CCW Preparatory Committee struggles with substance and process

The high contracting parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) met from 6-8 September 2021 to prepare for the next Review Conference, which is scheduled for 13–17 December 2021. They continued to struggle with the structural challenges of the Convention. When it comes to substance, the consensus-as-veto approach to making decisions means that the majority of parties are unable to advance work to prevent grave human suffering. When it comes to finances, the Convention’s coffers are apparently so depleted that states might not even be able to afford to hold the Review Conference at all.