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Tuesday, 29 April 2008 |
Three weeks before major negotiations start in Dublin for an
international treaty to ban cluster munitions, Southeast Asian
countries have met under the auspices of the International Committee of
the Red Cross (ICRC) in Bangkok 24-25 April to share views on the draft
treaty and the weapon that has affected their region so severely.
The contamination caused by the use of cluster munitions in South East
Asia is the most severe and widespread of any region on earth. Laos,
Vietnam and Cambodia have dealt with the human, social and economic
impacts of cluster munitions for four decades.
Cluster munitions with at least 380 million bomblets were scattered
across these countries in the Vietnam War and according to the best
estimates available at least 115 million of these were left on the
ground unexploded and are maiming and killing civilians to this day.
"These weapons cause unacceptable harm and must be banned" said Alfredo
Lubang, member of the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC)
and regional representative of Nonviolence International in Thailand.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 29 April 2008 )
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Sunday, 24 February 2008 |
After week of tough talks, nations agree to move forward
Wellington, 22nd February 2008 – After a week of tough diplomatic talks, the voice of survivors and committed states has prevailed and a draft treaty to ban cluster munitions has been endorsed for formal negotiation. The so called “Wellington Declaration” provides the draft treaty text to be negotiated and agreed in Dublin in May 2008 to ban cluster munitions, assist survivors and ensure clearance of their land.
“We are encouraged that the draft agreement was not weakened or compromised over the course of this crucial meeting,” said Mary Wareham, Advocacy Director, Oxfam New Zealand. “New Zealanders played a significant part in achieving this outcome by expressing their strong support for a clear and unequivocal ban on cluster munitions.”
More than 500 representatives from 122 governments as well as campaigners and survivors of cluster bombs from 38 countries gathered in New Zealand for the penultimate meeting of the Oslo Process.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 24 February 2008 )
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Wednesday, 14 November 2007 |
(Statement for the 8th Meeting of States Parties, Nov. 19-23, 2007, Amman, Jordan)
The Ottawa Treaty a decade hence its signing 10 years ago is rightly being hailed as “A Success in Progress.” The 8th Meeting of States Parties will surely affirm this when assessing the universalization and implementation of the treaty in the areas of banning anti-personnel mines (APMs), mine action, mine risk education, survivor assistance, and program funding. There will be recognition of the achievements in this treaty work as well as of the need for further work toward a mine-free world. It is in the latter regard that it would do well to recall and draw again from the bold spirit of the Ottawa Process which led to treaty.
The Ottawa Process marks its official start from the October 1996 Ottawa Conference, particular the bold closing announcement by Canadian Foreign Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy that Canada was prepared to hold a treaty-signing conference for a total ban on APMs in December 1997 and that it planned to work in open partnership with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) to achieve this goal. And it came to pass. In the process, a “new model of diplomacy” was developed, anchored on the close partnership between a core of like-minded pro-ban governments, mostly smaller and middle-sized powers, on one hand, and a wide array of humanitarian and anti-landmine NGOs and international organizations exemplified by the ICBL and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), on the other. Only a bold process can result in a bold outcome.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 15 November 2007 )
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Sunday, 07 October 2007 |
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By Diana Sarosi
People from all walks of life have filled the streets around the world over the past few weeks in solidarity with the Burmese and their struggle for freedom and democracy. The Burmese strength to defy an extremely oppressive regime and their commitment to nonviolence is truly admirable. Although not much attention is paid to this, the Burmese have been defying the military regime nonviolently throughout the last twenty years, ranging from small acts of resistance in their daily lives, such as turning their lights of every night at 8, to public acts exemplified in the weekly Tuesday prayers for their icon Aung San Suu Kyi at the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangoon. Although nonviolence has been questioned by many, the Burmese are not willing to give up on this noble idea. The recent events have once again demonstrated their strong conviction to remain truthful and not play by the rules of their ruthless opponent. Tragically, states’ responses around the world have failed to match the strength of the Burmese. Government’s reactions, basically amounting to complacency with the Burmese junta, have once again provided evidence that that we are facing a global crisis. |
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 07 October 2007 )
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