12 April 2010

CMC Newsletter March 2010

CMC March 2010 Newsletter1. INTERNATIONAL NEWSAfrica Regional Conference held in PretoriaKennedy Mabasa and fellow delegates address the conference in Pretoria. Photo Credit: Kennedy MabasaThe Africa Regional Conference on the Universalisation and Implementation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions was held on 25 and 26 March in Pretoria, South Africa.Delegations attending included Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Chad, Comoros, DRC, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Western Sahara, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, along with Director-General Saleumxay from Lao PDR and representatives from Norway and Austria.A number of states gave updates on their positions and announced upcoming signatures and ratifications. Discussions were based on the main provisions of the Convention, national implementation, cooperation and assistance, and next steps. Next steps were discussed in a session chaired by Director-General Saleumxay of Lao PDR. Saleumxay set out the road ahead to the 1MSP, which helped channel the momentum built during the conference onwards to Santiago and Vientiane. The conference concluded with an address by Norwegian State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Gry Larsen.Workshops in Indonesia to promote swift ratification of the CCMCampaigners at the civil society workshop in Jakarta discuss the ratification process in Indonesia. Photo Credit: Lars StengerFrom 23-25 March 2010, three events were held in Jakarta with the goal of promoting Indonesia’s quick ratification of the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) and the Cluster Munition Coalition worked together to coordinate these events.On 23 March, Norwegian Ambassador Eivind S. Homme hosted a reception at his residence in Jakarta. The 25 guests included parliamentarians, embassy representatives, government officials, media, and civil society. John Rodsted gave a presentation on the legacy of cluster bombs.On 24 March, a civil society workshop brought together Indonesian and regional civil society organisations. In the morning session, participants heard presentations on the legacy of cluster munitions, the CMC, key dates in 2010 and campaigning in Indonesia. In the afternoon session, participants were lead through a creative process, which resulted in an advocacy plan to promote Indonesia’s ratification of the CCM that will be implemented starting this month.On 25 March, a roundtable event was held for stakeholders, which included parliamentarians, representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and embassy representatives in Jakarta. Participants discussed how it could be possible to push parliament to make ratification of the CCM a priority.A special thank you goes to Kristiani at JRS who translated a number of campaign fact sheets and documents into Indonesian.If you would like a copy of any of these documents please contact Kimberly Brown, CMC staff: Kimberly@stopclustermunitions.org2. CAMPAIGN AND COUNTRY UPDATEAustralia: The following submission is from Robert Rands, a CMC campaigner in Australia:

Hello from LaosIn late January and early February, I visited Laos for about 10 days. I was there on behalf of the Mines Victims and Clearance Trust (MiVAC), a Tasmanian Charitable Trust, to observe firsthand some of the work we have been funding, through Phoenix Clearance Ltd (PCL), our partner in Laos.The photo above shows the UXO clearance team involved in clearing the Kohai Village Secondary School grounds, and the rice fields directly behind the School. This team comprises 12 Laotian staff and one expat. Kohai is in Borikamxai Province, east of Vientiane. The men are holding a large-loop deep-search metal detector (yellow frame), as well as one of the more familiar shallow-search mine detectors (white handle).Because UXO search and clearance is less labour-intensive than landmine clearance, we were able to clear about 13.4 hectares in 15 days. This included several large bombs, live ammunition and 125 bombies. During my three-day visit, I was allowed to observe the work close up, under strict supervision. I was fortunate to be involved in the demolition of UXO: I got to "push the plunger" to destroy a day’s findings. Twenty-nine BLU 26 cluster munitions –"bombies" as the locals call them – make a very loud bang, all at once.The UXO clearance activity was planned for the school holidays, so we were all able to bunk in the classroom with the open door in the team photo background. We pushed the row desks together into a long, wide table for our bedrolls.We were also able to travel through the Saysambuone Special Zone, an area which has only very recently been opened, due to earlier internal conflict. This area suffered intensive bombing over a forty year period. Much contamination remains. Some idea of the prevalence of UXO and other debris in the area is given in this photo of a village metalworker, using a 105 mm projectile as an anvil, while forging a small bell.MiVAC and PCL have developed a very productive relationship over the past three years. We believe that the land we have cleared and the ordnance we have destroyed is making everyday life safer for Laotian villagers. But there is still an awful lot to do. The map below shows UXO contaminated areas of Laos, in pink and orange.For further information on MiVAC and PCL, visit:www.mivactrust.orgwww.phoenixclearanceltd.comMany thanks to M Hayes of PCL for technical editing, and photos.Contact: Robert Rands, CMC Australia: rrands@bigpond.net.au

During the first meeting, American Embassy officials mentioned that the US might send an observer to the first First Meeting of States Parties in Vientiane, Lao PDR in November 2010. In the meeting with Korean officials, it was clearly mentioned that South Korea is feeling the pressure to attend the 1MSP and is exploring ways to respond to CCM. Control Arms Foundation of India advised Koreans to give their support and sign the CCM.The Control Arms Foundation of India has also filed letters to the government of India regarding the Right to Information Act 2005 so that its position on the production, import and export of cluster munitions is made clear to its citizens. Under the provisions of the Act, citizens in India may request information from a "public authority" which is required to reply expeditiously or within 30 days.