ban newsletter 27

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Ban Newsletter, Issue 27, October 2010

Editorial

A strong Vientiane Action Plan will set the Bar for the Implementationof the Convention on Cluster Munitions at the First Meeting of StatesParties in November 2010

On the First of August 2010, the

international community, the ClusterMunition Coalition and in particular thesurvivors of cluster munition incidents,celebrated the entry into force of theConvention on Cluster Munitions. In lessthan two years since the beginning ofthe Oslo Process a groundbreaking andexemplary humanitarian anddisarmament treaty has come intoeffect. The world will be a safer placeand the plight of affected communitieswill be better recognized if theinternational community works together

to implement all the provisions outlinedunder the Convention. The work ondrafting the Vientiane Action Plan, whichwill translate all provisions into action,has already been undertaken.

Realism and ambition will be necessaryto make it strong enough to assuresurvivors, their families and all affectedcommunities that their needs will betaken into account, needs which theycan claim as rights under thisConvention.

Handicap International, its

civil society partners and survivorsthemselves have highlighted over andover again the lack of effective supportfor all survivors, even for those locatedin the most remote areas.

In recent conferences on clustermunitions, survivors have stressed thenecessity of being included in the

decision-making process on the

implementation of the Convention, inparticular in their own countries. Whoknows better than the survivorsthemselves how their needs can befulfilled? They have reiterated the needfor their call to be heard now with thesame sense of urgency as at thebeginning of this process.

The First Meeting of States Parties willtake place in Lao PDR, a symbolic venue,as it is the most severely affectedcountry in the world. If at this

conference in November 2010, theStates Parties show a willingness tocommit to a constructive VientianeAction Plan, it will be a demonstration ofthe international communitys politicalwill to translate the Convention intopractice, and will also serve to send astrong message to affected people andcommunities that international


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cooperation can lead to effectiveclearance of the land within a time-bound period, and coordinated andmore effective assistance for the victimsand survivors.Handicap Internationalaspart of the Cluster Munition Coalition

calls on all states to listen carefully tothe people in the affected areas and toprepare a strong Vientiane Action Plan.

Focus on Victim Assistance and

International Cooperation

Victim Assistance and InternationalCooperation and Assistance areincreasingly at the heart of thediscussions on the Mine Ban Treaty andthe Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Negotiations on the implementation ofthe Cartagena Action Plan of the MineBan Treaty as well as preparatory talkson the Vientiane Action Plan for theConvention on Cluster Munitions thatwill be adopted during the First Meetingof States Parties in Lao PDR in November2010, build on the same experiencesand have to face similar challenges.

A sense of greater quality, efficiencyand urgency should guide all steps ofthe implementation of victim assistancefrom the planning to the reporting andmonitoring stages. Within this wholeprocess, the active involvement ofsurvivors and their representativeorganizations is now recognized as anecessity by all actors. Assessing theneeds of survivors is a first step to betaken. Consensus is growing about whathas been done up to now and what

needs to be done in the very near futureand for the years to come. More andmore the focus will be on how we dothings rather than on what we have todo. It is not enough, for example, tostress on more funding, how funds are

used is even more important. Thisshould be reflected in the wording ofthe Vientiane Action Plan. Consultationswith victims and their representativeorganizations should be systematicnot only regarding the victim assistanceprovision but in relation to theimplementation of the Convention as awhole. They should be actively andmeaningfully involved in thedevelopment, implementation,monitoring and evaluation of relevantnational plans, budgets, laws and

policies.

The plan should not only mention thatsurvivors capacities should beenhanced but should go further bysaying that those capacities should bebuilt up by financial and technicalresources, effective leadership andmanagement trainings, exchangeprograms. Awareness-raising has to beeffective and implementedadequately, if words are to betranslated into action. Actions should bespecific, measurable, achievableand realistic.


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To achieve results soon, actions shouldbetime-bound with specified deadlines.Responsibilities and focal points should

be identified within six months; datashould be collected, actions coordinatedand a plan developed (if this has not yetbeen the case) within one year after theentry into force of the Convention for aparticular States Party. Availability andaccessibility of services should bereviewed within two years.

All services need to be available andaccessible to all survivors, no matterwhere they live. States should identifythe environmental, political and social

barriers preventing access to essentialservices and take action to remove

In many countries, services already inplace need to be expanded substantiallyand geographically.

The focus should be on the whole rangeof support going from medical care,rehabilitation to economic and social

inclusion and psychological support,and on servicing remote areas. The FirstMeeting of States Parties offers anexcellent opportunity for States Partiesto come up with victim assistance plansalready in place, provide information on

decisions taken and show results on theground.

Moreover, affected states can makeclear how they can strengthen nationalownership and extend their capacity forimplementing victim assistanceprograms, while donor states candemonstrate their capacity to extendfunding for victim assistance.

Another important recognition is that ofthe expertise and competence of

affected states and their capacity to setup regional partnerships for a South-South cooperation, eventually based onbest practices. Building upon nationalcapacities, international and multilateralcooperation can strengthen nationalownership.

The Vientiane Action Plan should makeuse of all the expertise governments,civil society and internationalorganizations have gathered over the

years, always bearing in mind thatsurvivors, their families andcommunities need to see tangibleimprovements on the ground soon.Therefore the Vientiane Action Plan onvictim assistance should be ambitious,clear and measurable.


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Finally a word on reporting:Reporting isnot something that has to beencouraged but it is something StatesParties are obliged to do so. StatesParties should provide the relevantinformation in their annual transparency

reports as well as at relevantinternational, regional and national fora.Progress reports shall also be used as ameans to share good practices.

Photos: Handicap International, CMC and Mary Wareham

See below for more information on:

- Developments on the Mine Ban Treaty, the Convention on Cluster Munitions and the

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

- Victim Assistance and International Cooperation under the Mine Ban Treaty and the

Convention on Cluster Munitions

- The Ban Advocates and the Universalization of the Convention on Cluster Munitions

- Investments in Mines and Cluster Munition Producers

- Recent articles, publications, videos, films and sites

More on the First Meeting of States Parties in Vientiane:www.ccm1msplaos.lawww.clusterconvention.org;www.unog.ch/; http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/1msp/

More on the CMC and the Entry into Force Events:www.august1.orgwww.stopclustermunitions.org

More on the Ban Advocates:www.banadvocates.org


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MINE BAN TREATY (MBT)

For an update on the Status of theMine Ban Treaty:http://treaties.un.org/pages/Treaties.a

spx?id=26&subid=A&lang=en

Military investigation on landmineuse by the Turkish army - After

ICBL voiced grave concern overreports mentioning allegations oflandmine use by the Turkish Army(see press release from 19 April2010), Turkey said a militaryinvestigation was underway and nocomments could be made until theinvestigation report was available.www.icbl.org//intersessionals10

