Belarus was elected Vice-President of the Fourth Review Conference of 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 (Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons/CCW).

Belarus participates in the work of this forum among other 110 states parties to the CCW. Vladimir Gerasimovich, the head of the international security and arms control department of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, made a speech at the general exchange of views. The diplomat noted that Belarus would like to contribute to the development of meaningful solutions during the Conference aimed at further strengthening of the Inhumane Weapons Convention. He also stressed that, while sharing the humanitarian concerns associated with the improper use of cluster munitions, Belarus believes that the new protocol should take due account of the interests of holders of this type of ammunition who are at different levels of technological and economic development.

At the conference the states parties are to undertake by-article review of the provisions of the Convention of 1980 and its additional protocols, to develop measures to improve their implementation at the national level and universalize the CCW and its protocols. The states parties are also expected to hold the final phase of negotiations on a new protocol under the Convention aimed at addressing humanitarian issues related to cluster munitions.