A Day for a Mine-Free World

SEPTEMBER, 21st 2000

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

REPORT

Organized by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and by Mrs Bonino, Mrs Carlotti, Mr Corrie and Mrs Morgantini, Members of the European Parliament

Content:

• program of « the day for a mine free world »
• report of « the day for a mine free world »
• executive summary of the conference « the way toward a mine free world »
• sign the « call for a mine free world »

Program

« A DAY FOR A MINE FREE WORLD »

AT THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

ON SEPTEMBER, 21st 2000

Organised by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and by Mrs Emma Bonino, Mrs Marie-Arlette Carlotti, Mrs Luisa Morgantini and Mr John Corrie, Members of the European Parliament.

10.00 AM : press briefing in press room

• Presentation of the main conclusions of the Landmine Monitor Report 2000, by Steve Goose, Chief-Editor of the LandMine Monitor Report and Acting Executive Director of the Arms Division of Human Rights Watch
• « Emerging issues and future challenges », by Richard Lloyd, Coordinator, Landmine Action UK
• « What do we expect from the European Union ? », by Sylvie Brigot, Project Officer from Handicap International France

š š š š š

from 10.30 AM : signature of the Call for a Mine Free World,in the hall of the Parliament (in front of the hemicycle)

In presence of Jody Williams, ICBL Ambassador, 1997 Nobel Peace Prize Co-Laureate, Song Kosal and Man Soukheum, survivors from Cambodia, Sarany Diatta, survivor from Senegal (Casamance)

š š š š š

3.00 PM : « The way toward a mine free world », conference in A3 G3 room

Chaired by Anne Capelle, from Handicap International Belgium

Opening of the conference by Marie-Arlette Carlotti, Member of the European Parliament, vice-chairman of the Joint Assembly EU-ACP

• « The Mine Ban Treaty implementation and universalisation : what is ahead of us ? », by Jody Williams, ICBL Ambassador
• « Mine Victim Assistance : realities and perspectives », by Luciano Loiacono, from Handicap International France
• « Mine Clearance : realities and challenges », by Tim Carstairs, from Mines Advisory Group UK, and Stephano Calabretta, Italian Campaign to Ban Landmines.
• « The European Parliament role against landmines », by Emma Bonino, MEP, Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, Rapporteur on the APL, and by Luisa Morgantini, MEP, Rapporteur of the Opinion on behalf of the Development Committee of the European Parliament
• « The Commission policy towards landmines», by Daniela Dicorrado, Principal Administrator of the Security Issues Unit (External Relations DG) of the European Commission
• « The role of the Council », by Niall Burgess, Policy Unit of the EU council Secretary.

Open debate with the audience.

REPORT OF THE DAY

« The Day for a mine free world », which was held on September, 21st at the European Parliament in Brussels, was organized by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and by four Members of the European Parliament :

Mrs. Emma Bonino, member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, rapporteur on the APL,

Mrs. Marie-Arlette Carlotti, member of the Development Committee, vice-chairman of the Joint Assembly EU-ACP,

Mr. John Corrie, member of the Development Committee, chairman of the Joint Assembly EU-ACP,

Mrs. Luisa Morgantini, member of the Development Committee, co-rapporteur on the APL.

The objective was to raise awareness on the landmine issue among parliamentarians, and to try to re-launch the debate on this issue between members of Parliament, members of the Commission, the Council and NGOs.

It aimed at reintroducing the debate on landmine issue among the European institutions, one month before the proposal of a regulation concerning mine action is discussed by the Parliament during a plenary session on October, 25th.

A lot of ICBL representatives attended the event, including many European Campaigners, from France, Belgium, Finland, UK, Germany, Austria, and Italy, Jody Williams who spoke during the afternoon conference, as well as Song Kosal and Man Sokhoeurm, young survivors from Cambodia, and Sarany Diatta, young survivor from Senegal (Casamance) just back from Geneva where they participated to the SMSP and Paris where they attended the Shoes Pyramid day.