Central America first landmine-

free region of the world - On 22June 2010, at the Standing Committee

on Mine Clearance for the Mine BanTreaty, Nicaragua officially announcedthat it had completed clearance of allknown mined areas. This majormilestone has resulted in all of CentralAmerica becoming a mine-free region.www.apminebanconvention.org/

Lao PDR able to become party tothe MBT - On 21 June 2010, at theStanding Committee of the Mine BanTreaty, the Lao PDR stated: We arenow in the process of consultation withall Ministries concerned to verify withreadiness to meet all obligationsstated in the Ottawa Convention. Weare confident that, with all the effortswe are undertaking and the support ofthe international community, the LaoPDR would be able to become party tothe Ottawa Convention in the comingyears.

www.apminebanconvention.org

68 US Senators ask the Presidentto join the MBT - On 18 May 2010, aletter signed by 68 Senators, askingthe Obama administration to join theMine Ban Treaty, was delivered toPresident Obama. The signatories

included 10 Republicans and twoIndependents, constituting more thanthe two-thirds of the Senate needed toratify a treaty. In a statement SenatorPatrick Leahy said: it would be amistake to underestimate or devaluethe positive reaction, practical effectsand depth of goodwill toward theUnited States and our military thatwould result from joining the treaty.Representative James McGovern said:

I have met with landmine survivors,including children, who were only

working their fields or walking toschool when they stepped on alandmine. They are not victims, () they are survivors and leaders in aglobal movement to ban this weaponfrom all current and future arsenals.He expressed his belief that it is inour best national and security intereststo join the Convention.

Information provided by Zach Hudson,

USCBL Coordinator, Handicap

International US on HI US on 18 May2010 by mail to the ICBL.

More information and statements on:

http://www.icbl.org/index.php/icbl/content/view/full/23295

http://www.handicap-international.us/


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Agenda:

November

24: Landmine Monitor Report 2010, Global

Release, Geneva, Switzerland

29 Nov 3 Dec: 10th Meeting of the StatesParties to the Mine Ban Treaty, Geneva,Switzerland

FOCUS ON VICTIM ASSISTANCE AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATIONUNDER THE MBT

Victim Assistance: NeedsAssessment, Plans, Coordination

Required

In its capacity of Co-Chair ofthe Standing Committee on VictimAssistance and Socio-Economic

Reintegration of the MBT, Turkeywished more clarity through acomprehensive mapping concerningvictim assistance. The ICRC insistedon transparency on the part both ofdonors and of stakeholders and saidthat Information can be shared, forexample through a donor database ora donor review (). Referring to

Voices from the Ground, a 2009study by Handicap InternationalBelgium, Austria stated: This

systematic survey of survivors inaffected countries revealed once againthat there has been progress, inparticular in the area of emergencyand continuing medical care, but only28% of the respondents believed thatoverall services were better in 2009than in 2005. Austria concluded:

much more needs to be done. ICBLrecommended states with significantnumber of victims that Victimassistance should be identified as anational priority. The ICRC said that

without strong national ownership tolead efforts and without a strategy todevelop and/or strengthen nationalcapacities, assistance activities havelittle chance to become sustainableand said that without national acoordinating body national efforts toraise awareness are impeded.

Reports from the affectedStates were quite encouragingshowing breakthroughs inimplementing victim assistance.Several affected states reported newdevelopments in working out anational plan and budget, as for

example from Afghanistan, Burundi,Cambodia, Colombia, DR Congo,Croatia, El Salvador, Senegal andThailand. Some states mentionedexplicitly how they tried to improvecoordination. Afghanistan stated thatthe the establishment of an inter-ministerial taskforce for people withdisabilities was decreed and twoRegional Disability StakeholdersCoordination Groups in both theNorthern and Eastern regions were

established in order to integrate theCartagena Action Plan into the currentpolicies, such as the AfghanistanNational Disability Action Plan. Croatiaannounced an inter-ministerialmeeting of a victim assistancecoordination group to develop the firstvictim assistance plan with broadinter-ministerial support. GuineaBissau reported on collaboration withdisabled peoples organizations,Mozambique on the collaborationbetween the National Institute for

Demining (IND) and the Network ofMine Survivors (RAVIM) to identify andassess the needs of survivors living inrural areas near Maputo and Sudan onefforts to coordinate government andcivil society activities.

Several initiatives have beenundertaken to assess the needs ofsurvivors. Nicaragua mentioned that


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the Ministry of Health is collecting dataon all services received by mine/ERWsurvivors. Senegal reported on asurvey on the needs of civilian minesurvivors. Uganda reported that a

Baseline Survey was conducted to

establish the needs of survivors,service providers and servicesavailable.

Using this baseline a MineAction Victim Assistance Project and

a training manual on psychosocialsupport were developed in Uganda. Inorder to expand this project and

create a sense of national ownership,the government allocated additionalfunds for implementation of activitiesfor landmine survivors and otherpersons with disabilities. However,

Uganda admitted that there is stillmore to do to reach all landminesurvivors; hence the need to requestfor more support from the donorcommunity. Peru stated similarly thatthe government managed to allocatemore funds for disability but thatnevertheless the public fundingwouldnt be sufficient.

Despite the availability ofdisability services in all provinces,Cambodia admitted that challenges

remain such as the inaccessibility ofpublic buildings, transport etc., a lownational budget allocation for thedisability sector, lack of humanresources, technical an financialcapacity to fully respond to the needs,unreliable disability statistics, limitedinclusion of disability into existingprograms and services and a limitednational coordination mechanism. Thislist is generally representative formany affected states.

Suggestions for More EfficientInternational Cooperation

During a special session onInternational Cooperation andAssistance held on 25 June 2010during the Intersessional StandingCommittee Meetings in Geneva, someproposals were made to improve

international cooperation in general.Zambia reiterated its proposal tocreate a Standing Committee onResources to mitigate the needs ofaffected States in particular, as aforum where both affected States and

States in a position to assist wouldbrainstorm on resource mobilizationand utilization strategies, as well as

an opportunity to exchangeinformation. This proposal wassupported by the ICBL, the ICRC andseveral other countries.

Canada insisted on coordination on the level of thecontributing state to ensure thatefforts by different agencies areconsistent, synergistic and mutuallyreinforcing and stated: Coordination

must be within countries, inter-ministerial as well as international.States should work together tomaximize the combined effectivenessof assistance efforts. It is also relevantto consider that multilateral andbilateral actions and initiatives mightbe supplemented by plurilateralcooperation among groups ofinterested states.

