Young Voices for Disarmament: Giovanna Rezende’s Experience at the Convention on Cluster Munitions
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Between September 16 and 19, 2025, Dhesarme’s Deputy Executive Director, Giovanna Rezende, participated in the 13th Meeting of States Parties (13MSP) to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) in Geneva, Switzerland. This was the fourth formal meeting of the Convention following the adoption of the Lausanne Action Plan, a five-year (2021–2026) roadmap for States Parties to advance towards the full universalization and implementation of the Convention.
Reflecting on those days at the 13th Meeting, the young activist describes a week of incredible opportunities that went beyond following the discussions among the States present. Giovanna particularly highlighted the opportunity to meet with civil society and international organizations, United Nations bodies, and organizations working directly on mine clearance.
The main activity focused on the importance of the Transparency Report, in which young activists had the opportunity to engage by emphasizing to representatives the need to update data, which directly reflects States’ commitment to the treaty. This work is essential for monitoring the status of the Convention and for enabling donor organizations to better track the progress of each State’s commitments, as well as assisting in the completion of the report.relatório.
During the meeting, Giovanna highlighted the opportunity to read a statement on behalf of the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) as one of the most remarkable moments of her entire experience:
“Being in that room, with delegations from more than one hundred countries, and having a voice, was transformative.”
Through close contact with delegations from States directly dealing with the issue of cluster munitions, Giovanna discussed the specific case of Angola and the process of ratifying the treaty in the country, which faces a low budget to complete the clearance of regions contaminated by explosive remnants.
The barriers posed by funding crises to the implementation of the Convention’s objectives affect not only the practical possibility of clearing contaminated areas, but also the effective participation of civil society, particularly young activists, in the fight to ban cluster munitions.
The young activist also says that she witnessed the true obstacles to humanitarian disarmament in Geneva. Beginning with access, which was only possible for her through funding from Dhesarme’s international partner organization and coalition, Mines Action Canada, which has also been affected by declining funding due to budget cuts to programs supporting civil society.
She cites as an example the challenges faced by Laos, a country deeply affected by cluster munition contamination across its territory and which will host the Third Review Conference of the Convention on Cluster Munitions this year. In 2025, the country experienced a reduction in funding for a demining program financed by the United States, a cut that hindered rehabilitation and risk-reduction initiatives for the civilian population.
Giovanna recognizes these funding difficulties and further adds the issue of the limited incorporation of the provisions established by the Convention into countries’ domestic legal systems, describing a scenario in which only 33 States Parties have specific national legislation to criminalize the use, production, and transfer of cluster munitions within their territories:
“Without stable funding and domestic legal frameworks, the stigmatization of the weapon on paper does not translate into real protection for those living in contaminated areas.”
For the young activist, being a humanitarian disarmament activist today means working against the tide in a world that is rearming. Even so, Giovanna reaffirms the importance of this work, especially when looking towards the future.
“The submunitions still present in the ground today will kill and maim children twenty years from now. Treaties that are not ratified now will create gaps that future generations will inherit. The decisions made in these rooms in Geneva have consequences that span decades, and young people are the ones who will live with those consequences the most.”
During her experience in Geneva, the young activist carried out an exercise with other activists, asking them about the role of youth in the humanitarian disarmament agenda. According to Giovanna, the responses reflected the strength of young people as a source of innovation and energy, essential for mobilizing public opinion and renewing enthusiasm around progress in the implementation of treaties as a way of ensuring the continuity of the struggle:
“Young people are not merely inheritors of disarmament norms, but active protagonists in their consolidation and advancement.”
After such an enriching experience, young activist Giovanna Rezende emphasizes her belief that there is room for everyone who wants to engage in the struggle for a more peaceful world free from indiscriminate weapons. Commitment is key, and the certainty that every initiative makes a difference demonstrates that, even amid so much resistance to change, every young person who occupies a space in these negotiations shows that the present may be inherited, but the future can be transformed by youth.
“If you are thinking about getting involved in this agenda, know that there is a place for you, even if your country has not yet signed any treaty, even if your organization is small, even if you are still an undergraduate student. I was in all of these conditions when I boarded the plane to Geneva. What brought us there was not perfection or greatness, but commitment. And what keeps us engaged in this agenda, even in the face of setbacks, is the certainty that every conversation matters, every report submitted represents a fulfilled obligation, and every young person who occupies a space in these negotiations is proof that the future will not merely inherit this world: it will transform it.”
Written by: Kamilly Rosa, Communications Assistant
Reviewed by: Fernando Fiala, Content Editor
31/08/2026 BRT
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the institutional position of Dhesarme.
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