PRESS CONFERENCE

A press conference was held in the morning during which Steve Goose, Chief-Editor of the Landmine Monitor Report and Acting Executive Director of the Arms Division of Human Rights Watch, presented the main conclusions of the Landmine Monitor Report 2000. He emphasised that if the main trends of the mine action are encouraging, we are still a long way from the complete eradication of landmines. He reminded us that the Treaty has been signed by 138 countries and ratified by 107. It has considerably cut mine production, apparently stopped the export of landmines, led to the destruction of more than 22 million mines in 50 countries, seen increased resources allocated to mine clearance and the reduction of the number of victims. However, he went on to point out that 88 countries are still heavily affected by mines and UXO, that new victims were identified in 78 countries (often not in conflict situations) like Afghanistan, Cambodia and Burma, and that mines were used during 20 conflicts (including reportedly by signatories such as Angola, Burundi and Sudan).

Richard Lloyd, co-ordinator for the Landmine Action UK, stressed the necessity of defining precisely what is forbidden. He stressed that antivehicle mines with anti-handling devices that can be detonated by an unintentional or innocent act are forbidden by the Treaty. He also reminded us that Finland and Greece had not ratified the Treaty, that other countries had not adopted national implementation laws yet, and that the participation of States Parties in joint military operations with non-States Parties that use landmines is still possible. Even if the ICBL welcomes the Commission’s commitment to increase resources for mine clearance, Richard Lloyd estimated that the European Union and its Member States has «the moral and political responsibility» to do more than that.

Then Sylvie Brigot from Handicap International concluded by reminding the necessity for the European Union not only to be a financial contributor, but also to play a real political role in the universalisation and the implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty.

SIGNATURE OF THE CALL FOR A MINE FREE WORLD

At the end of the press conference, participants were invited to sign, in front of the plenary session, the Call for a mine free world, which commits the signatory to monitor the implementation of the Convention by the States Parties and its universalisation :

"It is my strong belief that mines which may be exploded by the presence or contact of a person are morally unacceptable. I fully support the ICBL call for a mine free world and the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of antipersonnel mines and on their Destruction.Through their signature governments promised to officially adopt the Convention and to comply with all its terms, including increased resources for humanitarian demining, mine awareness programs and increased resources for landmine victim rehabilitation and assistance.Through my signature of the Call for a mine free world, I commit myself to supporting the International Campaign to Ban Landmines in its work to ensure that governments keep their promises and to convince reluctant countries to accede to the Convention."

The signatures were inaugurated by the ones of the four parliamentarians who organized the event, of the young survivors and of Jody Williams. To each signatory blue laces were given : they have become in Belgium the symbol for the support for mine victims and for the commitment to monitor the universalisation and the real implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty. This was a real success, as not far from 400 signatures were gathered, and as more than one quarter of the parliamentarians signed.

On the afternoon, the conference « Toward a mine free world », which was attended by a number of MEPs, Commission employees, representatives of non-EU countries (including Special Ambassador Livermore from Canada) and NGO representatives, enabled the ICBL to renew valuable contacts at the European level and to express its concerns about EU mine action. It is now necessary for the European Campaigns to maintain the momentum in their advocacy efforts directed at the European Union that this conference has created.

«THE WAY TOWARD A MINE FREE WORLD»: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

-Opening of the conference by Marie-Arlette Carlotti, Member of the European Parliament, vice-chairman of the Joint Assembly ACP-EU

On behalf of her colleagues, Mrs Carlotti paid tribute to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines for the work it has done and will continue to do in order to completely eradicate mines. She noted that this event was an appropriate occasion to reintroduce the debate on the landmine issue to the European Parliament, as parliamentarians have always shown their commitment to this fight. She mentioned several ways that the European Union could help the Campaign. These included making signing the Treaty a condition of accession for the applicant countries, putting political pressure on Finland to sign and on Greece to ratify, insisting Member States integrate the Treaty into national legislation, and taking sanctions against mine producers.

-survivors

«My presence here is the occasion for me to meet European parliamentarians and to appeal them to participate in the movement to ban landmines», Song Kosal, from Cambodia, said. Man Soukheum, from Cambodia too, continued: «I hope that you will help us in asking all the countries to help us to create a mine free world.». Then Sarany Diatta, young survivor from Senegal (Casamance), who stepped on a mine in his school and related how reeducation was long and painful, concluded: «I am happy to participate in this movement against landmines.»

-Jody Williams, ICBL ambassador: «The Mine Ban Treaty implementation and universalisation: what is ahead of us?»