Affected states called on donorstates to take into account their needs

and principles. Cambodia expressedthe hope that ALL donors toCambodia will commit to the

Partnership Principles for theimplementation of the National MineAction Strategy drafted by thegovernment, and increase alignmentand harmonization of their assistanceto the needs of the sector.Afghanistan asked to allow thenational governments to play a role indetermining needs and to assist

donors in targeting the priorities of

the country.Thailand stated that

cooperation and assistance may be in-kind instead of financial, and can alsoarise in the South-South context. Toensure efficient use of limitedresources, Thailand proposed thatStates Parties in need of assistance insimilar areas may work together with


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donor countries or agencies to form agroup, aimed at collectively sharingexperiences and expertise or training.

More on the Intersessional Standing

Committee Session on Victim

Assistance and Socio-EconomicReintegration of the Mine Ban Treaty

was held on 21-24 June 2010,together with a parallel program for

Victim Assistance Experts on 22-23 June and a special session on

Cooperation and Assistance on 25 Junein Geneva, where States Parties

reported on developments and

challenges in implementing victim

assistance under the Cartagena ActionPlan, adopted during the SecondReview Conference of the Mine Ban

Treaty in December 2009 in

Cartagena, Colombia.

www.apminebanconvention.org/intersessional-work-programme/june-2010/

Summary and ICBL statements:www.icbl.org/index.php/icbl/Library/N

ews-Articles/intersessionals10

CONVENTION ON CLUSTER MUNITIONS (CCM)

For an update on the Status of the

Mine Ban Treaty:

http://treaties.un.org/pages/Treaties.aspx?id=26&subid=A&lang=en andwww.stopclustermunitions.org/treatyst

atus

The First Meeting of States Parties(1MSP) will be held in Laos PDR on 9-12 November 2010. At a preparatorymeeting, held on 6 September inGeneva, UNDP reported on the TrustFund for the Full Implementation ofthe Convention on Cluster Munitions in

the Lao PDR within the framework ofthe Vientiane Declaration on AidEffectiveness and announced that sofar only 5 donors have provided funds(mostly for the First Meeting of StatesParties) US$ 2,2m (Australia), 0.09m(Canada), 0.06m (France), 1.8m (US)and 3m (Switzerland). The formulationof the Vientiane Action Plan (VAP) andthe Vientiane Declaration waswelcomed, although both documentsrequire further work. The reportingformat, presented by Belgium, Friend

of the Chair on Reporting, waswelcomed by States Parties and theCMC was pleased with the level ofdetail. Field trips will be organizedbefore and during the Conference.

More information on the First Meeting ofStates Parties in Vientiane:

www.ccm1msplaos.lawww.clusterconvention.org; www.unog.ch/;

http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/1msp/

CMC Statement at the UN - In astatement to the First Committee of theUnited Nations General Assembly on 25October 2010 in New York, the CMC gavetwo messages: first get on board andsecond deliver results. We say get onboard to those who have signed, but notyet ratified the Convention; to those whohave not yet signed or acceded; but also tothose who have joined the Convention toreach out to and convince other countries to

get on board and join the Convention. ()In particular we urge affected states such asCambodia and Vietnam, Serbia andTajikistan to join the Convention so that youcan share your experiences and expertisewith other affected countries and begin toreap the benefits of the Conventionshumanitarian provisions. We say deliverresults now because this is the primarypurpose of the CCM () The treaty was notestablished to manage the status quo ofclearance, victim assistance andinternational cooperation that is alreadygoing on, in particular in the context of theMine Ban Treaty. The CCM requires newaction, more work, increased resources andimproved lives. For States Parties affectedby cluster munitions, the Conventiondemands that we see positive change forindividuals and communities. At the 1MSP,we expect to see plans set out by affectedStates Parties to accelerate clearance workand to expand the coverage of services to


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victims and survivors. We expect StatesParties in a position to provide assistance toset out their intention to support these planswith additional resources.

Special Event on the CCM at the

UN - On 19 October the Lao PeoplesDemocratic Republic and Japan hosteda special event on the Convention onCluster Munitions (CCM) in New Yorkduring the UN General Assemblys FirstCommittee on Disarmament andInternational Security. 45 countriesparticipated in the event including 13non signatories. The panel consisted ofthe Deputy Secretary-General of theUN, the Ambassador, PermanentRepresentative of the Lao PDR,Ambassador, Permanent

Representative of Japan and the Headof the ICRC Delegation to the UnitedNations in New York as well as thecoordinator of the Cluster MunitionCoalition. The Deputy Secretary-General stated that the entry intoforce demonstrated the worldscollective revulsion to the impact ofcluster munitions. She recognized therole of civil society and of mine actionworkers and called on all states toratify or accede the Convention onCluster Munitions without delay.

Princess Astrid of Belgiumparticipating in the First Meeting

of States Parties The BelgianAmbassador announced at the Eventon 19 October that the Belgiandelegation in Laos will be led byPrincess Astrid in order to show ourcontinuing commitment and addedthat Belgium will spare no effortsthrough its membership of EU, NATOand OSCE to universalize the

Convention.

Montenegro destroyed clustermunitions stockpiles - Montenegroannounced at the Event in New Yorkthat two weeks ago, Montenegrodestroyed its remaining 353 clusterbombs, thereby concluding its processof stockpile destruction well ahead of

the treaty deadline. It said it wasready to share its experience.

Belgiums stockpiles of cluster

munitions destroyed - In a Press

Release issued on 14 September 2010,the Belgian Ministry of Defenseannounced the complete destructionof its entire stockpile of submunitionsin early August 2010. Belgium wasthe first country in the world to bancluster munitions and it has lived up toits commitment to destroy itsstockpiles within the eight yearsforeseen. The Ministry of Defensefurther pointed out that this herebyshows its determination to live up tothe commitments of the Oslo Treaty.

Moreover, our country plays an activerole in the Universalization of thetreaty and in the finalization of areporting format in order to work astransparently as possible.www.mil.be/perscom/index.asp?LAN=nl&id=1556

Entry into Force of the CCMMunitions on 1 August 2010 - On 1August 2010, the date of the entryinto force of the Convention on Cluster

Munitions, a number of governmentsspoke out in support of the CCM, aswell as the UN Secretary General,various international organisations, theCluster Munition Coalition andsurvivors and their organisations fromall over the world. The entry intoforce in little more than two yearssince its adoption, highlights,according to the UN Secretary General,

not only the world's collectiverevulsion at these abhorrent weapons,but also the power of collaboration

among Governments, civil society andthe United Nations to change attitudesand policies on a threat faced by allhumankind. Such cooperation will becrucial as we seek now to implementthe Convention, including throughassistance to victims. On 30 July2010 he encouraged all Member Statesto participate in the First Meeting of


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States Parties in November 2010 inthe Lao PDR to demonstrate theirsupport for the Convention and hecalled on those States which have yetto accede to the Convention, to do sowithout delay.

www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=4697

Thailand considering becoming a

state party to the CCM - On 18August 2010, the Ambassador andPermanent Representative of Thailandto the UN in Geneva wrote in a letterto the Team Leader of the Securityand Disarmament Department of IKVPax Christi in the Netherlands thatthe relevant Thai authorities arecurrently in the process of considering

the possibility of becoming a party tothe Convention.Letter provided by IKV Pax Christi to

the CMC on 24 August 2010 by email.Resolution on the CCM by theEuropean Parliament - On 8 July2010, the European Parliament passeda resolution calling on European Unionmember states to urgently sign andratify the Convention on ClusterMunitions and to participate in the

First Meeting of States Parties. 20 outof 27 EU member states have signedthe Convention. The seven that havenot yet signed are: Estonia, Finland,Greece, Latvia, Poland, Romania andSlovakia. The resolution was adoptedby an overwhelming majority of 558votes to 30 (mainly from Finnish andPolish Members of the EuropeanParliament), with 24 abstentions(mainly from Romanian Members ofthe European Parliament).

