Recently, 111 countries signed a treaty that would ban the use cluster bombs in those respective countries. A few major world powers were absent from the meeting notably, The United, Russia, China and Israel. Here’s and article on the subject and the dangers of these cluster bombs. 
DUBLIN (AFP) — A landmark international convention banning cluster munitions was formally adopted by 111 countries here Friday, in a move organisers hope will stigmatise the lethal weapons as much as landmines.
Diplomats adopted the treaty without objection at the end of 12 days of robust negotiation at Croke Park stadium in the Irish capital.
The wide-ranging pact bans the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions. It also provides for helping victims and clearing contaminated areas within 10 years.
The treaty requires the destruction of stockpiles within eight years — though it leaves the door open for future, more precise generations of cluster bombs that pose less harm to civilians.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hailed it as “a new international standard that will enhance the protection of civilians, strengthen human rights and improve prospects for development.”
The convention is due to be signed in Oslo on December 2-3. It comes into force once 30 states have ratified it.
Politicians and campaigners described the adoption as hugely significant, despite the absence of the United States, China, Russia, Israel, India and Pakistan — all major cluster bomb stockpilers and producers.
But supporters said they hoped the treaty would pressure them to change track or shame them into not using cluster bombs.
“We all know that there are important states not present, but I am convinced that we will have succeeded in stigmatising any future use of cluster munitions,” Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, whose country spearheaded the process, said in Oslo that “the door is open” to other states.
“We have created a framework which is now allowing countries to join and I hope to see that,” he said.
Alongside him, British counterpart David Miliband, whose country dropped objections to the draft treaty on Thursday, breaking the deadlock in Dublin, added: “It’s up to us to make sure it generates momentum in the process.”
Slovenia, which currently holds the European Union presidency, said the new convention would have “a tremendous positive influence on the ground”.
The United States has defended its non-attendance, saying it was “deeply concerned” about the humanitarian impact of cluster bombs and all weapons of war, despite “disagreements” about the best way forward.
Dropped from planes or fired from artillery, cluster bombs explode in mid-air, scattering bomblets, with many civilians having been killed or maimed in heavily-bombed countries like Laos, Vietnam and Afghanistan by their indiscriminate, wide area effect.
They also pose a lasting threat as many bomblets fail to explode on impact.
Norwegian Deputy Defence Minister Espen Barth Eide told AFP that countries wanted their military actions to be seen as legitimate, and compared the potential impact of the Dublin text to the 1997 Ottawa Treaty on landmines.
“With the landmine treaty, the US did not sign it but we don’t really care because they behave as if they have signed it because they recognise they are morally outlawed,” he said.
The Cluster Munition Coalition, an umbrella group of non-governmental organisations, said it would now be “politically impossible” for countries to use such weapons without a backlash.
It was “deeply disappointed” by an article on how countries may assist non-signatory states and said it would work to ensure it did not become a “loophole”.
Steve Goose, from Human Rights Watch, said they would pressure signatories to clear non-signatories’ stockpiles from their soil.
“This treaty will make the world a safer place for millions of people. Cluster munitions have been tossed on the ash heap of history,” he said.
Afghan campaigner Soraj Ghulam Habib, who was 10 when his legs were blown off by a cluster bomb, said he now felt his suffering was not in vain.
“Victims need a lot of support and now work can be done to make victims self-reliant, not let them be like beggars on the street,” the 17-year-old told AFP.
“I hope that cluster munitions will never again be used by any states.”
Here’s is some information from The Guardian.
What are cluster bombs?
Cluster bombs consist of a single, large bomb unit that is either dropped from the air or fired by a launcher. The unit splits into many dozens of tiny, explosive “bomblets” that can spread over hundreds of square metres before reaching the ground. The bomblets, which are about the size of a soft drinks can, contain fragments of metal and are designed to detonate on impact.
What is their intended use?
Because they spread out over such a wide area cluster bombs are viewed as particularly effective against ground troops, although anti-tank variants and other types are also used.
Why are they so controversial?
Cluster bombs are indiscriminate in that they maim and kill people over a large area. Additionally, a small percentage of the bomblets – often estimated at around 7% to 10%, depending on the type – fail to detonate on hitting the ground. They can be accidentally triggered by civilians years later. The bomblets are often brightly coloured, making them attractive for children to pick up.
How many people are harmed?
The only organisation that has attempted to measure the numbers injured or killed by cluster bombs is Handicap International. In a 2006 report, based on research in 24 countries, it uncovered more than 11,000 confirmed casualties, of whom 98% were civilians. Extrapolated worldwide, the total casualty figure could be as high as 100,000, according to the charity.
Where have cluster bombs been used?
Handicap International has compiled a list of countries and regions affected by unexploded cluster bombs: Afghanistan, Albania, Bosnia, Cambodia, Chad, Croatia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Israel, Kosovo, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Montenegro, Western Sahara, Chechnya, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan and Vietnam.
Does the UK still use cluster weapons?
Yes. The British military continues to use them 10 years after it banned the use of landmines in 1998. The British army dropped 113,190 of two cluster bomb types in Iraq, according to Ministry of Defence figures, and 78,057 in Kosovo, according to Nato figures. In March 2007 the defence secretary, Des Browne, withdrew two “dumb” cluster munitions from service: the airdropped BL755 and the rocket-launched M26.
The MoD still uses the M85, an Israeli-made cluster bomb with a built-in self-destruct mechanism intended to prevent unexploded bomblets littering a landscape. The manufacturers claim a failure rate of just 0.06%, but critics say this is actually far higher when the bombs are used.
The UK also continues to use the helicopter-launched M73, which the MoD says does not count as a cluster bomb as it subdivides into just nine smaller devices. Opponents say the large number of bombs that can be fired at once means hundreds of bomblets can end up falling.
