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Landmines
Index
| Date |
Theme |
Speakers |
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| 3 July 2007 | Mine Action and Development
Organised jointly with the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) In many mine-affected countries, landmine and unexploded ordnance
(UXO) contamination negatively impacts on post-conflict reconstruction
and development, making it essential that mine action and development
interventions are effectively coordinated at all levels – by
donors, UN agencies, and development banks; by national and local
governments in mine-affected states; and at the level of mine-affected
communities. In response, an international consensus has emerged
on the need to establish greater linkages between mine action and
development. |
Co-Chairs: H.E. Mr. Stephan Nellen, Director, Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) Dr. David Atwood, Director, Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) Speakers: Dr. Peter Batchelor, Team Leader, Small Arms and Mine Action Unit, UNDP Mr. Ian Mansfield,
Operations Director, GICHD |
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4 April 2006
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International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action
By its resolution A/RES/60/97 of 18 January 2006, the United Nations General Assembly decided by consensus to designate April 4 of each year as International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. The Geneva Forum and the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining organised a seminar and reception to mark the first observation of this day. |
Dr. Patricia
Lewis, Director, United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research
H.E. Mr. Stephan Nellen, Director, Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining Mr. Gustavo Laurie, Geneva Liaison Officer, United Nations Mine Action Service Mr. Ian Mansfield, Operations Director, Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining Dr. David Atwood, Director,
Quaker United Nations Office; Member of the Advisory Board, International
Campaign to Ban Landmines |
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| 13 December 2005 | Moving Closer to a Mine-Free World? Assessing Progress of the Nairobi
Action Plan 2005-2009
From 28 November to 2 December 2005, the international community converged on Zagreb, Croatia, for the Sixth Meeting of the States Parties to the 1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction. The purpose of the meeting was to assess progress in the application of the Nairobi Action Plan 2005-2009 (see below) and to identify priorities for work in the year ahead in the effort to implement the Convention. At this lunchtime seminar, the Secretary-General of the 6th Meeting of the States Parties, Dr. Dijana Plestina, was joined by Ms. Tamar Gabelnick of the ICBL and Mr. Peter Herby of the ICRC to brief participants on the outcome of the Zagreb meeting and on priorities for future action.
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Dr.
Dijana Plestina, Advisor on Mine Action to the Minister of
Foreign Affairs, Croatia; Secretary-General of the 6th Meeting of
the States Parties to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention
Ms. Tamar Gabelnick, International Campaign to Ban Landmines Mr. Peter Herby, International Committee of the Red Cross
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| 10 December 2004 | Where Next on the Road to a Mine-Free World?
The week before this seminar, Governments, NGOs and
International Organisations gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, to conduct
a first full
review of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention. This conference – dubbed
the Nairobi Summit on a Mine-Free World – was more than just
another review of an international legal instrument. As well as
reviewing progress made to date in banning anti-personnel mines
and addressing their continuing humanitarian impact, the Summit
adopted a wide-ranging Plan of Action for moving farther down the
road towards a world free of mines.
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Ms. Tabu Irina, Permanent Mission of Kenya to the United Nations
Mr. Alexander Kmentt, Deputy Permanent Representative of Austria to the United Nations Ms. Susan B. Walker, International Campaign to Ban Landmines The
Nairobi Action Plan 2005-2009 The
2004 Nairobi Declaration Highlights
of the Nairobi Summit on a Mine-Free World
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| 25 June 2004 | The Nairobi Summit on a Mine-Free World: Opportunities, Challenges, Next Steps This seminar took place in advance of the first Review Conference of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention – the "Nairobi Summit on a Mine-Free World" – scheduled to take place in Nairobi, Kenya, on 29 November to 3 December 2004. The Nairobi Summit represents a crucial milestone in measuring progress towards the goal of a world free of anti-personnel landmines. Among the informal initiatives being undertaken in preparation for the Nairobi Summit, Oxford University Press published an in-depth commentary on the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention. In addition to offering a comprehensive interpretation of the Convention’s provisions, article by article, the commentary describes the development and use of anti-personnel mines, assesses their military utility, and reviews the legal antecedents to the Convention as well as the unusual negotiating process that resulted in its adoption. Ambassador Ross Hynes of Canada opened the seminar by presenting copies of the commentary to the panellists and, along with Cornelio Sommaruga, provided some introductory reflections on the significance of the Nairobi Summit. The commentary’s author, Stuart Maslen, presented the commentary’s key elements. To assess the opportunities and challenges facing the Nairobi Summit, and to outline the necessary next steps in the years that follow it, Jody Williams, one of the key actors in the push for the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, and Ambassador Wolfgang Petritsch, the President-Designate of the Nairobi Summit, set out their vision for the future of the global movement to eliminate anti-personnel mines.