More on:www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.

do?type=MOTION&reference=P7-RC-

2010-0413&format=XML&language=ENwww.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/

infopress_page/031-78063-186-07-28-903-20100707IPR78062-05-07-2010-2010-false/default_en.htm

Recommendation on a Ban on

cluster munitions by theEuropean Council On 7 July 2010,the Council of Europe adopted arecommendation on a Ban on cluster

munitions. Only the RussianFederation raised objections, but itremained isolated. The RussianFederation declared to be available tocontinue its work on humanitarianissues related to the use of clustermunitions under the United Nationswithin the framework set by theGeneva process [CCW]. Therecommendation was initiated andpromoted by the Belgian government.From the 47 Council of Europemembers states Greece, Turkey,

Finland, Poland, Estonia, Slovakia,Romania, Andorra, Latvia, Ukraine,Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan,Serbia, and Monaco, have not signedthe CCM. The recommendation alsonotes that a large number of Councilof Europe member states have eitherratified or signed the Convention andencourages all member states whichhave not yet done so to sign and ratifyas soon as possible.

See for the text(CM/AS(2010)Rec1871) and the

decision

(CM/Del/Dec(2010)1090/10.7):http://www.coe.int/T/CM/home_en.as

p

Keeping up a sense of urgency - Atthe global conference on the CCM from7-9 June in Santiago, organized by thegovernment of Chile in collaborationwith Norway and UNDP, the CMC andthe Ban Advocates urged all the 13

non-signatory states present, includingArgentina, Thailand and Vietnam aswell as absent Brazil to join theConvention. States expressed theirwillingness to intensify efforts to reachout to non-signatories and provideassistance for signatories to ratify.Japan, as Friend of the President onUniversalization reported on its


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Universalisation activities whichincluded sending letters incollaboration with the CMC. Lao PDRproposed that the President of the1MSP could appoint a special envoy tovisit non-signatory countries that have

expressed objections to signing theConvention. New Zealand, Australiaand Botswana supported this initiative.The CMC said that The future cultureand climate of the Convention shouldbe based on the highly toutedpartnership of governments and civilsociety that brought it about, onopenness and flexibility, and awillingness on occasion to step outsideof traditional diplomatic boundariesand practices and on prioritization ofand focus on the humanitarian impact

of the work. The CMC remindedeveryone that urgency has been acatch-word of the Oslo Process, andstressed on keeping up that sense ofurgency.

More information:

www.minrel.gov.cl/prontus_minrel/site/artic/20090811/pags/20090811092921.phpwww.stopclustermunitions.org/chile/

Competent and concerted Africaneffort - The State Secretary ofNorway stated at the Africa RegionalConference on the Universalization andImplementation of the CCM on 25-26March 2010 in Pretoria, South Africa,that the CCM would have beenweaker in all key areas without thecompetent and concerted Africaneffort and added that Now ourcommon challenge is to make surethat the obligations set out in theConvention are translated into reality

on the ground. Malawi expectedAfrican States to set an ambitiouspace for the implementation of theCCM and send high levelrepresentation to the 1MSP in Laos.

There is need for more State Partiesto participate fully in the 1MSP. Thisrequires more ratifications as soon aspossible. CMC reminded everyone

that Africa has helped keep the focuson the humanitarian suffering and theneed to respond to it. It has kept thebar high in ensuring that the CCM wasthe strongest possible Convention thatcould be achieved and went on to say

that it expected Africa to play thesame role at the 1MSP. Ban Advocate,Berihu Mesele from Ethiopia called onhis country to sign and ratify the CCMand posed the question: Why only 38African countries signed and only 6ratified the CCM? From his ownexperience, he pointed out how manychallenges still remain in the field ofvictim assistance concerning physicalrehabilitation, economic integrationand psychological support. In theperspective of its role as Friend of the

Chair on Reporting to the Vientianeconference, Belgium presented lessonslearnt on national reporting under theMBT for the CCM including the needfor training, improvements in datacollection, and assistance. CMC notedthat fundamentally the gathering andsharing of information is key toproviding good services to citizens andenhancing international cooperation.

More information on The Africa

Regional Conference on theUniversalization and Implementation

of the Convention on Cluster Munitions

on 25-26 March 2010 in Pretoria,South Africa, attended by 31 African

states/regions:http://clustermunitionspretoria.blogsp

ot.com/http://www.regjeringen.no/en/search.

html?quicksearch=Africa+Conference+on+Cluster+Munitions

http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/n

ews/?id=2168

Ban on cluster bombs will havefinancial implications for Slovakia -Radio Slovakia International announced on3 August 2010 that the Slovak DefenceMinistry recommends that Slovakia takepart in the International Convention onCluster Munitions (), but only when thecountry is able to meet the commitmentsincluded in it.


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http://www.rozhlas.sk/inetportal/rsi/pages/printClanok.php?clanokID=31506&lang=2

Azerbaijan cannot join theConvention on Cluster Munitions now,the Foreign Ministry arms controldepartment specialist said during a round-table-meeting organized by theAzerbaijanicampaign against mines, Trend reportedon 2 August 2010, because "Azerbaijaniterritories - Nagorno-Karabakh and sevensurrounding regions, are underoccupation.http://en.trend.az/news/karabakh/1729764.html

Oslo Process an example for UNDisarmament Negotiations AssociatedPress wrote on 21 July 2010, that the UNSecretary General invited ministers fromthe UN member states to a meeting inSeptember to revitalize UN disarmamentnegotiations which have been deadlockedfor more than a dozen years, UN officialssaid and added: Recent treaties on landmines and cluster munitions, for example,were negotiated outside the Geneva-basedconference to bypass the bottleneck.http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128681871

Cambodia still studying CCM - On 10June 2010, the Phnom Penh Postquoted astatement by Handicap Internationalsaying As a highly affected country,Cambodia knows the devastating effects ofcluster munition use on families.According to the Cambodian Mine ActionAuthority the government still plans to signthe CCM, but must first study itsimplications. According to the newspaper,the Defense Minister said: We will sign inthe future. Now we need to protect ourcountry and our souvereignity first fromother countries like Thailand, which hasborder problems with us.http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2010061039627/National-news/clock-ticking-on-approval-of-cluster-ban.html

