Secretary-General Says With Every New State that Bans Landmines, Booby-Traps,

 

Other Explosive Devices, Chances Increase of Preventing Future Tragedies

 

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message, as delivered by Sergei Ordzhonikidze, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva and Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament, to the Twelfth Annual Conference of the High Contracting Parties to Amended Protocol II to the Convention on Certain Conventional weapons, today, 24 November, in Geneva:

It gives me pleasure to send greetings to the Twelfth Annual Conference of the High Contracting Parties to Amended Protocol II of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. 

Since its inception, the Protocol has been a driving force in global efforts to eliminate the scourge of landmines, booby-traps and other explosive devices. Together with the Convention’s Protocol V, the Mine-Ban Convention and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, this Protocol has been an integral part of the international legal framework for mine action.

After 12 years of successful implementation of Amended Protocol II, the time has come to review the performance of the original Protocol II.  I urge you to continue focusing on efforts to strengthen the operation of the Protocol and its implementation mechanism.  In particular, more attention should be paid to the protection of civilians and to the humanitarian impact of improvised explosive devices.

I welcome the spirit of collaboration and cooperation demonstrated in the joint meeting of experts on Amended Protocol II and Protocol V, and encourage you to continue sharing information, finding synergies and building a more transparent environment.

Universalizing the Protocol is also of vital importance.  With every new State that agrees to adhere to the Protocol, we increase our chances of preventing future tragedies.  Moreover, global participation in humanitarian norm-setting can have a powerful effect, spurring action in other areas of concern.  I therefore congratulate the 95 States that have consented to be bound by Amended Protocol II.  I call upon all countries that have not yet done so to become Parties to it as soon as possible.

Your work at this conference is an important contribution to the maintenance of international peace and security.  I wish you every success in your deliberations.

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For information media • not an official record