STATES PARTIES TO CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS CONVENTION CONCLUDE FINAL PREPCOM AND WELCOME NEW OFFICIAL CCW WEBSITE

The Fifteenth Session of the Group of Governmental Experts of the States Parties to the 1980 Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects (CCW) concluded on Wednesday, 6 September at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

The Group, chaired by Ambassador François Rivasseau of France as President-designate of the Third Review Conference, constituted the final preparatory meeting ahead of the Conference scheduled to be held in November. The two Coordinators assisted him and chaired meetings of the respective working groups: Ambassador Edvardas Borisovas of Lithuania on Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) and Ambassador Carlos Antonio da Rocha Paranhos of Brazil on Mines Other Than Anti- Personnel Mines (MOTAPM).

The working group on ERW continued to discuss the implementation of existing principles of International Humanitarian Law and possible preventive measures aimed at improving the design of certain specific types of munitions, including sub-munitions, with a view to minimizing the humanitarian risk of these munitions becoming explosive remnants of war. It also held a meeting of military and technical experts, chaired by Ms. Vera Bohle of the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD). The Coordinator submitted a report on the work achieved on ERW to the President-designate, which also included a report by the Chairperson of the meetings of military and technical experts.

Meanwhile, the working group on MOTAPM continued to discuss proposals on MOTAPM put forward since the establishment of the GGE. It also held a meeting of military experts, chaired by Brigadier-General Gerson Menandro Garcia de Freitas of Brazil. Similarly, the Coordinator submitted a report on the work achieved on MOTAPM to the President-designate, which also included a report by the Chairperson of the meetings of military experts.

The Group considered the status of CCW Protocol V on ERW, the most recent of the Protocols annexed to the Convention adopted on 28 November 2003. The Protocol, which in essence provides for post-conflict remedial measures of a generic nature in order to minimize the risks and effects of ERW, as well as generic preventive measures aimed at minimizing the occurrence of ERW, is intended to eradicate the threat that unexploded ordnance and abandoned explosive ordnance pose to the civilian population in need for development. Protocol V will enter into force on 12 November 2006. Twenty-three States have notified the Secretary-General of the United Nations, as depositary of the Convention, of their consent to be bound by the Protocol: Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Finland, Germany, Holy See, India, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan and Ukraine.

The Group also continued to discuss matters related to the possibility to establish a sponsorship programme under the Convention, as well as to the options to promote compliance with the Convention and its annexed Protocols. On the latter, the President-designate submitted a report on the work done on compliance, which will be annexed to the procedural report of the Fifteenth Session of the Group.

The Group of Governmental Experts also discussed preparations for the Third Review Conference, chaired by the President-designate. The Group has thus far managed to seek agreement on a number of procedural matters and substantive issues, to be recommended for adoption by the Third Review Conference, as follows: (1) the Provisional Agenda of the Third Review Conference; (2) the Provisional Programme of Work for the Third Review Conference; (3) the Draft Rules of Procedure of the Third Review Conference; (4) the Provisional Agenda of Main Committee I; (5) the Provisional Programme of Work of Main Committee I; (6) the Provisional Agenda of Main Committee II; (7) the Provisional Programme of Work of Main Committee II; (8) a Draft Plan of Action to Promote Universality of the CCW; (9) a Draft Decision on the establishment of a Sponsorship Programme; (10) a Draft Final Document of the Third Review Conference: (11) a Draft Declaration on the Occasion of the Entry into Force of CCW Protocol V on Explosive Remnants of War; and (12) the appointment of the Provisional Secretary-General of the Third Review Conference.

The States Parties will convene the Third Review Conference in Geneva from 7 to 17 November 2006, preceded by the Eighth Annual Conference of the States Parties to Amended Protocol II annexed to the CCW on 6 November 2006.


For more information pertaining to the preparation of the CCW Third Review Conference, please consult the new official website of the CCW as part of the website of the United Nations Organization at Geneva (UNOG), which is accessible to the general public at http://www.unog.ch/disarmament/ . The website was officially launched during the session by Tim Caughley, Director of the UN Department for Disarmament Affairs, Geneva Branch.

For use of the information media; not an official record

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