The Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), adopted in 1980 and entered into force in 1983, prohibits or restricts the use, in accordance with the principles of International Humanitarian Law, of certain conventional weapons deemed to be excessively injurious or to have indiscriminate effects on civilian populations. It is made up of a framework Convention containing general provisions and, at present, five Protocols that prohibit or limit the use of the following types of weapons:
- Weapons designed to injure through fragments that are undetectable in the human body by X-rays (Protocol I);
- Mines, booby-traps, and other devices (Protocol II);
- Incendiary weapons (Protocol III);
- Blinding laser weapons (Protocol IV);
- Explosive remnants of war (Protocol V).
To date, the Convention has 128 States Parties, including all major military powers.
An amended version of Protocol II was adopted on 3 May 1996 and entered into force on 3 December 1998. Dissatisfaction among many States and civil society, who were adovocating for a total ban of anti-personnel landmines, gave the initial impetus to the diplomatic process culminating in the adoption of the 1997 Ottawa Treaty. The original Protocol II remains in force for those States Parties that have not ratified its Amended version.
The distinctive characteristic of the CCW, due in part to its structure, lies in its flexibility – State Parties may choose which protocols to adhere to – and its ability to adapt to political and technological changes in the use of force. The original Treaty applied only to international armed conflicts between States. In light of the increasing prevalence of internal conflicts (e.g., civil or ethnic wars), in 2001, the CCW State Parties adopted an amendment to Article I, which entered into force in May 2004, extending the Convention’s scope to non-international armed conflicts.
From the point of view of institutional architecture, the CCW reflects its unique structure: participation in the framework convention and in the various protocols does not necessarly coincide, giving rise to multiple parallel legal regimes. All CCW Members take part in the annual Conference of the High Contracting Parties and Review Conferences (held every five years) which examine the status of implementation of the CCW and its Protocols, review the work of the Group of Government Experts (created in 2001) and determine its mandate. This mandate may involve analyzing specific topics or wapon systems, or negotiating a new Protocol.
Amended Protocol II (APII) and Protocol V have their own institutional mechanisms, including annual conferences. Amended Protocol II also provides for the possibility of establishing subsidiary bodies (such as groups of experts), while Protocol V allows meetings of experts to adress specific implementation challenges.
For some time the issue of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), whose growing use, particularly by non-state actors, is a major concern in the international community, has been included in the agenda of the Group of Experts of APII. Discussions have led to a fruitful exchange of information on incidents caused by IEDs, their effects, and possible preventive measures, and the potential use or adaptation of the CCW framework to reduce this threat.
Over the years, the Group has developed a compendium of guidelines, best practices and recommendations aimed at stemming the illicit trafficking or use of materials that can be used to build IEDs, which are regularly reviewed and updated. The GoE has also adopted a voluntary questionnaire designed to facilitate international cooperation against this growing threat.
In 2013 the CCW’s Group of Governamental Experts was tasked with addressing issues related to emerging technologies in the area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS), often referred as “killer robots”. In 2019, the Group adopted 11 Guiding Principles to be used as a basis for its consensus recommendations related to the clarification, consideration and development of aspects of the legal and operational framework on emerging technologies in the field of LAWS. The mandate of the GGE on LAWS was renewed during the Meeting of the High Contracting Parties to the CCW held from 15 to 17 November 2023. The Group is expected to present its conclusions at the next Review Conference in 2026.
As requested by UN General Assembly Resolution 78/241, the United Nations Secretary-General compiled a report containing Member States’ views on LAWS. Italy’s contribution, published in July 2024, can be accessed here: A-79-88-LAWS[1].
One of the most recent positive developments on issues related to those addressed within the CCW framework was the adoption of the Political Declaration on the Protection of Civilians from Humanitarian Consequences Arising from the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas (EWIPA) in November 2022 during a high-level international conference held in Dublin. The Political Declaration, resulting from a lengthy and complex negotiation process initiated in Geneva in 2019, aims at the ambitious goal of preventing, or more realistically, at least minimizing the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, given the inevitable and severe humanitarian consequences such use entails. The Declaration also includes an operational dimension, providing for periodic review mechanisms to assess the actual implementation of the commitments undertaken in Dublin by the signatory States. The Dublin Conference was followed by two Conferences to review the implementation of the Political Declaration: one held in Oslo in 2024 and one in San Jose in November 2025.
The Italian participation in the Convention
For Italy, which has ratified all five Protocols and subsequent amendments (Article 1 and Protocol II) of the Convention, the CCW represents a unique forum where the convergence of diverse expertise – diplomatic, legal, military – together with the valuable imput of civil society and specialized institutions, makes it possible to address new or emerging issues related to the use of force and the promotion and development of international humanitarian law. In this perspective, Italy continues to support the universalization process of the Convention and its annexed Protocols, as well as their implementation by the States Parties.
Italy also funds numerous international assistance programs, with particular focus on the clearance of mines and other unexploded ordnance, including cluster munitions, the destruction of existing stockpiles, and victim assistance. Furthermore, Italy encourages continued—and, where necessary, renewed—efforts by the Convention, particularly with respect to specific technologies deemed of particular relevance, such as Mines Other Than Anti-Personnel Mines (MOTAPM) and Improvised Explosive Devices.
Main Statements
Second meeting of the Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems, 01-05 September 2025:
Amb. Leonardo Bencini:
Meeting of the Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems, 4-8 March 2024:
Amb. Leonardo Bencini:
Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons 13 November 2023:
Amb. Leonardo Bencini
Meeting of the High Contracting Parties of the CCW 15-17 November 2023:
Cons. Eugenio Poti:
Documents and Resources
International Committee of the Red Cross: War and Law
Arms Control Association: “The Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons at a Glance”
