A Bahraini activist is urging the community to join an international campaign urging immediate action against cluster bombs being used around the world.

Former co-ordinator to Amnesty International Bahrain Nasser Burdestani is calling for Bahrainis to create a social movement against the explosive devices and to support the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

It comes as activists across the globe marked the second anniversary of the convention that fell on August 1, which is widely considered as the most significant disarmament and humanitarian treaty in over a decade.

"We do appreciate the efforts of the Gulf countries in banning chemical weapons through establishing national committees working on this weapons," said Mr Burdestani, who is also a member of the London-based Cluster Munitions Coalition.

"But the time has come for these countries to expand their activities in promoting peace in the world by taking extra steps towards banning cluster munitions, which are mainly used for training purposes by defence forces."

Mr Burdestani also urged the Bahrain government and countries in the region to attend the second Meeting of States Parties to the Convention, which is due to be held next month in Oslo, Norway.

The agreement bans the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of cluster munitions and calls for the destruction of stockpiles within eight years, clearance of cluster munition-contaminated land within 10 years, and assistance to cluster munition survivors and affected communities.

To date, 111 countries have joined the convention and 75 have ratified it, including only three Arab states: Lebanon, Tunisia and Mauritania.

"The world is looking to the Middle East region differently now after what is called the Arab Spring where new presidents and governments came to power, thus it is no more acceptable to be in the least representative region in the convention," added Mr Burdestani.

"It is time for Arab countries in the Middle East to join the team."

A cluster bomb, also known as cluster munition, is a form of air-dropped or ground-launched explosive weapon that releases smaller bomblets, also known as sub-munitions.

Many of the sub-munitions fail to explode on impact and remain a threat to lives and livelihoods for decades after a conflict.

The GDN reported on June 17 that Mr Burdestani along with human rights education specialist Fadhel Habeeb launched a book, Learn Peace, to educate pupils on the importance of raising awareness on abolishing weapons of mass destruction.

The book, which was part of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), has been published in both Arabic and English and features four sections: Language, Art, Humanities and Community.

It was the first time the ICAN campaign was promoted in a GCC country, which seeks public and government support to outlaw the production, testing, possession and use of nuclear weapons globally.

In the past, Mr Burdestani also campaigned for Control Arms Campaign to work towards implementing the Arms Trade Treaty, which calls for a legally binding agreement that would stop transfer of arms and ammunitions that fuel conflict, poverty and serious human rights violations.