Daily Update #3: Mine Clearance, 29 November (PM), 30 November (AM)

Who presided the meeting: Algeria & Sweden

Representatives of the Canadian delegation speaking during the plenary.

Delegations that took the floor on 29 and 30 November during the agenda item “Clearing mined areas”: Guatemala, Honduras, Djibouti, Norway, Nicaragua, UK, Canada, UN Mine Action Team, Afghanistan, Algeria, Zambia, Eritrea, Serbia and Montenegro, Croatia, Germany, Zimbabwe, Colombia, Tanzania, Mozambique, FYR Macedonia, Denmark, ICBL, GIHCD, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Belgium, UNICEF, Albania, ICBL (on MRE), New Zealand, Japan, Jordan, Angola, Tadjikistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, DR Congo, Monaco, Greece, ICRC, Cyprus, Turkey, and Slovenia

Main points of discussion

• Progress since Nairobi Conference
• Major challenges ahead to fulfil the obligations under Article 5 of the Convention
• The necessity of agreeing on a consistent manner to declare a SP’s fulfilment of Article 5
• How to address an extension request

ICBL presentation

Eva Veble, Mine Action Working Group

Main issues:

• the need to clarify what it means to have fulfilled the obligations under article 5
• the need of a process for clarifying whether a state has Article 5 obligations where there is uncertainty
• the need of an agreed process for declaring that Article 5 obligations have been fulfilled
• It will be critical in the coming year to clarify the extension request process and ICBL welcomes Norway’s non-paper

Stan Brabant, HI

Main issues:

• There are positive developments in MRE such as the increased linking of MRE with surveys, marking and clearance and the integration of MRE into school curricula.
• However, three challenges remain in MRE: (1) the development of closer integration with other mine action activities in countries where MRE is still a stand-alone activity, (2) better measuring the impact of MRE, and (3) how to respond to the deliberate handling of landmines and other UXOs by individuals.

Concerns for ICBL

• 

  A demining operation in Afghanistan. Such operations demand sustained and reliable financial assistance if Afghanistan is to fulfill its mine clearance obligations.

  Mozambique – although considerable achievements in reducing mined areas, a big concern is that the two major mine clearance operators are pulling out during 2006 and 2007. On top of this the UN-sponsored mine clearance operator ADP has closed down. This will make it difficult to clear all mined areas by the 2009 deadline.
• Several SP expressed that continuous financial assistance will be required to be able to fulfil their article 5 obligations, including Afghanistan, Algeria, Eritrea, Tajikistan.

Highlights for ICBL

• Guatemala – Reported on the completion of the national mine clearance program. Guatemala has destroyed all AP mines and UXO laid throughout its territory. A final act will be signed between Guatemala and OAS on 15 December 2005.
• Djibouti – has declared itself “mine-safe”, but will continue its efforts to clear all mines in the Duda zone.
• The non-paper presented by Norway, “Toward completion: Fulfilling our obligations under Article 5”, stating that Norway is prepared to elaborate ideas on how to facilitate an orderly completion of the Article 5 volunteering to develop and present such ideas in time for the May 2006 intersessional meetings.
• Nicaragua – reporting that 88.5% of their mined areas are already cleared.
• Canada agreed with Norway that a procedure on the need to establish how a request for extension should be developed and how the MSP should assess such a request. They also said there should be no automatic grant of extension.
• Belgium and Jordan – expressed their support of the Norwegian initiative.
• Zambia – has included mine action into their development plans and aims to be mine-free by 2007 with financial and technical assistance from the international community.
• Macedonia – plans to declare mine-free at the MSP in September 2006 if financial support is provided in time
• Denmark has allocated US$13 million for mine clearance of the Skallingen peninsula. The mine clearance will start in 2006.
• BiH –thanks to proper priority setting, increased financial back-up by national and international donors and endorsement of technical survey - has released 2,5 times more land in 2005 than in any previous years.
• Greece – their deadline under Article 5 is 2014, but announced that they will probably finish earlier

Quote of the day

The representative of the Macedonian delegation: “By 2006, with God’s help – and financial help of course – we hope to declare Macedonia mine-free.”

ICBL Statement

ICBL intervention on Clearing Mined Areas, 30 November 2005

ICBL intervention on Mine Risk Education, 30 November 2005