US use of cluster munitions in Yemen? On 7 June 2010, Amnesty Internationalreleased images of a US-manufacturedTomahawk cruise missile that carriedcluster submunitions, apparently takenfollowing an attack on an alleged al-Qaedatraining camp in the community of al-

Ma'jalah in the Abyan area in the south ofYemen. On 8 June, the CMC called on theUnited States to confirm or deny thereported use of US-manufactured clustermunitions in Yemen and condemned anyuse of cluster munitions anywhere by anyactor. Neither the US nor Yemen have

signed the treaty.www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/yemen-images-missile-and-cluster-munitions-point-us-role-fatal-attack-2010-06-04

Cambodia: Victim Assistance part ofMillennium Development Goals According to the Resident Coordinator in ofthe United Nations DevelopmentProgramme in Cambodia The CambodianMillennium Development Goals include onethat is unique to this country. Thegovernment recognized that land mines

and UXO present significant challenges topoverty reduction and added to their goalsCMDG9: landmines, UXO and victimassistance, so reported the Phnom PenhPost on 28 May 2010. Referring to theConvention on Cluster Munitions, the UNofficial added: We stand ready to provideassistance to Cambodia to facilitate itsentry as signatory to the convention.www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2010052839348/National-news/lessons-from-a-violent-past.html

Agenda

November

1: Cluster Munition Monitor Report2010, Global Release, Bangkok,Thailand9-12: First Meeting of States Parties tothe Convention on Cluster Munitions,Vientiane, Lao PDR

December 2010

3: Anniversary of the Convention onCluster Munitions Signing Conference


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FOCUS ON VICTIM ASSISTANCE AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATIONUNDER THE CCM

Suggestions for the VientianeAction Plan on Victim Assistance

On 6 September 2010, during thepreparatory meeting in Geneva for theFirst Meeting of States Parties (1MSP)the CMC stated that all actions shouldbe time-bound and measurable.According to the ICRC, States shouldpresent their plans for the extension oftheir capacities for the implementationof victim assistance and donor statesshould come up with concretecommitments for its funding. ICRCstressed the need for tangible benefitsin 2011.

Participatory discussion amongst

campaigners and focal points

On 13 June 2010 in Santiago, the ICBLand CMC jointly organized a VictimAssistance Workshop in response tothe questions and needs identified byVictim Assistance Focal Points in orderto better equip them to be effective intheir work. Many Focal Points,survivors and campaigners gave

presentations and participated activelyin discussions on synergies betweenMBT, CCM and CRPD, monitoring,inclusive development, creatingawareness, fundraising for VictimAssistance and the Vientiane ActionPlan.www.icbl.org/index.php/icbl/Library/News-Articles/intersessionals10/va

Civil society as a bridge betweendonors and affected states

As a CMC campaigner from Lebanonsaid at the Santiago Conference inJune: Civil society can also acteffectively as a bridge between donorsand affected states and amongaffected states themselves to helpbring all forms of resources andexpertise together. In that sense,Handicap International organized a 2-

part regional victim assistanceworkshop in Amman, Jordan, on 25and 26 May, one for civil society andservice providers, including survivors

and disability advocates, and the otherfor including governmentrepresentatives, donors and embassystaff. Most countries in the region haveyet to develop National Action Plans onvictim assistance. Given the increasedfocus on action planning following theadoption of the Cartagena Action Plan,the aim was to support national levelprocesses for victim assistance actionplanning by multi-stakeholdercommittees in the following countries:Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, theoccupied Palestinian Territories andYemen. Presentations and moreinteractive sessions brought increasedclarity on the need for national actionplans and on items to be pursued in-country.Information provided by ElkeHottentot, Victim Assistance Technical

Advisor, Handicap InternationalSwitzerland.

The way from Process to Progress

on Victim Assistance

The President of the CartagenaSummit on the MBT said at the ViennaExpert Conference on VictimAssistance on 8-9 April 2010 that alarge number of victims have seen toolittle or even no progress in theirlives, as was demonstrated throughHandicap Internationals report Voicesfrom the Ground. This situation isunacceptable, and compels us to domore to achieve our goals. As wemove ahead, our focus should be onapplying the common understandingsthat have been established for theimmediate benefit of survivors, ratherthan on continued discussionsamongst diplomats on words andphrases. This participative approachmust not only be continued, butenhanced and improved. We have to


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make sure that the views of allsurvivors regardless of gender orage are heard and respected, andthat their effective inclusion indecision-making processes isensured. According to the Cartagena

Action Plan a holistic and integratedapproach to victim assistance must bepursued and The full, non-discriminatory and inclusivereintegration of survivors into theircommunities and into social, culturaland economic spheres of societiesmust be ensured by central and localgovernment.

The ICBL recognized thatprocess activities such as developinglaws, policies, coordination, tools,action plans and establishing the

structures necessary to supportnational implementation of victimassistance have been extremelyimportant and process is visible inmost of the affected countries.However improvements on processdo not always and immediately lead toprogress on the ground, and our nextsteps should focus on how to usethese new structures to improve thedaily lives of survivors. In addition, theStates Parties have accepted the

importance of a social model andrights based approach in victimassistance, but they have not beenable to convert the theory intopractice. They continued to focus theirmain attention on medical andrehabilitation issues rather thanapplying victim assistance as theholistic process that has beencommitted to in theory. We have tokeep the pressing needs of survivors inmind when implementing the actionplan.

Survivor Corps agreed thatprocess-related progress is important,but there must also be focus on resultsand showing the concrete impact onthe lives of survivors and added that

Collecting relevant data to make anappropriate needs assessment isessential and is also key to make surethat the impact of victimization is

assessed comprehensively, and notonly the impact on an individual, butalso the family and community.Survivor participation must also be

meaningful, which means that theinterests of survivors are represented

in any document, instrument andefforts that affect their lives and wheretheir participation is facilitated.

