Date: 22-23 February 2007
Host: Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Location: Oslo, Norway
The purpose of the Oslo Conference was to solidify the political will necessary to move forward along the path to concluding a legally binding instrument on cluster munitions. The official Conference was divided into six sessions:
1. Addressing the challenges posed by cluster munitions. This session began with introductions by Peter Bachelor,UNDP, Peter Herby, ICRC, and Steve Goose, CMC, with the aim of providing the Conference with an overview of issues raised by cluster munitions.
2. Realities from different field contexts and adequate responses. During this session Dr. Colin King, King Associates/Jane’s Defence, Grethe Ostern, Norwegian People’s Aid and CMC, and Mr. Hansjoerg Strohmeyer, OHCHA, gave presentations outlining technical characteristics of cluster munitions, how use in different contexts impacts strike areas differently, and proliferation.
3. Towards a framework for cooperation and assistance. Stan Brabrant, Handicap International, Canada, and Serbia made short introductory remarks opening this session aimed at addressing actions and assist victims and a framework for cooperation and assistance in affected countries.
4. Translating present challenges into political action. This session began with remarks from Dr. Patricia Lewis, UNIDIR, Jody Williams, Nobel Peace Laureate, and Austria and focused discussions on taking effective multilateral action in humanitarian disarmament processes.
5. A future instrument-outlining scope and approached. Dr. Gro Nystuen, University of Oslo and Belgium introduced this session, which aimed at identifying approaches to future negotiations on the scope, content, and design of a new international instrument, rather than specific definitions.
6. The way forward. Introduced by Peru, this last session allowed states to make concluding remarks and indicate their position on the Conference’s Declaration.
On Friday, February 23rd, 2007, 46 out of 49 States present agreed to commit themselves to conclude a new international instrument prohibiting the use of cluster munitions which cause unacceptable harm to civilians. The Oslo Conference was a momentous step forward in the process to create a treaty to ban or regulate the use of weapons which cause disproportionate and unnecessary humanitarian suffering.
The Declaration agreed to at the Conference pledges States to conclude a legally binding instrument by 2008 to “prohibit the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians,” establish a framework for cooperation and assistance to affected countries and survivors, take steps at the national level, and continue to address the issue of cluster munitions “within the framework of international humanitarian law and in all relevant fora.” The Declaration also announced that meetings will be held in Lima in May, Vienna in November/December 2007, Dublin in early 2008, and in Belgium to continue the work begun in Oslo. Only Japan, Poland, and Romania refused to agree to the Declaration.
Read the full conference report here.