Globe's largest landmine meeting ends, adopting Phnom Penh Progress Report

by Nguon Sovan
  PHNOM PENH, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The 11th Meeting of the States Parties (11MSP) of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, or Ottawa Convention, concluded here on Friday afternoon with the adoption of Phnom Penh Progress Report toward a mine-free world, and with a strong recommitment to overcome remaining challenges.
  “The 11MSP has come to an end with a huge success,” Prak Sokhonn, minister attached to the Prime Minister of Cambodia and 11MSP president, said at a press conference to conclude the week-long meeting. “The Convention’s 158 States Parties had adopted the Phnom Penh Progress Report toward a mine-free world.”
  He said that the report focused on mine clearance achievements, mine victim assistance, globalisation of the Convention, and mine destruction by States Parties.
  “It also lays out strategy to broaden international cooperation and to mobilize resources to achieve the Convention,” he said.
  Sokhonn said that during the 11MSP, the Convention’s 158 States Parties agreed to recommit, even in difficult financial times, to realizing a world without anti-personnel mines, where the rights of all are respected and where all women, girls, boys and men can live in dignity and prosperity.
  He said the 11MSP also expressed “deep concern about new use of anti-personnel mines” and requested that the UN Secretary General write to each State not party to the Convention “to strongly encourage these States to ratify of accede to the Convention.”
  During the meeting, several States Parties to the Convention had pledged their financial support, he said. The Netherlands declared 20 million U.S. dollars annual contribution to demining and victim assistance, Austria declared mine action funding in 2012 to approximately 2.5 million U.S. dollars, and it also reported its first ever contribution to demining and victim assistance in Cambodia, announcing contributions totaling 540,000 U.S. dollars.
  In addition, New Zealand announced that it will contribute more than 1 million U.S. dollars in 2012 for a demining project in north-eastern Cambodia.
  Moreover, he said, in the meeting, Tuvalu and South Sudan took their seats as the Convention’s newest adherents and Finland announced that it is on the verge of becoming the 159th to join the convention.
  Two States Parties—Nigeria and Burundi—declared completion of their mine clearance obligations, while Turkey reported the destruction of all stockpiled anti-personnel mines, he said.
  The 11MSP began in Cambodia on Nov. 27, bringing together more than 100 State Parties of the Convention and 15 observing countries including the United States, China, Russia, Myanmar, and Singapore.
  Amongst the observers, Sokhonn said, the U.S. reported that it is continuing to review its landmine policy and Myanmar indicated that “thorough study of the treaty will be continued.”
  Nicole Hogg, legal adviser to the International Committee of the Red Cross’s Arms Unit, said the 11MSP had concluded with a lot of achievements and success; however, there were remaining many challenges on the issues of victim assistance—many survivors continued to face significant challenges and difficulties.
  “Land mine survivors and other people with disabilities often do not have equal opportunity for education and employment,” she said in the press conference. “Even, we’ve been for 20 years in this area, much work remains to be done, more commitment is needed from States Parties and more technical and financial support is required.”
  She said another challenge was too slow mine clearance, many States Parties requested for extension.
  Meanwhile, Song Kosal, Cambodian landmine survivor and Youth Ambassador of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), said the landmine survivors welcomed progress made at the global mine-ban conference, but said much more must be done as casualty toll continues to rise.
  “In 1997, we won a treaty. But only when all people in mine affected areas can live in dignity, when no more mines threaten their lives, when no one produces or lays new mines, have we truly won,” she said.
  The Ottawa Convention is formally the Convention on the prohibition of the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel mines and on their destruction.
  It was adopted in Oslo in 1997, opened for signature in Ottawa the same year and entered into force in 1999. To date, 158 states have joined the Convention.