The ICBL ambassador spoke about the problems and the challenges that continue to face the Campaign, stressing that the ICBL should not be complaisant about its success. The two main concerns that remain are universalisation and compliance:

Regarding universalisation, a four year plan is currently being elaborated with the help of a contact group of governments, the Campaign, Unicef, ICRC. The Campaign has the review conference of 2004 as its deadline for the completion of political work on universalisation.

Regarding compliance, Mrs Williams stated «We do not want this Treaty to be another example of international law that doesn’t work.» For this reason, the Campaign needs the close co-operation of governments that support the Treaty in order to bring pressure on governments that do not comply with it. From this perspective the ICBL welcomed Burundi’s decision to invite the international community to send an observer to the country as it is the first time a country has voluntarily done this. Jody Williams went on to say that parliamentarians could help parliaments in other countries that have not carried out their implementation to do so. She concluded by saying that the European Union has a role to play in universalisation and compliance with the Treaty.

-Luciano Loiacono, from Handicap International France : «Mine Victim Assistance : realities and perspectives»

He presented the figures given by Landmine Monitor’s researchers. In 1999 new victims were recorded in 78 countries. If we consider that 23 countries more registered victims until 1997, it means that one country out of two if mine-affected.

Despite a reduction in the number of victims due to field work, the numbers are still high, especially when one considers that Landmine Monitor’s researchers do not have access to information from some parts of the world. Countries like Mozambique, Senegal (Casamance) and Cambodia have seen a real drop in the number of victims (50 %). However, Kosovo is one of the countries which recorded new mine victims in 1999.

Landmines have a long-lasting and non-discriminatory effect: 45 out of the 78 mine-affected countries are not in a conflict situation, and in most of the cases victims are civilian (almost 100% in Middle East and North Africa).

What can we do for victim assistance?

• national laws or policies: they have been implemented in only 31 countries among the mine-affected ones. This field needs to be developed.
• pre-hospital care: these services were reported in only 21 countries.
• hospital care and physical rehabilitation : there is most of the time a problem of geographical and financial access to these services (situated in cities, when the victims are mostly in rural areas).
• social and economic reintegration : they don’t exist in 50% of the mine-affected countries.
• survey / data gathering : it is necessary to record data about people’s needs, in order to plan assistance.

The challenges for victim assistance are as following:

• international co-operation and transparency must be enlarged to victim assistance.
• efforts must be made to develop local capacities in a long-term perspective, so that mine-affected countries can manage victim assistance by themselves.
• it is important not to marginalize other war victims or disabled persons in general.

He concluded by saying: «We hope for your help in best developing mine victim assistance».

-Tim Carstairs, from Mines Advisory Group UK, and Stephano Calabretta, from the Italian Campaign to Ban Landmines : «Mine clearance, realities and challenges».

The challenge for mine clearance organisations is «to save peoples’ life and to help them rebuild effectively and long term after the conflict.» For that purpose, two things are necessary. First, to work at the level of communities, in order to collect good information, to target less mines themselves than their impact on people, and to help people’s social and economic reintegration («mine action is usually one of the first re-employers after war».).

Second, to have the money to this, which is not always the case. Even if mine clearance organisations try to work for the best within the constraints put upon them by funding, they insist on the necessity of co-ordinating the money by sending it to the right places and to the right people, and also to assure the continuity of available resources for mine action.

In this connection, Jody Williams gave the example of the Kosovo mine action project, which is going to be achieved in few years thanks to the huge investment of resources. In contrast, the Afghanistan mine clearance program had to stop because of a lack of money. She reminded us that the best preventative measure is to comply with the Treaty by destroying stockpiles, but the way to do this is not by taking money from mine clearance funding to finance stockpile destruction..

-Emma Bonino, MEP, Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, rapporteur on APL, and Luisa Morgantini, MEP, rapporteur of the Opinion on behalf of the Development Committee : «The European Parliament against landmines».

As a response to these previous remarks, Mrs Bonino recognised the need to create better relations between ECHO and the other DGs, in order to make the transfer of funds quick and effective. She added that if a discrimination between beneficiary countries exists, it is due to lack of money. So the key point is to increase resources which is a difficult task to achieve.

That is the reason why the new regulation proposes to increase money for the next period 2000-2006 with, as the report from the Foreign Affairs Committee proposes, three distinct budget lines in order to simplify the decision making process. The first is for de-mining and victim assistance (credited with 200 M Euro), the second for research, and the third for humanitarian emergency de-mining administered by ECHO. The report also proposes that the Commission focus on the necessity of stockpile destruction, particularly in Ukraine and Belarus, for example by using money from the PHARE and TACIS projects.