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H.E. Mr. Ross Hynes, Ambassador for Mine Action, Canada Dr. Cornelio Sommarugo, President of the Council of Foundation, Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining Mr. Stuart Maslen, Consultant on Humanitarian Affairs H.E. Mr. Wolfgang Petritsch, President-Designate of the Nairobi Summit on a Mine-Free World; Permanent Representative of Austria to the United Nations, Geneva Ms. Jody Williams, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate (1997); Ambassador, International Campaign to Ban Landmines |
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| 24 November 2003 |
The Role of the Military in Mine Action This seminar discussed a recently released report by the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) on “The Role of the Military in Mine Action.” The most appropriate role for the military in humanitarian mine action has been the subject of debate in both military and civilian circles. For some, the military expertise in breaching minefields is not easily transposed to humanitarian demining, where nothing less than 100 per cent clearance of mines and unexploded ordnance is acceptable if land is to be returned safely to the civilian population. For others, the command of logistics, technical knowledge and equipment make the military ideally suited to demining, where national level operational coordination, management and standing procedures are of a sufficiently high standard. Stockpile destruction has largely, although not exclusively, been a military activity, whereas the involvement of the military in mine risk education has been more controversial. Based on in-depth research in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Lebanon, and Nicaragua, the seminar looked at where military units and individuals – both local and visiting – can best be used in the context of a national mine action programme.
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Mr. Ian Mansfield, Operations Director, Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD). Lt. Col. Charles Holman, RE, Counter Proliferation and Arms Control Division, UK Ministry of Defence. |
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| 4 September 2003
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Landmines and Unexploded Ordinance: A Guide to Mine Action This seminar presented and discussed a new “Guide to Mine Action” published by the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD). Over the past decade, Mine Action has developed as a humanitarian and development discipline. However, up to now, no single handbook has been available to provide basic information for diplomats, donors, lawyers, practitioners, scholars and the media on the key aspects of Mine Action. The GICHD has published the “Guide to Mine Action” as an information source that can assist in decision making, program planning and research. It is intended to reflect current realities in a fast developing humanitarian environment. The Guide is a useful tool for both the newcomer, in understanding the complexities and inter-relationships of the different Mine Action components, and the specialist, in learning about developments in the different areas of Mine Action. Although the Guide focuses on efforts to alleviate the problems caused by landmines and unexploded ordnance, many of the techniques and approaches that have been developed within Mine Action also have broader relevance to relief and development efforts.
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Ambassador Martin Dahinden, Director, Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining Mr. Ian Mansfield, Operations Director, Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining Mr. Stuart Maslen, Independent Consultant |
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| 13 May 2003 | Rights versus Charity: Landmine Survivors and the Movement to Create a Human Rights Convention for Persons with Disabilities The United Nations is in the process of developing an international convention on the human rights of persons with disabilities. A strong convention will be an invaluable tool for States as they implement the victim assistance provision of the Mine Ban Treaty. Likewise, as stakeholders in the disability community, landmine survivors will benefit immensely from a convention that is reflective of their full range of human rights. This seminar examined the intersection of human rights with victim assistance and the current United Nations process of developing an international convention on the human rights of persons with disabilities. |
Mr. Erasmo Martinez, Minister, Permanent Mission of Mexico to the United Nations Ms. Anneli Lindahl Kenny, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Sweden to the United Nations Ms. C. Nontombi Makupula, First Secretary (Disarmament), Permanent Mission of South Africa to the United Nations Ms. Kirsten Young, European Legal Counsel and Human Rights Programme Coordinator, Landmine Survivors Network
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| 28 August 2002 |
The
Anti-personnel Mine Ban Treaty and Non-state Actors: The Anti-personnel Mine Ban Treaty, signed in Ottowa in 1997, commits states that have signed it not to use, stockpile, produce or transfer anti-personnel landmines and to destroy their stockpiles. Efforts to persuade non-state actors (i.e., armed groups operating outside of government control) to abide by the provisions of the Mine Ban Convention attempt to fill an important gap in the Convention's coverage. The nongovernmental organisation "Geneva Call" has developed an innovative approach to this problem by creating "Deeds of Commitment" based on the Treaty, which it invites non-state actors to sign. Mr. Dipankar Banerjee was Head of the first Geneva Call field mission in April 2002 to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the Philippines with the purpose of verifying their compliance with the Deed of Commitment they signed in March 2000. Mr. Banerjee used this experience as a backdrop for a broader discussion of why non-state actors are relevant to the Mine Ban Treaty and the difficulties and opportunities inherent in persuading them to abide by general humanitarian principles.
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Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Dipankar Banerjee, Executive Director, Regional Centre for Strategic Studies, Colombo, Sri Lanka
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| 2 February 2001 |
The Landmine Campaign: A Case Study in Humanitarian Advocacy Don Hubert examined in detail the successful international campaign to ban anti-personnel landmines and compared it with three other campaigns from the 1990s: the creation of an International Criminal Court, the Optional Protocol on Child Soldiers and attempts to limit the proliferation of small arms. The participants in this small, informal seminar were carefully selected by the Geneva Forum to include high-level representatives of governments, UN Agencies, inter-governmental organisations and NGOs who had actively participated or are now actively participating in one or more of these campaigns. Dr. Hubert argued that a model for effective humanitarian advocacy is emerging in three broad dimensions: the pursuit of stringent standards with widespread but not necessarily universal support; political coalition-building among NGOs, states and international organisations; and negotiating environments that allow for voting rather than consensus decision-making, access for NGOs, and the selection of a supportive chairperson.
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Mr. Don Hubert, Senior Policy Adviser, Peacebuilding and Human Security Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada (on leave) / Research Fellow, Centre for Foreign Policy Studies, Dalhousie University, Canada.
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