States Parties 161 States Not Party 36
All events are held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland
Additional information for the media: +41 (0)22 917 67 04 / +41 (0)78 606 9422, email: media@icbl.org
MONDAY 24 NOVEMBER
Landmine Monitor Report 2008: Major Findings. 13:00-14:00, Room XI
Landmine Monitor Report 2008, the ICBL’s monitoring initiative, reports on ban policy, demining, casualties, risk education, victim assistance and support for mine action in 120 countries and areas.Members of the Landmine Monitor’s Editorial Board will be presenting the major findings from this year’s report.
Interview opportunities:
Stephen Goose - Serving as the Editor-in-chief of the ICBL’s Landmine Monitor report from 1999-2004 and the Executive Director of the Arms division at Human Rights Watch, Goose is the official Head of the ICBL delegation. (English)
Katleen Maes - Maes works with Handicap International and coordinates Landmine Monitor’s research on victim assistance. (English, French, German, Dutch)
Stuart Casey-Maslen – Casey-Maslen works with Norweigan People’s Aid, he is the Landmine Monitor Final Editor and coordinates Landmine Monitor’s research on mine action. (English, French, Italian, Spanish)
TUESDAY 25 NOVEMBER
Challenges to humanitarian mine action, the case of Colombia. 13:00-15:00, Room XVI
A panel discussion sponsored by the ICBL, bringing together civil society and Colombian government experts to look at the complexities of and challenges to humanitarian mine action in Colombia. English/Spanish/simultaneous translation.
Simona Beltrami - Beltrami joined the ICBL as Advocacy Director in 2006. She was previously the Coordinator of the Italian Campaign to Ban Landmines. (English, Italian, Spanish)
Fransiney Chaux Grisalez - Grisalez coordinates the Colombian Campaign to Ban Landmines in the department of Caqueta. A landmine survivor himself, he educates landmine survivors about their rights, help them apply for government assistance, and conducts mine risk education workshops. (Spanish)
Alvaro Jiménez Millan- Millan is the Coordinator of the Colombian Campaign to Ban Landmines. His professional background encompasses armed conflict, public administration and the construction of social policy. (Spanish)
Maria Josep Parés – Parés is the Coordinator of Bareclona-based NGO Moviment per la Pau (Movement for Peace) that has been running landmine-related projects in Colombia for years. (English, Spanish)
Mine Action in Nepal, 13:00-15:00, Room X
A panel discussion and exhibition, sponsored by the Nepal Campaign to Ban Landmines.
Interview opportunity:
Purna Shova Chitrakar - Chitrakar has coordinated NGO efforts to ban mines in Nepal since 1995. She is the Landmines Monitor country researcher for Nepal and her advocacy work has most recently been focused on ensuring non-use of landmines in peace agreements between the government of Nepal and armed opposition groups. (English, Nepali)
WEDNESDAY 26 NOVEMBER
Inclusive Education: Experiences in Mine-Affected Countries. 13:00-15:00, Room IX
A panel discussion, sponsored by Handicap International, on lessons learned and good practices to implement inclusive education by looking at experiences in mine-affected countries. French/English/simultaneous translation.
Jean-Michel Mathiam – Mathiam is in charge of inclusive education projects in the Senegalese mine-affected region of Casamance. His work aims to ensure schools are accessible to children with disabilities, teachers are adequately trained and parents are informed about their children’s rights. (English, French)
Hannah Corps – Corps is a technical advisor for Handicap International, in charge of inclusive education programs in mine-affected countries such as Niger and Cambodia. (English)
THURSDAY 27 NOVEMBER
Victim Assistance in Colombia, 13:00-15:00, Room XVI
A presentation of Handicap International’s ground-breaking study on victim assistance in Colombia. The report suggests practical solutions to the gaps that have been identified in victim assistance and refers to good practices for other countries with significant number of survivors. Spanish/English/simultaneous translation.
Johana Huertas Reyes – Reyes works for Handicap International in Colombia and has authored the study. She is also the ICBL’s victim assistance focal point in Colombia. (Spanish)
Dominique Delvigne – Delvigne is the former Handicap International country director for Colombia, and is currently Operational Coordinator for Handicap International Belgium. (English, French, Spanish)
FRIDAY 28 NOVEMBER
Progress and Challenges in Implementing the Deed of Commitment for Armed Non-State Actors, 13:00-15:00, Room IX
An update on the status of implementation of the Deed of Commitment and Geneva Call’s efforts to monitor compliance.
Elisabeth Reusse-Decrey - Reusse-Decrey is the President of Geneva Call, a Swiss organization dedicated to engaging armed non-state actors in the Mine Ban Treaty movement by negotiating with them to sign a deed of commitment to abide by conditions laid out in the Mine Ban Treaty. (English, French)
Convention on Cluster Munitions: Oslo and Beyond, 13:00-15:00, Room XVI
With less than one week to go before the opening for signature of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, key players in the “Oslo process” will provide an update on what will happen at, and beyond, the signing ceremony.
Stephen Goose - Serving as the Editor-in-chief of the ICBL’s Landmine Monitor report from 1999-2004 and the Executive Director of the Arms division at Human Rights Watch, Goose is the official Head of the ICBL delegation. Goose also sits on the Editorial Board of the Landmine Monitor. (English)
Soraj Ghulam Habib – Habib, 17, was ten years old when he lost both legs to a cluster munition. Since then he actively took part in the civil society efforts to ban cluster munitions, and participated in the series of diplomatic meetings that culminated in Dublin with the adoption of the Convention on Cluster Munitions in May 2008. (English, Dari)