Mrs Bonino then said that the European Parliament has a political role to play in raising the Treaty signature and ratification issue on all the interparliamentary delegations, not just with the applicant countries. She concluded by saying: «The Campaign proved that the connection between civil society, institutions and governments is the way of doing things.»

Luisa Morgantini added that the European Union should act on two levels: resources must be increased (including victim reintegration), and political pressure used to make countries ratify and comply the Treaty. She noted that the European Union can put pressure on Finland and Greece, and also on associated countries like Turkey, to sign and ratify the Treaty. It can also pressure Member States to increase resources in this area.

-Daniella Dicorrado, principal administrator of the Security Issues Unit (External Relation DG) of the European Commission : «The Commission policy towards Landmines»

Regarding ICBL, she said: «You have created a global world movement, even our Member States have reacted in an absolutely spectacular way, because for the first time the Commission managed to gather the information about what Member States do.» And the Commission has followed up to this movement by drafting this new regulation, in order to provide the legal basis to what was the wish of the Parliament: a coherent approach, taking into consideration all the needs, and trying to share in a fair proportion its resources. Having summarised the regulation’s content, Mrs Dicorrado spoke about an experiment that has been launched in the Balkans (Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and soon Albania) that is aimed at working within the framework of the needs of local communities and players.

-Niall Burgess, Policy Unit of the EU Council Secretariat : «the Role of the Council»

Mr Burgess said: «The landmine issue is a major issue for the Council of Ministers, it comes up regularly; issues of the political dialogue between parties, issues of practical action, are discussed on a routine basis.» He noted that the timing of the meeting was good, as there is currently a debate within the Council on the quality of its external relations, and its focuses on «modest, realisable, practical measures which can help us to achieve greater effectiveness.» In particular, the Council is trying to connect the available resources with its foreign policy aims in a more effective way, in mainstreaming money activities in CFSP. He asked a number of questions: «Can we better use the political dialogue which we have institutionalized in several frameworks to obtain practical information on landmines? Can we better use our high level political dialogue to raise specific issues which have come up in the context of this exercise?»

He stated that one of the effects of the Ottawa process has been the openness to dialogue and the integration of discussion between civil society, NGOs and governments. The Policy Unit of the Council Secretariat has begun to institutionalise these links, and is looking forward to deepening this dialogue while the debate on CFSP is underway.

Concluding remarks, by Anne Capelle.

Sign the Call for a mine free world

List of the parliamentarians who already signed the Call :

