Daily Update 23 June 2004

(Wednesday 23 June 2004 Geneva, Switzerland)
Standing Committee on General Status and Implementation of the Convention (morning)
Co-Chairs - Mexico & The Netherlands
Co-Rappoteurs - New Zealand & South Africa

Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, MRE and Mine Action Technologies (afternoon)
Co-Chairs - Cambodia & Japan
Co-Rappoteurs - Algeria & Sweden

ICBL Presentations

• Sylvie Brigot (ICBL) on universalization.
• Steve Goose (HRW) on Article 7.
• Sara Sekkenes (NPA) on mine action, including definition of mine-free.

Key discussions

• Universalization and Article 7 updates.
• Detailed presentations by 14 mine-affected States Parties on their implementation needs.

Highlights for ICBL

• Since February 49 of the 52 non-States Parties have been contacted and lobbied to join the treaty, according to Canada.
• States Parties that are late submitting their Article 7 reports said they would submit shortly, including Central African Republic, Guinea, and Namibia.
• Many of the mine-affected States Parties presentations showed positive trends by mentioning local communities, linking their mine action to poverty reduction strategies and other humanitarian activities.
• Mine risk education activities were mentioned by almost all of the mine-affected States Parties.

Concerns for ICBL

• A number of non-States Parties are attending, but none provided any new information on their movement toward joining the Mine Ban Treaty.
• The UN Department of Disarmament Affairs didn't mention their work on the outdated Article 7 website or on transparency reports received.
• Guinea announced that it destroyed 3,174 antipersonnel mines after the April 2003 stockpile destruction deadline. It plans to submit its Article 7 transparency report, originally due in September 1999.

Quote of the Day

• Antipersonnel mines have been used on an ad hoc basis by rebels in schools, houses, and other places to instill fear in the population. (Uganda speaking about mine use by the Lords Resistence Army in the north of the country. There is still no humanitarian mine clearance underway by either the government or non-governmental organizations.)