Depositary
STATUS AS AT : 13-05-2025 03:15:39 EDT
CHAPTER XXVI
DISARMAMENT
2. a Additional Protocol to the 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 (Protocol IV, entitled Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons)
Vienna, 13 October 1995
Entry into force
:
30 July 1998, in accordance with article 2 of the Additional Protocol.
Registration :
30 July 1998, No. 22495
Status :
Parties : 111
Text : Certified true copy
United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1380, p. 370; Doc. CCW/CONF.I/16 Part I).
Note :
At its 8 plenary meeting on 13 October 1995, the Conference of the States Parties to the 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 adopted pursuant to article 8.3 (b) of the Convention an additional Protocol entitled "Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons (Protocol IV)".
Participant
 Consent to be bound(P), Succession(d)
Afghanistan
  9 Aug 2017 P
Albania
 28 Aug 2002 P
Algeria
  6 May 2015 P
Antigua and Barbuda
 23 Aug 2010 P
Argentina
 21 Oct 1998 P
Australia
 22 Aug 1997 P
Austria
 27 Jul 1998 P
Bahrain
 11 Mar 2016 P
Bangladesh
  6 Sep 2000 P
Belarus
 13 Sep 2000 P
Belgium
 10 Mar 1999 P
Benin
 27 Sep 2019 P
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)
 21 Sep 2001 P
Bosnia and Herzegovina
 11 Oct 2001 P
Brazil
  4 Oct 1999 P
Bulgaria
  3 Dec 1998 P
Burkina Faso
 26 Nov 2003 P
Cabo Verde
 16 Sep 1997 P
Cambodia
 25 Mar 1997 P
Cameroon
  7 Dec 2006 P
Canada
  5 Jan 1998 P
Chile
 15 Oct 2003 P
China
  4 Nov 1998 P
Colombia
  6 Mar 2000 P
Costa Rica
 17 Dec 1998 P
Croatia
 25 Apr 2002 P
Cuba
 14 Nov 2012 P
Cyprus
 22 Jul 2003 P
Czech Republic
 10 Aug 1998 P
Denmark
 30 Apr 1997 P
Dominican Republic
 21 Jun 2010 P
Ecuador
 16 Dec 2003 P
El Salvador
 26 Jan 2000 P
Estonia
 20 Apr 2000 P
Finland
 11 Jan 1996 P
France
 30 Jun 1998 P
Gabon
 22 Sep 2010 P
Georgia
 14 Jul 2006 P
Germany
 27 Jun 1997 P
Greece
  5 Aug 1997 P
Grenada
 10 Dec 2014 P
Guatemala
 30 Aug 2002 P
Guinea-Bissau
  6 Aug 2008 P
Holy See
 22 Jul 1997 P
Honduras
 30 Oct 2003 P
Hungary
 30 Jan 1998 P
Iceland
 22 Aug 2008 P
India
  2 Sep 1999 P
Iraq
 24 Sep 2014 P
Ireland
 27 Mar 1997 P
Israel
 30 Oct 2000 P
Italy
 13 Jan 1999 P
Jamaica
 25 Sep 2008 P
Japan
 10 Jun 1997 P
Kazakhstan
  8 Jul 2009 P
Kuwait
 24 May 2013 P
Latvia
 11 Mar 1998 P
Lesotho
 25 Apr 2016 P
Liberia
 16 Sep 2005 P
Liechtenstein
 19 Nov 1997 P
Lithuania
  3 Jun 1998 P
Luxembourg
  5 Aug 1999 P
Madagascar
 14 Mar 2008 P
Maldives
  7 Sep 2000 P
Mali
 24 Oct 2001 P
Malta
 24 Sep 2004 P
Mauritius
 24 Dec 2002 P
Mexico
 10 Mar 1998 P
Mongolia
  6 Apr 1999 P
Montenegro 1
23 Oct 2006 d
Morocco
 19 Mar 2002 P
Nauru
 12 Nov 2001 P
Netherlands (Kingdom of the) 2
25 Mar 1999 P
New Zealand
  8 Jan 1998 P
Nicaragua
  5 Dec 2000 P
Niger
 18 Sep 2007 P
North Macedonia
 19 Mar 2007 P
Norway
 20 Apr 1998 P
Pakistan
  5 Dec 2000 P
Panama
 26 Mar 1997 P
Paraguay
  3 Dec 2008 P
Peru
  3 Jul 1997 P
Philippines
 12 Jun 1997 P
Poland
 23 Sep 2004 P
Portugal
 12 Nov 2001 P
Qatar
 16 Nov 2009 P
Republic of Moldova
  8 Sep 2000 P
Romania
 25 Aug 2003 P
Russian Federation
  9 Sep 1999 P
Saudi Arabia
  7 Dec 2007 P
Serbia
 12 Aug 2003 P
Seychelles
  8 Jun 2000 P
Sierra Leone
 30 Sep 2004 P
Singapore
 21 Sep 2023 P
Slovakia
 30 Nov 1999 P
Slovenia
  3 Dec 2002 P
South Africa
 26 Jun 1998 P
Spain
 19 Jan 1998 P
Sri Lanka
 24 Sep 2004 P
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
  6 Dec 2010 P
Sweden
 15 Jan 1997 P
Switzerland
 24 Mar 1998 P
Tajikistan
 12 Oct 1999 P
Trinidad and Tobago
 29 Jul 2024 P
Tunisia
 23 Mar 2006 P
Türkiye
  2 Mar 2005 P
Ukraine
 28 May 2003 P
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
 11 Feb 1999 P
United States of America
 21 Jan 2009 P
Uruguay
 18 Sep 1998 P
Uzbekistan
 29 Sep 1997 P
Declarations and Reservations
(Unless otherwise indicated, the declarations and
reservations were made upon concent to be bound or succession.)
Australia

