Latin America says Stop Bombing Civilians

The Santiago Communiqué

On Thursday, 23 Latin and Central American States adopted the Santiago Communiqué to express "concern that explosive weapons used in populated areas cause deaths, injuries and traumas to civilians, damage and destroy essential infrastructure and critical services, drive involuntary displacement, leave explosive remnants of war that pose a threat in the long term, disrupt social coexistence, economic activities and compromise human security."

They also affirm the need to "alleviate humanitarian harm resulting from the effects of explosive weapons in populated areas."

The conference

The communiqué was published in the wake of a two-day conference aimed at raising awareness among Latin and Central American States on the bombing of civilians. The conference deepened their knowledge on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, allowed HI to raise awareness on the humanitarian impacts for civilians, to inform on different types of explosive weapons and their impact, and to advocate the need for stronger standards to protect civilians.

The participants

38 delegates took part in the meeting on behalf of 26 States: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Republica Dominicana, St Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Uruguay, and also Ireland, Mozambique and Norway.

3 representatives of UN Agencies and ICRC, survivors from Colombia, El-Salvador and Chile, as well as civil society campaigners, also participated.  It was 75 participants in total.