Rain Liivoja
University of Queensland
Introduction
The Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) is a key treaty for the regulation of conventional weapons for humanitarian reasons. The CCW is a framework instrument, with its individual protocols containing the substantive rules on the prohibitions or restrictions on the use of certain weapons. There are currently five protocols to the CCW.
Much of the travaux préparatoires of the these instruments is available electronically on the UN and ICRC websites but it can be difficult to locate. This site seeks to provide a systematic guide to the documents, along with links.
Note that links to UN documents are somewhat temperamental and might not open on first attempt. Also, some links do not work unless UN’s Official Document System (ODS) is already open in another browser tab.
Convention and Protocols
| Title | Adoption | Entry into force | Citation | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons which may be deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to have Indiscriminate Effects | Geneva | 10 Oct 1980 | 2 Dec 1983 | 1342 UNTS 137 | Status |
| Protocol on Non-Detectable Fragments (Protocol I) | Geneva | 10 Oct 1980 | 2 Dec 1983 | 1342 UNTS 168 | Status |
| Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Mines, Booby-Traps and Other Devices (Protocol II) | Geneva | 10 Oct 1980 | 2 Dec 1983 | 1342 UNTS 168 | Status |
| Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Incendiary Weapons (Protocol III) | Geneva | 10 Oct 1980 | 2 Dec 1983 | 1342 UNTS 171 | Status |
| Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons (Protocol IV) | Vienna | 13 Oct 1995 | 30 Jul 1998 | 2024 UNTS 163 | Status |
| Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Mines, Booby-Traps and Other Devices as amended on 3 May 1996 (Amended Protocol II) | Geneva | 3 May 1996 | 3 Dec 1998 | 2048 UNTS 93 | Status |
| Amendment to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons which may be deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to have Indiscriminate Effects | Geneva | 21 Dec 2001 | 18 May 2004 | 2260 UNTS 82 | Status |
| Protocol on Explosive Remnants of War (Protocol V) | Geneva | 28 Nov 2003 | 12 Nov 2006 | 2399 UNTS 100 | Status |
Timeline
Last updated on 11 February 2024. Comments or corrections are welcome and may be sent to .