Vatican envoy seeks UN action to protect civilians from abandoned weapons, unexploded ordnance

November 09, 2015

The Vatican’s representative at UN offices in Geneva has called for international action to protect civilians from unexploded ordnance left over from military conflicts.

Archbishop Silvano Tomasi said that leftover explosives are creating the prospect of a “humanitarian catastrophe” in the future. He observed that unexploded shells—left by weapons with high failure rates—can kill or cripple civilians long after the end of a conflict. Moreover, abandoned weapons can fall into the hands of terrorists or criminals.

Archbishop Tomasi lamented that many nations that have signed international accords promising to protect civilians “seem very little willing to live up to their responsibility.” He said that existing UN accords should be strengthened to protect the innocent.

 

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Further information:

• Holy See: Munition remnants pose "humanitarian catastrophe" (Vatican Radio)