A photo exhibition on the Convention of Cluster Munitions (CCM) hosted by the Norwegian Embassy and Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) will open on October 6 in Hanoi.

According to the embassy, the seven-day event aims to highlight the consequences of cluster munitions to humankind and aspects of the Convention that bans the use of these weapons.

At present, 26 countries around the world, including Vietnam, are suffering from the aftermath of cluster munitions used in wars. More recently, the use of these munitions in the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon has demonstrated the tragic consequences such weapons have for civilian populations.

The Norwegian government initiated the process towards an international ban on cluster munitions, through what is known as the Oslo process which came about as a response to the humanitarian problems caused by the use of cluster munitions.

The CCM was adopted in Dublin and signed in Oslo in 2008, and it became binding international law on August 1, 2010. Currently, 108 countries have signed and 42 states have ratified the Convention.

NPA is a major supplier of funding and technical advice for clearance operations and removal of unexploded ordnances. In addition, it provides information management support to national authorities./.