06 November 2008
CONFERENCE ON CLUSTER MUNITIONS FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
CAMPAIGNERS CALL ON REGION TO CONTINUE LEADERSHIP ON CLUSTER BOMB BANMedia Advisory: 5 November 2008WHAT: Official press conference at the opening of the Regional Conference on cluster munitions for Latin American and the Caribbean hosted by the Government of Ecuador. Government officials from around 20 countries in the region are expected to attend along with civil society and UN representatives from the region.WHEN: 9.45 - 10.15, 6 November 2008WHERE: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Press Room, Carrión 10-40 y Avenida 10 de Agosto, Quito, EcuadorWHO: Ambassador Emilio Izquierdo, Vice-Minister of Multilateral Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade and IntegrationMrs. Susan Eckey, Deputy Director General, Humanitarian Section, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of NorwayMr. José Manuel Hermida, UNDP Resident Representative in EcuadorMr. Thomas Nash, Coordinator, Cluster Munition CoalitionNotesThere is less than one month to go before the Convention on Cluster Munitions will be signed in Oslo, Norway, on December 3rd, 2008. Over 100 countries are expected to sign this comprehensive ban, including the majority of the world's stockpilers and past users and producers of the weapon and almost every affected country.This regional meeting in Quito, Ecuador is aimed at consolidating support amongst Latin American and Caribbean governments for the Convention on Cluster Munitions. States from Latin America and the Caribbean played a crucial role in ensuring the strength of the treaty's comprehensive prohibition on cluster munitions and its groundbreaking obligations to assist the victims of these weapons. A total of 18 states from the region were among the 107 countries that agreed to adopt the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) in Dublin on 30 May 2008.www.stopclustermunitions.orgContact: Wanda Muñoz at +593 (0)96 762780CMC Media Advisory - Quito Conference, 5 November 2008 (English)CMC Media Advisory - Quito Conference, 5 November 2008 (Spanish)
