Author(s):
Kjell Knudsen <webmaster@icbl.org> .
Brussels, Belgium,
Thursday 18 November 2004
NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium served as the backdrop for the release of the Landmine Monitor Report 2004. Drawing media in from around the world, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer warmly hosted the launch event on 17 November.
Launch of the 2004 Landmine Monitor Report at NATO HQ Brussels. Credit: NATO.
Speakers included Nobel Laureate Jody Williams, Landmine Monitor’s Ban Policy Research Coordinator, Stephen Goose of Human Rights Watch, and Stan Brabant of Handicap International. Robert Simmons, Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Security Cooperation and Partnership, also spoke. Over 50 people were in attendance for the day's events, which included a press briefing that received coverage from Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France Presse, and journalists from the Middle East, Asia and the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Prior to the official launch, the NATO Secretary General hosted a reception for attendees, and demonstrated an encouraging show of support for the efforts of both the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and the Landmine Monitor Report. On NATO’s role as host of the event, de Hoop Scheffer said, “the medium is part of the message”.
Organized by Handicap International, the launch event focused on the theme of Landmine Use, Production, Stockpiling, Trade and Policy.
For more information on Landmine Monitor Report 2004 release events around the world, click here.
