Author(s):
Site Admin <webmaster2SPAMFLTER@SPATMFLTERicbl.org> .
Tuesday 04 December 2007
Contents:
JORDAN: 8MSP update
The 8th Meeting of the States Parties (8MSP) will take place by the shores of the Dead Sea, in Jordan, from 18 to 22 November 2007. Among the 1000 participants expected to attend this important meeting, more than 250 are part of the ICBL delegation.
In addition to the 8MSP official meetings, the ICBL has planned several interesting side events,including the ICBL Orientation Session on Saturday 17th, the Landmine Monitor Report 2007 briefing on Sunday 18th, ICBL Morning Briefings throughout the week, the ICBL “Success in Progress” Campaign Meeting and the ICBL 10th Anniversary Celebration on Friday 23rd. We encourage all ICBL members to also attend the many side events which will take place at the Dead Sea. We look forward to seeing you all at the 8MSP!
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ITALY: Parliamentary Action for a Ban on Cluster Bombs in Rome
On 29 October - 10th Anniversary of the adoption of the national mine ban legislation - the Italian Campaign to Ban Landmines organized a press conference in the House of Representatives to support a bill aiming to include cluster munitions in the existing mine ban.
Panelists included the Deputy Speaker of the House, Carlo Leoni, and MP Sabrina Siniscalchi as well as Rae Mc Grath, spokesperson on cluster munitions for Handicap International. This was followed on 30 October by a special hearing with the House of Representative’s Human Rights Committee. Rae Mc Grath and Italian Campaign Director Giuseppe Schiavello briefed committee members on the indiscriminate effects of cluster munitions and stressed the urgency of passing national legislation to ban their use, production and trade.
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INDIA/NEPAL: ICBL delegation to India and Nepal
The Indian Campaign to Ban Landmines and guests celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Mine Ban Treaty in New Delhi. Photo: Mine Action Canada.
On 27 September the Indian CBL organized a conference to mark 10 years of the Mine Ban Treaty, with the participation of ICBL Executive Director Sylvie Brigot, Justice JS Verma, Former Chief Justice of India and Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, the Canadian High Commissioner, representatives from the Indian government, UN agencies and the ICRC, as well as landmine survivors. Other activities included a photo exhibition, a talk at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, and official meetings with the Ministries of External Affairs and Defense. India is not a StateParty to the treaty but the participationof senior government representatives in the anniversary events, presenting their views on the mine ban for the first time in a public forum in India, reflects increasing openness and flexibility on this issue and should hopefully result in a freer and more forthcoming dialogue. In Nepal, ICBL delegates received assurances from both government representatives and the Maoists that they were willing to ban antipersonnel landminesand collaborate to ensure the success of humanitarian mine clearance which is about to start in the country following the peace agreement. During the three-day mission, the delegation met with the Hon. Speaker of the Parliament, leaders of various political parties, including CPN/ Maoists, senior officers of the Nepal Army as well as members of the National Mine Action Steering and Technical Committees – all of whom expressed a strong commitment to ban antipersonnel landmines and join the Mine Ban Treaty. On 3 October, a National Conference on ‘Human Security and Landmines – Problems & Challenges’, organized by the Nepal CBL was inaugurated by Hon. Ram Chandra Yadav, State Minister for General Administration, and was attended by diplomats, members of international organizations, government and army officials, scholars, civil society as well as landmine survivors.
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OMAN/BAHRAIN: ICBL delegation in the Gulf
An ICBL delegation visited the Gulf states of Oman and Bahrain from 28 October to 2 November. In Oman, delegates met with the director of the Ministry of Foreign Affair’s International Affairs Department and received assurances that Oman shares the humanitarian goals of the Mine Ban Treaty and will seriously consider accession as a sign of international solidarity and responsibility. In Bahrain the ICBL held a seminar on the Mine Ban Treaty for members of Parliament on 1 November. This resulted in MPs pledging to urge the government to submit a draft accession law and to support mine-affected countries.
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SERBIA: States affected by cluster bombs meet in Belgrade
On 3-4 October, 22 countries affected by cluster munitions met in Belgrade, Serbia to ensure that the rights, needs and expectations of those affected are central to the new international efforts to ban these weapons. The conference was convened by the Serbian government and attended by Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Chad, Croatia, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea Bissau, Kuwait, Iraq, Laos, Lebanon, Montenegro, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tajikistan, Uganda, Vietnam and Yemen. During the conference, Albania announced it would not produce or trade in cluster bombs,pending the negotiations of a new treaty. Uganda and Montenegro announced they will destroy their stockpiles. Serbia declared it is considering a moratorium.
A large contingent of survivors and activists from affected countries also attended the meeting, lobbying for an effective treaty to ban the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of all cluster bombs. “I want a strong treaty that not only bans cluster munitions but also protects the victims. We the survivors are not only here to advocate for our own rights, but also to safeguard the lives of countless people who are not yet inured,” said landmine survivor Firoz Ali Alizada of Handicap International Afghanistan.
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SWITZERLAND: Forum on cluster munitions in Geneva
On 9 October, the Geneva Forum and the International Campaign to Ban Landminesco-organized a forum in Geneva, Switzerland entitled “Addressing the Humanitarian Impact of Cluster Munitions”. The event sought to inform states that were outside of, or new to, the Oslo Process on cluster munitions about the extent of the cluster munitions problem, and about ongoing efforts to address it. After background sessions (including the original military purposes these weapons were designed for, how they have been used in past conflicts, and the potential threat from states’ stockpiles around the world) and testimony from affected states (Lebanon, Serbia and Uganda) , the briefing covered how to prevent further harm to civilians through an effective and rapid international response.
In addition to noting the strengths of the Oslo Process and the drawbacks of working through the CCW, several speakers pointed out that the Oslo Process should in no way be seen as going “outside the UN.” The briefing ended with strong calls from Cluster Munition Coalition coordinator Thomas Nash and Steffen Kongstad of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for states to join the Oslo Process as the best way to address the existing humanitarian impact of cluster munitions and to prevent the future indiscriminate use of these weapons.
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The pyramid grows… Photo: Moviment per la Pau
SPAIN: Shoe pyramid in Barcelona
On 24 September, ICBL member Moviment per la Pau organized a day of awareness activities in Barcelona. Activities - which included, for the first time in Barcelona, a shoe pyramid - aimed to mark the 10th anniversary of the Mine Ban Treaty and remind people of the need to keep working for its universalization and for the prevention of future humanitarian crises including through a ban on cluster bombs.
Moviment per la Pau also runs a peace education project in schools focusing on the landmine issue and asking students to campaign actively to ask all countries to join the treaty. In 2006 the target country for the project, which is run in partnership with the Italian Campaign to Ban Landmines, was Lebanon.
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AFGHANISTAN: Photo exhibition in Kabul
On 18 October 2007 Handicap International organized the opening ceremony of a photo exhibition on the social conditions and ability of people with disabilities under the slogan "No Difference between You and Me" in a public park in the city center of Kabul. During the opening day, the exhibition was visited by hundreds of people and it remained open until 26 October. The exhibition will also be moved to other parts of Kabul and sections of it will be shown in Herat and Kandahar provinces in November and December.
