Final Statement of Bad Honnef II

Berlin-Kladow, June 1999

Representatives of non-governmental organisations active in mine action, joined by members of international organisations and government departments gathered in Berlin, Germany in order to review the Bad Honnef Guidelines of 1997.

We reaffirmed our commitment to the total elimination of landmines and unexploded ordnance, and to the assistance of and support for all victims - as defined in the expanded definition contained in the Bad Honnef Guidelines.

The meeting reaffirmed that the definition of mine action includes victim assistance and highlighted the need for an integrated approach guided by development-based principles. For evaluation of progress in mine action programmes, indicators should be agreed in advance and in conjunction with affected communities and should reflect the specific requirements of each target area.

The meeting reviewed the Bad Honnef Guidelines and its three main principles: coherence, community participation, and solidarity. With some modifications the Guidelines were reconfirmed.

We expressed our conviction that there is still insufficient international support to meet the needs of people affected by landmines. A dramatic increase in action is vitally needed. As the attention of the international community inevitably shifts to other issues in the future, mine action must not be allowed to decrease. The Ottawa Treaty is a valuable legal instrument to halt the proliferation of anti-personnel landmines. However it should not be viewed as a resolution to the problems facing mine-affected communities. Rather, the treaty should spur the international community to a greater support for mine action programmes.

In this regard the conference call upon the European Commission to institute an immediate audit – financial and technical – of the EC-funded ESPRIT research programme. In the meantime this project should be suspended until a Court of Auditors report is available to the European Parliament and member governments for review, and, if necessary, retrieval of funds from the involved companies.

We therefore welcome the declaration of the First Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty which recently took place in Maputo and which further emphasised mine clearance and victim assistance. We encourage the Member states to commit themselves to a long-term engagement in mine action.

We firmly believe that all initiatives in support of the elimination of landmines should include the following points in line with the Bad Honnef Guidelines:

• strengthen and enhance the integration of all aspects of mine action (considering social and political coherence as well as the technical aspects of mine action)
• take into account the knowledge, experiences and social aspirations of the mine-affected communities, ensuring that community participation takes precedence over bureaucracy, and institutionalised approaches
• express solidarity through the creation of appropriate support for victims

We also agreed to commit ourselves to a transparent exchange of relevant information in order steadily to improve the quality and standards of mine action through shared experience.