The Director of CMC Austriastressed the fact that So far, financialresources available for victimassistance programmes have beeninsufficient and that for instance

Enough funding must be available forunique initiatives such as that of theBan Advocates (). She said thattestimonies from several diplomatsand negotiators indicate that the

passionate lobbying efforts undertakenby the Ban Advocates on individualstates have had a powerful impact onchanging national policy in manyindividual states. Victims and field-based organizations working inaffected states usually know what isreally happening on the ground. Sheadded that the effective cooperationbetween survivors and field-basedorganizations in advocacy and mediawork should continue globally. The

benefit of direct experience of victimsand field staff makes the CMC anatural partner of governments inmeeting their obligations under theCCM to collect reliable data and assessthe needs of cluster munition victims.It is no coincidence that the OsloProcess has often been referred to asdata-driven, as it was civil society thatdocumented humanitarian evidence onthe consequences of cluster munitions.Assessing the status quo on victimassistance implementation has proved

to be essential for identifying ongoingchallenges and elaborating new andeffective action plans for the future.And it will remain essential in thefuture, as States Parties to the CCMwill need to agree on a roadmap forimplementation at the First Meeting ofStates The coordinator of the CMCsaid: It is our job to bridge the all too


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often gaping divide between policydiscussions and action where it isneeded in affected communities. Goodwork has been done of course, but themessage, we in the NGO communityare getting is that much more is

needed. Victim assistance is anexample of how the CCM can bebeneficial to states and their citizensand that it can be done.

Dejan Dicic, a cluster munitionsurvivor and Ban Advocate from NiinSerbia draw the attention to thelimited resources of the affectedstates, to the large imbalance ofeconomic potential betweendisadvantages regions and developedregions within affected states and thenumber of layers between

national/international donors on theone hand and victims or their familieson the other hand.

The Senior Advisor and TeamLeader on Armed Violence, Mine Actionand Small Arms, UNDP noted that

While the Millennium DevelopmentGoals (MDG) are specifically designedto address the needs of the xorldspoorest citizens and the worlds mostmarginalized populations there areactually no references to persons with

disabilities either in the MDGsthemselves or in the accompanyingbody of guidelines and policies.

The Vienna Expert Conference on

Victim Assistance, an informal expertmeeting, was held from 8-9 April 2010

in Vienna, was a joint initiative of the Austrian Ministry of Defence and the

Ministry for European andInternational Affairs and gathered

over 70 participants and panellists

from governments, UN, ICRC, CMC

and ICBL, as well as survivor.

Use and Reinforce Existing

Capacities in Affected States

At the Victim Assistance Session of thePretoria Conference in March 2010,the Director of the Uganda LandmineSurvivors Association, Margaret Arach

Orech, called on all states in Africa to join the global community, and signand ratify the Convention on ClusterMunitions. Ratifying the CCM, andbeginning its implementation,including in the area of victim

assistance is also a way to generategreater resources and cooperation forimplementation of a number of otherobligations that states have underinternational law.

She admitted that the lowpace of ratification by African states isquite disturbing and added:

especially as the onus for victimassistance rests on them. This maylimit immediate implementation, whichis quite vital if we are to see anychanges and improvements in the

quality of the lives of survivors. As alandmine survivor herself, she saidthat survivors still wait for their statesto take up responsibility wherenecessary and reinforce existingefforts for a better provision of victimassistance. She called on allgovernments to take advantage of theresources that exist in theircommunities and asked them to

actively empower survivors and theirrepresentative groups to participate in

the social, economic and politicalsector of their community and thecountry.

She stressed the need forcontinuing medical care, especially tosurvivors in remote areas and notedthat governments can through theirfocal points on victim assistance reachout to survivors through thecommunity based rehabilitationapproach and ensure that they areable to access the available servicesfor medical care as well as for

rehabilitation. Services to supportsurvivors to overcome long-termpsychological trauma are lacking orare not easily accessible in mostcommunities. Therefore, shesuggested that more resources shouldbe put toward the training of more

counselors as well as the survivors


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the Foreign Ministry of Thailand incooperation with ICRC in Bangkok on29-30 July 2010, with the participationof the Defence Ministry and other Thaigovernment agencies, Australia,Germany, Japan, Laos, the UN, the

CMC and the GICHD.

Tajikistan: During a Round Table on 3August, Umarbek Pulodov, BanAdvocate from Tajikistan, expressedhis hope that the Tajik governmentwould join the Convention during aRound Table on 3 August, attended byrepresentatives of the PresidentialAdministration, the Justice, Foreignand Defense Ministries the Mine ActionCentre, local NGOs and the media aswell as landmine and cluster munitionssurvivors.

US: Lynn Bradach, whose son waskilled in Iraq while clearing clustermunitions, called on the U.S. to attendthe First Meeting of States Parties tothe CCM in Laos and to work withother countries to make sure thisweapon is banned globally once andfor all.

Serbia: Branislav Kapetanoviurged

the Serbian government to sign duringa TV show in Serbia on the entry intoforce of the CCM.

Vietnam: In Vietnam, survivors andcampaigners issued a joint statementto welcome entry into force of theConvention. A meeting was organizedwith representatives from 20 self-helpgroups of survivors, who thendisseminated information about theCCM to their 600 members and

communities.

More:http://blog.banadvocates.org/

http://www.august1.org/eventsThe film can be found on:

http://blog.banadvocates.org/index.ph

p?post/2010/07/30/Film-The-Ban-

Advocates%3A-From-Victims-to-

Champions

Laos Training In anticipation of theFirst Meeting of States Parties in LaoPDR, the Lao Ban Advocates came to

Vientiane from their villages toparticipate in an advocacy RefresherWorkshop (the first workshop was heldin January 2010) from 26-27 July2010. They discussed the CCM andhow the convention will affectsurvivors and affected communities.They practiced dealing with journalistsand working with governmentrepresentatives.

Training: from survivors to Ban

Advocates - The Tajik Campaign toBan Landmines, with the support ofUmarbek Pulodov as Ban Advocate,organized an Advocacy & AwarenessRaising Training for the ClusterMunition and Landmine Survivorsfrom 30 July to 4 August 2010. Themain objective of this training was tohave new Tajik Ban Advocates inTajikistan to urge the government tosign and ratify the CCM as soon aspossible, preferably before the firstmeeting of states parties in November

in Lao PDR. They spoke aboutsynergies and differences between theCCM, the MBT and the CRPD; therights of persons with disabilities inTajikistan; and received mediatraining.

Ban Bus Tour in Tajikistan - BanAdvocate, Umarbek Pulodov, wasinvolved in a Ban Bus Tour aroundaffected regions of Tajikistan to informthe communities about the CCM. TheBus Tour was also planned to raiseawareness of people in remoteaffected regions and locations and tohelp them raise their voices in order tourge the Government of Tajikistan to

join the Convention on ClusterMunitions.


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Call on states to involve survivors

At the Santiago Conference, BanAdvocates from Lao and Afghanistancalled on states to involve survivors inthe implementation of the VientianeAction Plan. We, as survivors, need to

be involved. We know what the realneeds of the victims are. Support hasto be based on our needs. Concreteassistance is urgently needed now,and for many years to come, BounmyVijak, Ban Advocate from Lao PDR,said. Cluster bomb survivors were adriving force behind the successfultreaty negotiations, and we now callon states to make sure victims arefully included in all aspects of bringingthe Convention into practice, saidSoraj Ghulam Habib, a 19-year-old

Afghan cluster munition survivor andBan Advocate on behalf of the CMC.