AGAG LONGO Alejandro, AINARDI Sylviane H., ALYSSANDRAKIS Konstantinos, ANDERSSON Jan, ANDREWS Niall, BANOTTI Mary Elizabeth, BAYROU François, BERENGUER FUSTER Luis, BERNIÉ Jean-Louis, BERTINOTTI Fausto, BODRATO Guido, BONINO Emma, BOUDJENAH Yasmine, BOUMEDIENE-THIERY Alima, BOWIS John, BREYER Hiltrud, BROK Elmar, BRUNETTA Renato, BUTEL Yves, BUTTIGLIONE Rocco, CAPPATO Marco, CARLOTTI Marie-Arlette, CARNERO GONZÁLEZ Carlos, CARRARO Massimo, CARRILHO Maria, CASACA Paulo, CASHMAN Michael, CAUDRON Gérard, CERDEIRA MORTERERO Carmen, CESARO Luigi, COHN-BENDIT Daniel Marc, COLLINS Gerard, CORBEY Dorette, CORRIE John Alexander, COSTA NEVES Carlos, DAMIÃO Elisa Maria, DARRAS Danielle, DE CLERCQ Willy C.E.H., DE ROSSA Proinsias, DE SARNEZ Marielle, DELLA VEDOVA Benedetto, DEPREZ Gérard M.J., DÉSIR Harlem, DEVA Nirj, DI LELLO FINUOLI Giuseppe, DOORN Bert, DUHAMEL Olivier, DUPUIS Olivier, EBNER Michl, ECHERER Raina A. Mercedes, ERIKSSON Marianne, ESCLOPÉ Alain, EVANS Robert J.E., FAVA Giovanni Claudio, FERREIRA Anne, FERRER Concepció, FIORI Francesco, FITZSIMONS James (Jim), FORD Glyn, FORMENTINI Marco, FRAGA ESTÉVEZ Carmen, FRAISSE Geneviève, FRASSONI Monica, GALLAGHER Pat the Cope, GEMELLI Vitaliano, GHILARDOTTI Fiorella, GOROSTIAGA ATXALANDABASO Koldo, GROSCH Mathieu J.H., GROSSETÊTE Françoise, HAGER Gerhard, HAUTALA Heidi Anneli,, HERZOG Philippe A.R., ISLER BÉGUIN Marie Anne, KAUFMANN Sylvia-Yvonne, KESSLER Margot, KNÖRR BORRÀS Gorka, KORAKAS Efstratios, LANNOYE Paul A.A.J.G., LIENEMANN Marie-Noëlle, LINKOHR Rolf, LIPIETZ Alain, LUDFORD Sarah Ann, MALMSTRÖM Cecilia, MANISCO Lucio, MANTOVANI Mario, MARKOV Helmuth, MARTENS Maria, MASTELLA Mario Clemente, MATHIEU Véronique, McAVAN Linda, McCARTIN John Joseph, McMILLAN-SCOTT Edward H.C., McNALLY Eryl Margaret, MEDINA ORTEGA Manuel, MEIJER Erik, MENDILUCE PEREIRO José María, MENNEA Pietro-Paolo, MONTFORT Elizabeth, MORGANTINI Luisa, MUSCARDINI Cristiana, NAIR Sami, NAPOLETANO Pasqualina, NAPOLITANO Giorgio, ONESTA Gérard, PACIOTTI Elena Ornella, PALACIO VALLELERSUNDI Ana, PEIJS Karla M.H., PITTELLA Giovanni, PODESTÀ Guido, RANDZIO-PLATH Christa, READ Imelda Mary, ROD Didier , ROTHE Mechtild, ROURE Martine, RÜHLE Heide, RUTELLI Francesco, SACRÉDEUS Lennart, SAIFI Tokia, SANDERS-TEN HOLTE Maria Johanna (Marieke), SAUQUILLO PÉREZ DEL ARCO Francisca, SBARBATI Luciana, SCALLON Dana Rosemary, SCHEELE Karin, SCHIERHUBER Agnes, SCHMID Herman, SCHROEDTER Elisabeth, SICHROVSKY Peter, SÖRENSEN Patsy, STENZEL Ursula, SUDRE Margie, SYLLA Fodé ,TANNOCK Charles, THEONAS Ioannis, THEORIN Maj Britt, THIELEMANS Freddy, THORNING-SCHMIDT Helle, THORS Astrid, TRENTIN Bruno, TURCHI Francesco, TURCO Maurizio, TURMES Claude, VALDIVIELSO DE CUÉ Jaime, VALENCIANO MARTÍNEZ-OROZCO María Elena, VAN BREMPT Kathleen, van den BERG Margrietus J., van den BOS Bob, van der LAAN Lousewies, VAN ORDEN Geoffrey, VANDER TAELEN Luckas, VATTIMO Gianni, VICECONTE Guido, VINCI Luigi, VOLCIC Demetrio, WEILER Barbara, WESTENDORP Y CABEZA Carlos, WHITEHEAD Phillip, WUORI Matti, WURTZ Francis, WYN Eurig, ZAPPALA Stefano, ZIMERAY François.

"It is my strong belief that mines which may be exploded by the presence or contact of a person are morally unacceptable. I fully support the ICBL call for a mine free world and the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of antipersonnel mines and on their Destruction.Through their signature governments promised to officially adopt the Convention and to comply with all its terms, including increased resources for humanitarian demining, mine awareness programs and increased resources for landmine victim rehabilitation and assistance.Through my signature of the Call for a mine free world, I commit myself to supporting the International Campaign to Ban Landmines in its work to ensure that governments keep their promises and to convince reluctant countries to accede to the Convention."

Name.......................................................................................................................................................

Function..................................................................................................................................................

Signature.................................................................................................................................................

To be send to Sylvie Brigot, Handicap International, 104-106 rue Oberkampf, 75011 PARIS France.

Tel : 00.33.1.43.14.87.00 / fax : 00.33.1.43.14.87.07 / sylviebrigothi-at-compuserve-com