Closing Statement to CCW

(Sunday 27 July 2003 Geneva, Switzerland) International Campaign to Ban Landmines
Closing Statement to the Governmental Group of Experts (GGE) to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons

Delivered by: Susan B. Walker, ICBL Intersessional Programme Officer

Mr. Chairman, Distinguished Delegates,

Thank you for the opportunity to address the CCW. Like Greece (on behalf of the EU), we had also not initially planned to make a statement, but wanted to offer encouragement to States Parties at the end of these two weeks of deliberations. The ICBL appreciates your leadership, Ambassador Sood, and appreciates the manner in which you, Ambassador Sanders and Mr. Kolarov have conducted the work of the Governmental Group of Experts (GGE) and CCW meetings.

The ICBL has signed the NGO statement which will be delivered next and fully supports efforts by States to negotiate a legally binding instrument on Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) in the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW), as called for by many CCW States Parties (including 31 States in December 2001 and many throughout these two weeks, as reiterated just now by Mexico, Greece on behalf of the EU, Switzerland and New Zealand), the ICRC and NGOs.

The ICBL also continues to support calls by NGOs for no use, production or trade of cluster munitions, until humanitarian concerns can be resolved.

We strongly urge CCW States Parties to conclude a strong, effective and robust legally binding instrument by December 2003. Anything less should not be accepted by any State Party, which is truly serious about effectively addressing the urgent and serious humanitarian crisis caused by ERW. The ultimate test of the effectiveness of an ERW instrument will be the practical impact felt by civilians on the ground, as just said by the distinguished Ambassador from New Zealand. One needs only to read the weekly UN updates on the mine action situation in IRAQ to understand the humanitarian imperative to urgently address this issue (e.g. May 9: MAG reported that the hospital in Kirkuk recorded 52 deaths and 62 injuries from mines and UXOs in the course of just one week.).

It is clear from these two weeks of CCW-GGE meetings that a strong political will exists among the vast majority of CCW States Parties to negotiate a legally binding ERW protocol, for the sake of a protocol which deals effectively with the urgent humanitarian problems caused by ERW, and not just for the sake of negotiation.

While the ICBL remains focused on the complete eradication of antipersonnel mines and the full implementation of the AP Mine Ban Treaty, the ICBL and its member organizations will be present again in November and stand ready to continue to offer our technical expertise and field-based experience to assist States on the issues under consideration. The member organizations of the ICBL believe we can continue to make a positive contribution to your efforts. The intersessional work of the AP Mine Ban Treaty has proven that a full and genuine partnership of Non-Governmental Organizations, International Organizations and States Parties can be constructive and truly effective in addressing urgent humanitarian crises.

The ICBL recognizes the importance of work on “Mines Other than Anti-Personnel Mines (MOTAPMs) and encourages all States to examine their national stocks to determine which anti-vehicle mines with sensitive fuses or anti-handling devices pose great risks to civilian populations. The ICBL encourages work on this issue in the CCW forum, but takes this opportunity to remind delegates of the fact that mines with sensitive fuzes or anti-handling devices that cause the mine to function like an antipersonnel mine are already captured by and prohibited by the AP Mine Ban Treaty (Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Production, Stockpiling and Transfer of Antipersonnel Mines, and On Their Destruction).

We wish you every success in your deliberations between now and November. We urge you to strengthen the draft ERW protocol and to conduct your work with the sense of urgency that this serious humanitarian crisis deserves, particularly for the majority of 92 ERW affected countries and territories, where lives continue to be lost or destroyed every single day. Time is not on their side.

History will reflect if you succeed in seizing this opportunity to make a difference, as did the States that successfully negotiated the AP Mine Ban Treaty, which now counts 134 States Parties in its numbers reflecting an emerging international norm on AP mines...a weapon stigmatized by ¾ of the world’s nations.

ICBL believes that the CCW can be an important international instrument for addressing humanitarian and conventional weapons issues, if work is conducted in an efficient manner and if the political will to accomplish something is present. The results in November will determine the future credibility and relevancy of the CCW as a body able to deal effectively and in a timely fashion with certain conventional weapons and the humanitarian crisis caused by explosive remnants of war.

May this third decade of CCW work strive to achieve significant accomplishments in the interest of individuals and communities that must live every single day of their lives with the life-threatening effects of antipersonnel mines, anti-vehicle mines and other explosive remnants of war.

In closing, we look forward to seeing many of you at the Fifth Meeting of States Parties to the AP Mine Ban Treaty in Bangkok and look forward to welcoming some among you as new States Parties in September.

Thank you.

[Note: the paragraph on MOTAPMs and the penultimate paragraph were not delivered orally in the interest of shortening the time at the end of a long 2 weeks, though will be on file with UNDDA for the record.]