The more support we have fromgovernments to rebuild our lives, thestronger we will become.

Advocating at Amman Workshop

on Victim Assistance - RaedMokaled, who lost his 5-year old sonthrough a cluster munition explosion,shared his experience during aWorkshop on Victim Assistance in

Amman.

Speaking as an expert - Dejan Dicic,Ban Advocate from Ni in Serbia,participated in the Vienna Expert-Meeting on Victim Assistance.Speaking from his experience in hisown country, he said: If we look at amap of Serbia we see that CM and LMvictims were mostly from the least

developed, rural regions within Serbiaitself. After the war events in theBalkans, from the economicallyprosperous region of Ni, today Ni isthe most underdeveloped region inSerbia. He also spoke about the role

of other family members to resolve themost basic questions of survival andliving conditions. The monthlyincome of a family in southern Serbiais still up to 10 times less than theincome in the north of Serbia. That'swhy there is a particular need forVictim Assistance in rural areas and headded: The role of NGOs can becrucial in training the victims andeducating them how to approachdonors, national or international.

Ban Advocates Film adapted foraurally and visually disabledpersons - The Film The BanAdvocates: From Victims toChampions directed by ChrisAnderson, has been made accessibleto Dutch-language aurally and visuallydisabled persons by PlatformHandicap enOntwikkelingssamenwerking (PHOS)in cooperation with the organization

Fevlado and Licht en Liefde with

the support of the Flemishgovernment. The adapteddocumentary can be obtained fromHandicap International and PHOS.

More information:www.banadvocates.org

www.handicap-international.orgwww.phos.be

FOCUS ON INVESTEMENTS IN MINES AND CLUSTER MUNITIONS

Luxembourg Compensation Fundfor the Social Security will

disinvest - On 18 August 2010 thenewspaper Le Quotidien fromLuxembourg, reported that a Memberof Parliament accused the public

Fonds de compensation de la Scuritsociale of financing enterprises

producing cluster munitions. On 20August, the enterprise said it wouldstop investing in enterprises linkedwith cluster munitions. HandicapInternational said an official black listof cluster munition producers isdramatically missing.


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Information provided by Handicap

International Luxembourg to Handicap

International Belgium on 20 August2010http://www.lequotidien.lu/index.php/p

olitique-et-societe/14502-Des-

pensions-explosives.htmlhttp://www.lequotidien.lu/index.php/p

olitique-et-societe/14530-Maintenant-faut-ragir.html

Germany criticised for buying body

scanner from cluster munitionsproducer Germany's interiorministry is facing criticism for buyingairport body scanners from thesubsidiary of a US company known toproduce internationally banned clustermunitions,Deutsche Welle, as well as

other media, reported on 11 August2010, referring to two full-bodyscanners to be used for tests atHamburg airport in September from asubsidiary of the US L3Communications company,which according to a survey by the IKVPAX Christi aid organization, is aproducer of cluster ammunition.Handicap International Germanyaccused the government in Berlin ofdouble standards. You simply weaken

the treaty prohibiting cluster munitionsif you pursue such business activities,"the director told Deutsche Welle. TheGerman organization landmine.depressure group called on thegovernment to renounce such dealsimmediately." According to HandicapInternational Germany, thegovernment replied that this is only atest phase, we dont buy theappliances at this stage. If it comes toa bigger order, we will apply the usualtender procedures.

Information provided by HandicapInternational Germany to Handicap

International Belgium and by

landmine.de www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5891121,00.html

Japan banks ban financing clusterarms - On 30 July 2010, AFP reported

that Japan's three largest banks wouldrefrain from financing the manufactureof cluster bombs. Sumitomo MitsuiFinancial Group (SMFG), Mitsubishi UFJFinancial Group (MUFG) and MizuhoBank said they had stated in their

regulations they would deny loans andinvestments for the productions ofcluster munitions.http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-

news-world/japan-banks-ban-financing-cluster-arms-20100730-

10zkw.html

France prohibits financing of

producers of cluster munitions -On 8 July 2010, France announcedthat direct and indirect financing of theproduction or trade of cluster

munitions is forbidden by French law.On the occasion of the debate on thenational implementation law of theOslo Convention in the Frenchparliament, the government officiallydeclared that "any knowingly direct orindirect financial assistance, to a

manufacturing or trading activity ofcluster munitions would be consideredas an assistance, encouragement or

inducement falling within the scope of

criminal law". This declaration is the

first statement in France specifying theprohibition of assistance stipulated bythe Oslo Convention, and incorporatedin the law.Information provided to the CMC by

Handicap International France on 7July 2010

The minutes of the plenary session ofthe National Assembly

on:www.assemblee-nationale.frMore information on www.amnesty.fr

and www.handicap-international.fr

Dutch financial institutions calledon government to prohibit

investments in cluster munitions -The Dutch BankASN called on theHouse of Representatives in theNetherlands to support the proposal ona prohibition on investments in clustermunitions. It is incomprehensible toratify the treaty and leave space to


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invest in this sector, the Bank said on2 July 2010. The call follows after twomain Dutch pension funds (APG andMN Services) publically expressed asimilar call to the Dutch governmentearlier this year to install a prohibition

on direct investments in clustermunitions. On 8 December 2009, theDutch House of Representativesadopted a motion to prohibitinvestments in cluster munitions.However, on 31 March 2010, theDutch Minister of Finance and Ministerof Social Affairs decided not toimplement the motion. Informationprovided by IKV/Pax Christi toHandicap International Belgium

www.asnbank.nl/index.asp?NID=1078

3http://www.mn-services.nl/portal/page?_pageid=136,

3554504&_dad=portal&_schema=POR

TAL&p_item_id=6107199

UBS AG excluded investments in

cluster munition producers -UBSAG has pulled its investments fromcompanies that manufacture clusterbombs, the Swiss bank said on 10 May2010, Associated Press in Zurich

reported. UBS Global AssetManagement took a policy decision lastmonth to exclude such firms from itsactively managed Swiss and

Luxembourg funds, a spokeswomansaid.Information provided by HandicapInternational Switzerland on 11 May2010.http://xsltm8.finance.sp2.yahoo.com/

news/Swiss-bank-UBS-divests-from-apf-2565382271.html?x=0

Financial institutions continue to

invest in cluster munitionproducers - IKV Pax Christi(Netherlands) and Netwerk Vlaanderen(Belgium) launched an update to theirOctober 2009 report, Worldwideinvestments in cluster munitions ashared responsibility, in Geneva on14 April 2010. The report revealedthat The worlds top financialinstitutions continue to finance thefollowing seven leading producers ofcluster bombs and cluster bombcomponents: Alliant Techsystems(USA), Hanwha (South Korea), L-3Communications (USA), LockheedMartin (USA) Poongsan (South Korea),Singapore Technologies Engineering(Singapore) and Textron (USA).

www.stopexplosiveinvestments.org/report

www.ikvpaxchristi.nl/UK/below_thematic_security_and_disarmament_cluster

_munition_home_stop_explosive_investments.htm

www.netwerkvlaanderen.be

CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

For an update on the Status of the

CRPD:www.un.org/disabilities/

Spain submitted its initial report tothe CRPD Committee - On 3 May,Spain submitted its initial report on itsimplementation of the CRPD to theCommittee on the CRPD. It is the firstcountry to submit its report.

