A few years ago this land in Savannakhet, Lao PDR was contaminated with duds from cluster bombs. After clearance, it is now a productive farm and home. Photo Credit: John Rodsted
The First Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (1MSP) will be held in Vientiane, Lao PDR from 9-12 November 2010. This is expected to be a defining moment in the life of the Convention on Cluster Munitions. This meeting will lay the foundation for future engagement on the Convention by bringing together for the first time States Parties to the treaty, UN agencies, international organisations, civil society, and cluster bomb survivors. States will share progress and plans for implementation, with the aim of drawing up a blueprint to translate the treaty into action and meet the lifesaving obligations they have consented to be bound by.
Lao PDR is a highly appropriate venue for the Convention’s 1MSP. Lao PDR is the most heavily bombed country in the world, and the scale of devastation caused by cluster bombs is immense and shocking. Known locally as “bombies,” unexploded cluster submunitions are still commonplace in Lao PDR nearly four decades after armed conflict ended. Government surveys have recorded more than 50,000 civilian casualties caused by cluster bombs, landmines and other unexploded ordnance since 1964, and widespread contamination by explosive remnants of war hinders development. Holding such a meeting in an affected country helps to remind government officials and other participants why the treaty exists and why it must be implemented.
CMC Initial Memo for the 1MSP
Click here to view the CMC’s initial memo for the First Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
Getting ready for the 1MSP
Click here to read “Getting ready for the 1MSP” - 10 topics with in-depth information aimed at preparing campaigners for the First Meeting of States Parties, updated weekly.
Official 1MSP website
http://www.clusterconvention.org/1msp/
For more information on casualties caused by cluster munition remnants in Lao PDR, please visit the following:
- “Lao PDR: Five children killed in cluster bomb blast” - 11 March 2010 web story
- Landmine Monitor 2009 country chapter on Lao PDR
- Banning Cluster Munitions: Government Policy and Practice country chapter on Lao PDR
Documents from the Lao PDR government:
- Official website for the First Meeting of States Parties
- National Survey of UXO Accidents and Victims Phase 1, from the National Regulatory Authority for UXO/Mine Action in Lao PDR
- Official government statistics on the UXO problem in Lao PDR
In Vientiane on 7 July 2010 there was a 1MSP launch event hosted by the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The event aimed to raise the profile of the preparations towards the 1MSP and was attended by about 100 people including ambassadors and other members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of the UN and many NGOs, Lao university students, and Lao press.
Speech by Alexandra Hiniker 7 July 2010
Enquiries about the First Meeting of States Parties in Lao PDR
Alexandra Hiniker - Project Manager, Lao PDR
Email: alexandra@stopclustermunitions.org
Vilayphone Chouramany - Senior Liaison Officer, Lao PDR
Email: vilayphone@stopclustermunitions.org
More information on the entry into force of the Convention in Cluster Munitions and the First Meeting of States Parties: