São Tomé and Principe
Cluster Munition Ban Policy
Summary
São Tomé and Príncipe ratified the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 27 January 2020. It has participated in meetings of the convention, most recently in May 2022. São Tomé and Príncipe voted in favor of a key United Nations (UN) resolution promoting the convention in December 2021.
São Tomé and Príncipe states that it has never used or stockpiled cluster munitions, and it is not known to have produced or transferred them. However, São Tomé and Príncipe must provide a transparency report for the convention to formally confirm its cluster munition-free status.
Policy
The Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 3 December 2008, ratified it on 27 January 2020, and became a State Party on 1 July 2020.
São Tomé and Príncipe has not indicated if it will enact specific legislation to guide and enforce its implementation of the convention.
São Tomé and Príncipe’s initial Article 7 transparency report for the convention was due by 28 December 2020, but had not been submitted as of August 2022.
During the Oslo Process, São Tomé and Príncipe participated in the formal negotiations of the Convention on Cluster Munitions in Dublin in May 2008, where it supported a comprehensive ban without exceptions.[1]
São Tomé and Príncipe has participated in several meetings of the convention, including the Ninth Meeting of States Parties in Geneva in September 2019, and the intersessional meetings held in May 2022.[2]
In December 2021, São Tomé and Príncipe voted in favor of the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution urging states outside the Convention on Cluster Munitions to “join as soon as possible.”[3]
São Tomé and Príncipe has voted in favor of UNGA resolutions condemning use of cluster munitions in Syria.[4]
São Tomé and Príncipe has not shared 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 investments in cluster munition production.
São Tomé and Príncipe 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
In September 2019, São Tomé and Príncipe stated that it does not possess cluster munitions, which it described as a “scourge to humanity.”[5] Previously, São Tomé and Príncipe stated that it had never used cluster munitions.[6] It is not known to have ever produced or transferred cluster munitions.
São Tomé and Príncipe must submit an Article 7 transparency report for the convention to formally confirm its cluster munition-free status.
[1] For details on São Tomé and Príncipe’s policy and practice regarding cluster munitions through early 2009, see Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Landmine Action, Banning Cluster Munitions: Government Policy and Practice (Ottawa: Mines Action Canada, May 2009), p. 149.
[2] São Tomé and Príncipe participated in the Meetings of States Parties held in 2010, 2012–2013 and 2017–2019, as well as regional workshops on the convention. It did not attend the First Review Conference in September 2015 or the Second Review Conference held in November 2020 and September 2021.
[3] “Implementation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions,” UNGA Resolution 76/47, 6 December 2021. São Tomé and Príncipe voted in favor of the annual UNGA resolution in 2018–2020, but was absent for the vote on previous UNGA resolutions promoting the convention in 2015–2017.
[4] “Situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic,” UNGA Resolution 74/169, 18 December 2019. São Tomé and Príncipe abstained from the vote on a similar UNGA resolution on Syria in December 2020.
[5] Statement of São Tomé and Príncipe, Convention on Cluster Munitions Ninth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 2 September 2019.
[6] Statement of São Tomé and Príncipe, Convention on Cluster Munitions Signing Conference, Oslo, 3 December 2008.