Agenda

December 20103: International Day of Persons with

Disabilities: "Keeping the promise:Mainstreaming disability in the

Millennium Development Goalstowards 2015 and beyond"


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RECENT ARTICLES, BLOGS, PUBLICATIONS, SITES, VIDEOS

Assistance, Advocacy, Access a projectmapping victim assistance in Serbia, June2010, by the website of AAA-S, Serbia.

http://www.ppps.org.rsBan Advocates: from Victims to Champions,a film directed by Chris Anderson, globallylaunched on 1 August 2010, from HandicapInternational Belgium, shows how BanAdvocates from different countries played acrucial role in the process towards a global banon cluster munitions andremain committed totake responsibility in the implementation of theconvention.

Available online at www.handicap-international.be,

www.banadvocates.org and on Vimeo.

Banksecrets.euupdated on 1 April 2010

with cases of AXA, Dexia and KBC as wellas translated into Dutch. The websiteBanksecrets.eu shows the investments of16 well-known banks in harmful projects.www.banksecrets.eu/

Cluster munitions and victim assistance,a key list of information launched by

Source, an International InformationSupport Centre designed to strengthen themanagement, use and impact ofinformation on health and disability, acollaborative venture of CICH, HealthlinkWorldwide, Handicap International and

Exchange.http://asksource.ids.ac.uk/cf/keylists/keylist2.cfm?topic=dis&search=QL_CMVA09

Deadly Movements: Arms TransportationControls in the Arms Trade Treaty, reportby Amnesty International, 19 July 2010,New York. It highlights examples ofdeliveries of cluster munitions and theircomponents on ships registered in the UK,and managed by UK and German shippingcompanies, that were transported fromSouth Korea to Pakistan between March2008 and February 2010 for use by the

countrys army.www.amnesty.org.uk/news_details.asp?NewsID=18893

Fulfilling the Ban: Guidelines for EffectiveNational Legislation to Implement theConvention on Cluster Munitions. Newlegal analysis paper of Human Rights.

www.hrw.org/node/90721.

Implementing the Convention on ClusterMunitions,Disarmament Forum 2010 no.1, examines what will be required toimplement some of the humanitarian anddevelopment commitments of theConvention.www.unidir.ch/bdd/fiche-periodique.php?ref_periodique=1020-7287-2010-1-en

Its past time for the U.S. to join a globalban on cluster bombs, op-ed by Ban

Advocate, Lynn Bradach, which son Travis,a corporal in the U.S. Marines, was killedby a U.S. cluster bomb in July 2003, whilehe was clearing cluster munitions in Iraq,Oregon Live,http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/08/the_us_should_join_and_lead_a.html

Laos: hope for development, report byIRIN, humanitarian news and analysis,aproject of the UN Office for theCoordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 5August 2010

www.irinnews.org/PrintReport.aspx?ReportId=90072

Legacies of War: Unexploded Ordnances

in Laos, a US Department of Statesrelease on the first congressional hearing,held on 22 April 2010, where the non-profitorganisation Legacies of War testifiedabout the dangers of UXO. The HouseForeign Affairs Committee, Subcommitteeon Asia, the Pacific and the GlobalEnvironment, examined the issue ofUnexploded Ordnance (UXO) in Laos andUS funding for their removal.http://www.state.gov/p/eap/rls/rm/2010/04/140688.htm


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Laos Takes Centre Stage in Cluster BombsTreaty, by Marwaan Macan-Markar,Bangkok, IPS, 5 August 2010 on theleading role of Laos in a global campaign toban the use of cluster bombs.http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=52388

Negotiating the Convention on ClusterMunitions. The Role of African States,Gugu Dube, ISS Paper 187, 1 June 2009.http://www.issafrica.org/pgcontent.php?UID=5217

Survivors and activists hail cluster bombban,by Thin Lei Win and Maria Caspani,30 July 2010, AlertNet Bangkok/London.http://www.alertnet.org/db/an_art/60167/2010/06/30-142951-1.htm

The-monitor.org The Landmine and

Cluster Munition Monitor is an initiativeproviding research for the InternationalCampaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) andthe Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC). It isthe de facto monitoring regime for theMine Ban Treaty and the Convention onCluster Munitions. Landmine and ClusterMunition Monitor produces several researchproducts including the annual Landmine

Monitor and Cluster Munition Monitorreports, online country profile reports(launched on 22 June 2010 and finalizedby the end of August), as well asfactsheets and maps. All Landmine andCluster Munition Monitor research productsare available for purchase and as a free

online resource.www.the-monitor.org/index.php

The Things We Left Behind: Fifty YearsLater, American Cluster Bombs Continue toKill in Laos, by Alexis Collatos, 5 August2010, on Partnership for a SecureAmerica.http://blog.psaonline.org/2010/08/05/the-things-we-left-behind-fifty-years-later-american-bombs-continue-to-kill-in-laos/

The Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Problemand Operational Progress in the Lao PDR.

The Fact Sheet provides official figures bythe National Regulatory Authority (NRA)for UXO/Mine Action in the Lao PDR. May2010.http://en.handicapinternational.be/LaosThe-Unexploded-Ordnance-UXO_a701.html

Contact and coordination: Hildegarde Vansintjan, Advocacy Officer, HandicapInternational vzw-asbl, Belgium

You have received this newsletter because your email address is on our mailing list. Ifyou would like to subscribe with a different email address or you would like tounsubscribe from this mailing list, please send a message to:

Hildegarde Vansintjan, Advocacy Officer, Handicap International vzw/asbl; Phone: + 322 233 01 06 / Mobile: + 32 485 111 460 / Fax: + 32 2 230 60 30 / Spastraat 67 / 67,Rue de Spa / B - 1000 Brussels Belgium / hildegarde.vansintjan(at)handicap.be /www.handicap-international.be

Handicap International is an international organisation specialised in the field ofdisability. Non-governmental, non-religious, non-political and non-profit making, itworks alongside people with disabilities, whatever the context, offering them assistanceand supporting them in their efforts to become self-reliant. Since its creation, theorganisation has set up programmes in approximately 60 countries and intervened inmany emergency situations. It has eight national associations (Belgium, Canada, France,Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States) which providehuman and financial resources, manage projects and raise awareness of HandicapInternational's actions and campaigns.

More on www.handicap-international.be

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