NEGOTIATIONS ON CLUSTER MUNITIONS CONTINUE UNDER A NEW CHAIR OF THE CCW GOVERNMENTAL EXPERTS GROUP

The First 2009 Session of the Group of Governmental Experts of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) took place this week from 16 to 20 February at the Palais des Nations, Geneva. The Group was mandated by the CCW States parties to continue its negotiations to address urgently the humanitarian impact of cluster munitions, while striking a balance between military and humanitarian considerations. The Group had started negotiations on cluster munitions last year and had met for seven weeks of five sessions throughout 2008. At its fifth session in November the Group fell short of concluding the negotiations, thus the Meeting of the High Contracting Parties (Geneva, 13 – 14 November 2008) adopted a new mandate for the Group to continue working “as rapidly as possible and report to the next Meeting of High Contracting Parties.”

Unlike previous practice, the Chair of the Group, Mr. Gustavo Ainchil of Argentina, had not produced a programme of work for the session in order to maintain a degree of flexibility and dynamism to the challenging task he is confronted with. Instead he convened a series of informal consultations in small groups throughout the duration of the session at which he encouraged frank and transparent discussion among delegations of all States parties and observers on outstanding issues included in “Elements for discussion” – non-papers presented by him as basis for the deliberations.

At the end of the session, Mr. Gustavo Ainchil tabled a consolidated Chair’s text, which was annexed to the report of the meeting and will constitute the basis for the negotiations during the second session of the Group.

The Second 2009 Session of the Group of Governmental Experts will take place from 14 to 17 April 2009.


Background

The humanitarian impact of cluster munitions has been discussed within the 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 since 2001, first - under a broader theme of explosive remnants of war, and since 2007 – as the main item of the agenda of the Group of Governmental Experts.

The Meeting of the High Contracting Parties to the Convention that was held on 13 and 14 November 2008 decided that:

“The Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) will continue its negotiations, taking into account document CCW/GGE/2008-V/WP.1 and other present and future proposals by delegations, to address urgently the humanitarian impact of cluster munitions, while striking a balance between military and humanitarian considerations.

The GGE should make every effort to conclude its negotiations as rapidly as possible and report to the next Meeting of High Contracting Parties.


The work of the GGE will be supported by military and technical experts.

The GGE will meet up to two weeks in 2009, from 16 to 20 February 2009 and subsequently, if required, from 14 to 17 April 2009.”


The 1980 Convention was opened for signature at New York on 10 April 1981 and entered into force on 2 December 1983. It currently has 108 States Parties. The Secretary-General of the United Nations is the depositary of the Convention.

For more information pertaining to the CCW, consult the official website of the CCW as part of the website of the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) at: http://www.unog.ch/ccw.


For use of the information media; not an official record

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