Cluster munitions now stand out as the weapon category most in need of stronger national and international regulation in order to protect civilians during armed conflict. The immediate danger that cluster munitions pose to civilians during attacks due to their inaccuracy and wide dispersal pattern, the long-term danger they pose after conflict due to the high number of landmine-like submunitions duds, and the potential future dangers of widespread proliferation demand urgent action to bring the threat of cluster munitions under control.

Cluster munitions pose an especially high risk to civilians in the growing number of conflicts where they have been used. There are thirty-three producers and 58 countries that own cluster munitions around the world.

Within the CCW, 39 States Parties and two signatories have stockpiles of cluster munitions and/or are users of them:

Argentina, Belgium, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt (signatory), Finland, France, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Moldova, the Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sudan (signatory), Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uzbekistan.