Press Release: First Meeting Of States Parties
To Convention Banning Landmines
(Maputo, Mozambique 3-7 May 1999)
How to put the Ottawa Convention into practice
How to put into practice the world's first legal agreement totally banning
anti-personnel landmines will be the focus of a five-day meeting of States Parties to
the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of
Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction. Meeting in Maputo, Mozambique,
from 3 to 7 May 1999, representatives of States that have signed or ratified the
Convention, as well as other States, will consider specific steps they now need to take
to put it into effect. States Parties are expected to take decisions on a number of
issues.
With the coming into force of the Convention on 1 March this year, attention shifts from
the
sheer size of the landmine infestationCestimated at between 60 million and 110 million
anti-personnel landmines and unexploded ordnance world-wide to the practical work of
reducing the threat landmines pose to human life and development.
Few multilateral agreements have entered into force as quickly as this Convention, known
as the
"Ottawa Convention" after the Canadian capital where it was opened for signature
on 3
December 1997. As of 16 April 1999, 135 countries have signed or acceded to the
Convention and 72 have ratified it. The Convention comes into force for a State six months
after it deposits its instrument of ratification with the United Nations Secretariat.
During the
Maputo meeting, 55 States will be bound by the Convention, under the terms of its Article
17.
The United Nations Secretary-General is convening this First Meeting of States Parties, as
required by Article 11 of the Convention. He will be represented at the meeting by the
Deputy
Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ms. Louise Fréchette, who will address the
meeting
on 3 May. The meeting will be chaired by Mr. Leonardo Simao, Foreign Minister of
Mozambique.
In addition to governments, international organizations, the International Committee of
the Red
Cross and representatives of non-governmental organizations are also expected to attend.
The
International Campaign to Ban Landmines, a coalition of some 1,000 non-governmental
organizations, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for its pivotal work in the process
leading up
to adoption of the Convention.
States parties committed to action
Among the actions States Parties are committed to take under the Convention are:
to ban the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel mines;
to destroy all their existing stockpiles of mines within four years of the Convention's
entry
into force for them;
to report annually to the United Nations on what they have done to implement the
agreement, and provide detailed data on anti-personnel mine types, characteristics,
stockpiles, and destruction;
to destroy all anti-personnel mines in mined areas under their jurisdiction or control as
soon as possible, but not later than within ten years; and
to Awork together in a spirit of cooperation to facilitate complianceboth by resolving
questions relating to compliance through procedures involving the United Nations
Secretary-General, and through providing assistance to countries which need help in
dealing with landmine-related problems.
The Convention formally commits those States Parties "in a position to do so" to
help other
States Parties deal with the care and rehabilitation of mine victims, as well as with
their social
and economic reintegration; and with the destruction of mines, mine awareness and mine
clearance activities. The Convention also establishes the right of each State Party to
seek and
receive such assistance.
Reporting requirements to be reviewed
Delegates at the Maputo meeting are expected to approve suggested formats to help States
Parties meet the Convention's reporting requirements. The United Nations Departments for
Disarmament Affairs (DDA) and Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) have prepared materials
on these issues for the meeting. DDA supports multilateral disarmament initiatives, while
the
Mine Action Service of DPKO serves as focal point for all mine-related activities in the
United
Nations system. DPKO will make available at the meeting "Technical Guidelines",
which States
may find useful in the reporting process.
Programme of work
The meeting will open on 3 May at 9:00 a.m. local time at the Polana Hotel in Maputo.
Adoption of decisions on procedural issues will be followed by a general exchange of
views,
scheduled for completion in the early evening of 4 May. The first session on Wednesday, 5
May, will be devoted to consideration and adoption of reporting formats under Article 7 of
the
Convention (transparency measures), consideration of requests submitted under Article 5
(extension of the deadline for destruction of all anti-personnel landmines) and requests
under
Article 8 (Requests for Clarification by States Parties relating to compliance). Beginning
at the
second session on 5 May, the participants will hold informal consultations on Article 6
(international cooperation and assistance). Informal consultations will close on Friday 7
May,
followed by a decision on the next Meeting of States Parties, adoption of the Report of
the First
Meeting and the Maputo Declaration.
Arrangements for the media
All proceedings of the First Meeting of States Parties will be open to the media. A press
centre
with audio feed and media work area will be set up at the meeting site. All journalists
wishing to
cover the meeting must apply for accreditation to Mozambique, as well as applying for
accreditation to the meeting. Information regarding media accreditation, application forms
and
logistical information are available from the FMSP Logistics Coordination Office in Maputo
(Telephone 258 1 49 74 65; Fax 258 1 49 74 88.) Media accreditation forms and information
are also available from the United Nations Department of Public Information:
Media Accrediation and Liaison Unit, United Nations, New York, NY 10017, USA
Telephone: 1 (212) 963 6934
Fax 1 (212) 963 4642
E-mail: lecca@un.org