Full text in PDF format - International Committee of the Red Cross

Weapons
The parties to an armed conflict do not have an unlimited right to
choose the means and methods of warfare. International humanitarian
law prohibits in particular the use of weapons that have indiscriminate
effects or that cause superfluous damage or unnecessary suffering.
Based on these criteria, several instruments of international
humanitarian law seek to restrict or ban the use of certain weapons.
1. Participation in Relevant
Treaties
1972 Convention on the Prohibition
of Biological Weapons
The 19 2 Convention on the Prohibition
of the Development, Production
and Stockpiling of Bacteriological
(Biological) and Toxin Weapons
and on their Destruction seeks to
exclude completely the possibility of
bacteriological (biological) agents
and toxins being used as weapons.
It is worth noting that this Convention
is supplementary to the 1925
Protocol for the Prohibition of the
Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous
or other Gases, and of Bacteriological
Methods of Warfare.
The 19 2 Convention has been ratified
by 152 States, 32 of which are
American.
1993 Convention on the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
The 1993 Convention on the Prohibition
of the Development, Production,
Stockpiling and Use of
Chemical Weapons and on Their
Destruction seeks to exclude completely
the possibility of the use of
chemical weapons. Similar to the
19 2 Convention on Chemical
Weapons, this convention complements
and reinforces several aspects
of the 1925 Geneva Protocol
for the Prohibition of the Use in
War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or
Other Gases, and of Bacteriological
Methods of Warfare.
The 1993 Convention has been ratified
by 1 0 States. In the Americas,
32 States are now Parties to this treaty.
It is worth mentioning that on
February 22nd, 200 , Haiti deposited
its instrument of ratification.
1980 Convention on Certain
Conventional Weapons
Together with its five annexed protocols,
the 19 0 Convention on Prohibitions
or Restrictions on the Use
of Certain Conventional Weapons
which may be Deemed to be Excessively
Injurious or to have Indiscriminate
Effects is one of the main
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Report on the Participation of the States in the Relevant Treaties Concerning
International Humanitarian Law and its National Implementation