Declaration:

       "It is the understanding of the Government of Australia that the provisions of Protocol IV shall apply in all circumstances."
Austria

Declaration:

       [Same declaration,  mutatis mutandis , as the one made by Ireland.]
Belgium

Declaration:

       It is the understanding of the Government of the Kingdom of Belgium that the provisions of Protocol IV which by their contents or nature may also be applied in peacetime, shall be observed at all times.
Canada 3

19 October 1998


Declaration:

       [Same declaration,  mutatis mutandis , as the one made by Ireland.]
Germany

Declaration:

       [Same declaration,  mutatis mutandis , as the one made by Ireland.]
Greece

Declaration:

       [Same declaration,  mutatis mutandis , as the one made by Ireland.]
Ireland

Declaration in relation to article 1:

       "It is the understanding of Ireland that the provisions of the Additional Protocol which by their contents or nature may also be applied in peacetime, shall be observed at all times."
Israel

Declaration:

       “With reference to the scope of application defined in Article 1 of the Convention, the Government of the State of Israel will apply the provisions of the Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons as well as the Convention and those annexed Protocols to which Israel has agreed to become bound, to all armed conflicts involving regular armed forces of States referred to in article 2 common to the Geneva Convention of 12 August 1949, as well as to all armed conflicts referred to in Article 3 common to the Geneva Convention of 12 August 1949.”
Italy

Declaration:

       [Same declaration,  mutatis mutandis , as the one made by Ireland.]
Liechtenstein

Declaration:

       [Same declaration,  mutatis mutandis , as the one made by Ireland.]
Netherlands (Kingdom of the)

Declaration:

With regard to Article 1:

       “The Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands takes the view that the provisions of Protocol IV which, given their content or nature, can also be applied in peacetime must be observed in all circumstances.”
Poland

Declaration:

       The Republic of Poland believes that the provisions of the Additional Protocol should also be applied during peacetime.
South Africa

Declaration:

       [Same declaration,  mutatis mutandis , as the one made by Ireland.]
Sweden

Declarations:

       "--Sweden intends to apply the Protocol to all types of armed conflict;

       - -Sweden intends to pursue an international agreement by which the provisions of the Protocol shall be applicable to all types of armed conflict;

       -- Sweden has since long strived for explicit prohibition of the use of blinding laser which would risk causing permanent blindness to soldiers. Such an effect, in Sweden's view is contrary to the principle of international law prohibiting means and methods of warfare which cause unnecessary suffering."
Switzerland

Declaration:

       [Same declaration,  mutatis mutandis , as the one made by Australia.]
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Declaration:

       ''In relation to Protocol IV, the Government of the United Kingdom declare that their application of its provisions will not be limited to the situations set out in Article 1 of the [1980] Convention."
United States of America

Understanding:

       “It is the understanding of the United States of America with respect to Article 2 that any decision by any military commander, military personnel, or any other person responsible for planning, authorizing or executing military action shall only be judged on the basis of that person’s assessment of the information reasonably available to the person at the time the person planned, authorized or

       executed the action under review, and shall not be judged on the basis of information that comes to light after the action under review was taken.”
End Note
1See note 1 under "Montenegro" in the "Historical Information" section in the front matter of this volume.
2 For the Kingdom in Europe.

Subsequently, on 28 April 2014, the Government of The Netherlands informed the Secretary-General  of the Territorial Application in respect of the Caribbean part of The Netherlands (Islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba).
3In keeping with the depositary practice followed in similar cases, the Secretary-General proposed to receive the declaration for deposit in the absence of any objection on the part of the Contracting States, either to the deposit itself or to the procedure envisaged, within a period of 90 days from the date of its circulation (i.e. 21 July 1998). None of the Contracting Parties to the Protocol having notified the Secretary-General of an objection within the 90 days period, the declaration was deemed to have been accepted for deposit upon the expiration of the 90 day period in question, i.e. on 19 october 1998.
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