Summary

Non-signatory the Solomon Islands has shown interest in the Convention on Cluster Munitions, but has not taken any steps to join it. It last participated in a meeting of the convention in 2011. The Solomon Islands voted in favor of a key United Nations (UN) resolution promoting the convention in December 2021.

The Solomon Islands is not known to have ever used, produced, transferred, or stockpiled cluster munitions.

Policy

The Solomon Islands has not yet acceded to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. It has shown interest in the convention, but has not taken any steps to join.[1]

The Solomon Islands did not participate in the Oslo Process that created the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

The Solomon Islands has participated as an observer at the convention’s meetings, but not since 2011.[2] It has attended regional workshops on cluster munitions, most recently one hosted in Auckland, New Zealand in February 2018, which issued a declaration affirming “the clear moral and humanitarian rationale for joining” the Convention on Cluster Munitions.[3]

In December 2021, the Solomon Islands voted in favor of a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution urging states outside the Convention on Cluster Munitions to “join as soon as possible.”[4] It has voted in favor of the annual UNGA resolution promoting the convention since it was first introduced in 2015.

The Solomon Islands is a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty. It is not party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW).

Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling

The Solomon Islands is not known to have ever used, produced, transferred, or stockpiled cluster munitions.

Policy

The Solomon Islands signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 4 December 1997 and ratified it on 26 January 1999, becoming a State Party on 1 July 1999. The Solomon Islands has not taken action to enforce the antipersonnel mine prohibition domestically, but reported in 2018 that the government held a series of workshops in 2017 that resulted in an agreement to draft a new “UXO Act.”[1]

The Solomon Islands has not attended any recent meetings of the treaty. It did not attend the Third Review Conference in Maputo in June 2014. The Solomon Islands submitted its initial Article 7 transparency report on 11 February 2004, covering 1 July 1999 to 31 December 2004, and in 2018 provided its only updated report covering the period 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2017.  

The Solomon Islands is not party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons, nor is it party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Use, production, transfer, and stockpile

The Solomon Islands has never used, produced, exported, or imported antipersonnel mines, including for training purposes.

The Solomon Islands is contaminated by unexploded ordinance (UXO) from World War II.

In 2022, the Solomon Islands received a total of US$710,229 in international mine action assistance from two donors: Japan and the United States (US).[1] This represents a decrease of 11% from the $0.8 million received in 2021.

The contributions in 2022 went toward capacity-building and clearance of explosive remnants of war (ERW), implemented with national partners.

International contributions: 2022[2]

Note: ERW=explosive remnants of war; N/A=not applicable.

Five-year support for mine action

In the five-year period from 2018–2022, international mine action assistance to the Solomon Islands totaled approximately $2.1 million. No contributions were received in 2019 or 2020.

Summary of international contributions: 2018–2022[3]