Overview
- The Cluster Munition Monitor, released Sept. 8–9, recorded at least 1,063 people killed or wounded by cluster munitions in 2025 and said the real toll is likely higher because many incidents go unreported.
- The report found that 87% of recorded casualties were civilians and that roughly two in five victims were children, highlighting the weapons’ long-term danger from unexploded bomblets.
- Ukraine accounted for the largest share of harm with at least 927 casualties, the highest national total for the fourth consecutive year and a dominant source of the 2025 total.
- Researchers documented use by non‑party states including Iran, Myanmar, Russia, Thailand and Ukraine, and they reported evidence of new production in countries such as China, Israel, North Korea and Russia, which risks weakening the global ban.
- The treaty faces mounting pressure because of funding shortfalls and policy moves that disrupted clearance work — notably a U.S. assistance freeze in February 2025 and reduced donor grants — and delegations in Vientiane must confront gaps in contamination clearance, survivor care and membership after Lithuania’s withdrawal.