldives acceded to the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 27 September 2019 and became a State Party on 1 March 2020.
The Maldives regards its existing laws and regulations as “sufficient to cover the implementation measures” of the convention.[1]
The Maldives submitted its initial Article 7 transparency report for the convention on 28 August 2020. It provided updated annual reports in 2021 and 2022, indicating no changes from the initial report.[2]
The Maldives did not participate in the Oslo Process that created the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
Various government officials expressed interest in the convention before the Maldives acceded in September 2019.[3] The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdulla Shahid, tweeted that he was “proud” to deposit the instrument of accession during the opening of the 2019 UNGA in New York.[4]
The Maldives has attended several of the convention’s Meetings of States Parties, and participated in the Second Review Conference held in November 2020 and September 2021.[5]
In December 2021, the Maldives voted in favor of a key UNGA resolution that urged full implementation of the convention.[6] The Maldives has voted in favor of the annual UNGA resolution promoting the convention since it was first introduced in 2015.
The Maldives has also voted in favor of UNGA resolutions condemning use of cluster munitions in Syria.[7]
The Maldives has not elaborated its views on certain important issues relating to the convention’s interpretation and implementation, including Article 21 on relations with states not party to the convention, and the prohibitions on transit, foreign stockpiling, and investment in production.
The Maldives is a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty. It is also party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW).
Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling
In its initial transparency report for the convention, the Maldives formally confirmed that it has never produced cluster munitions and does not possess any stockpiles, including for training and research purposes.[8]
The Maldives has never used cluster munitions.
[1] Maldives Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form A, 30 April 2022. See, Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Database.
[2] The initial Article 7 report covered an unspecified period, while the updated reports provided in 2021 and 2022 covered activities during the previous calendar year.
[3] In January 2019, a Ministry of Defense representative discussed the matter with the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) Sri Lanka representative. Abhayagunawardena, Vidya (Vidyampa), “The Forum on Disarmament & Development (FDD) of @SriLanka met the Maldives National Defence Force @MNDF_Official in Male today & encouraged @Maldives to accede to the Convention on Cluster Munitions @ISUCCM Arms Trade Treaty @ATT_PS & Nuclear Ban Treaty @nuclearban We are hopeful!” 22 January 2019, 09:50 UTC. Tweet. In October 2017, a representative also said the Office of the Attorney General was reviewing the convention as a first step in the process of accession. Monitor interview with Laila Shareef, Second Secretary, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Maldives to the UN, New York, 13 October 2017.
[4] Shahid, Abdulla (abdulla_shahid), “Proud to submit the instrument of ratification for the Convention on Cluster Munitions #CCM on behalf of #Maldives today. We will support global efforts to ban the use of this horrible weapon, which leaves a lasting legacy of untold human suffering for innocent civilians.” 27 September 2019, 10:21 UTC. Tweet.
[5] The Maldives participated in the convention’s First Meeting of States Parties in Vientiane in November 2010, and the Ninth Meeting of States Parties in Geneva in September 2019.
[6] “Implementation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions,” UNGA Resolution 76/47, 6 December 2021.
[7] “Situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic” UNGA Resolution 75/193, 24 December 2021. The Maldives voted in favor of similar UNGA resolutions from 2013–2020.
[8] Maldives Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Forms B, C, D and E, 31 August 2020. The Maldives answered “NIL” on all of these forms.