Resolution 2564 (2024)1Provisional version

Post-conflict time: defusing ticking time bombs for a safe return of displaced populationsParliamentary Assembly

1. The Parliamentary Assembly is appalled by the Russian Federation’s ongoing war of aggressionagainst Ukraine, the latest in a series of dreadful wars which have scarred Europe since the 20th century. Thistragedy reminds us the fragility of peace on our continent and the importance of never ceasing in our efforts toprotect and consolidate our democratic societies.

2. Deploring the brutal violence and destruction of the war against Ukraine, and recalling Article 51 of theUnited Nations Charter, the Assembly reiterates the legitimate right of its member States to defend theirterritorial integrity against ongoing or imminent aggression with all their might and all the means at theirdisposal, and calls on the international community to uphold its efforts to support Ukraine in every waypossible.

3. All conflicts have immediate devastating consequences on civilians and on territories, not least throughthe widespread use of explosive weapons, especially cluster munitions. They also bring the long-termconsequences of the explosive remnants of war, particularly landmines and unexploded ordnance. The use ofexplosive weapons in populated areas often results in the displacement of people within and across borders,and later impedes their voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return.

4. Explosive ordnance has long-term effects on civilians, including physical, psychosocial and mental-health damage. Civilians are too often the collateral victims of conflicts and, post conflict, of landmines andexplosive remnants of war. Among them are migrants on their migration routes, with women and childrenbeing particularly exposed and paying a heavy price.

5. The Assembly recalls the “Memorandum on the human rights consequences of the war in Ukraine”issued by the former Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, in July 2022, in which she regrettedthat, despite some areas having been marked off by warning signage, injuries of civilians through explosiveremnants of war were said to occur on a daily basis.

6. Beyond the human toll, the use of explosive weapons has devastating effects on civilian infrastructureand services. Their use destroys infrastructure, such as roads, schools, healthcare facilities, housing andother civilian objects and has devastating effects on the functioning of essential services, such as drinkingwater, sanitation, food, gas and electricity supply systems.

7. Moreover, the use of explosive weapons has a catastrophic impact on agriculture and the environmentas a whole. The components of explosive weapons and their remnants contaminate soils, subsoils and watersources. They spread beyond populated areas, poisoning flora and fauna, and have a significant impact onentire ecosystems, which may take years, if not decades, to remedy.

1. Assembly debate on 27 June 2024 (22nd sitting) (see Doc. 15995, report of the Committee on Migration, Refugeesand Displaced Persons, rapporteur: Mr Domagoj Hajduković). Text adopted by the Assembly on 27 June 2024(22nd sitting).

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