 |  |
Phnom Penh Progress ReportThe 11MSP warmly welcomed the Phnom Penh Progress Report as an important means to support the application of the Cartagena Action Plan by measuring progress made since the Tenth Meeting of the States Parties and highlighting priority areas of work for the States Parties in the period between the Eleventh Meeting and the 2012 Twelfth Meeting of the States Parties.
Requests for extensions on mine clearance deadlinesThe 11MSP considered requests for mine clearance extensions that were submitted by Algeria, Chile, Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Eritrea.
Article 5 extensions processThe 11MSP warmly welcomed the report presented by the President of the Tenth Meeting of the States Parties on the process for the preparation, submission and consideration of requests for extensions to article 5 deadlines, as contained in annex II to this report.
In considering this report, the Meeting noted that the Article 5 extension request process places a heavy burden on the representatives of those States Parties that are mandated to analyse the requests and in this context recommended that those States Parties mandated to analyse requests in 2012 reflect on the process to date with a view to identifying efficient methods to ensure that high quality requests and analyses are prepared and with a view to recommendations on this matter being submitted for consideration the 12MSP. Article 5 implementationAlso in the context of considering the submission of requests under article 5 of the Convention, in noting the importance of preventing or addressing further potential Article 5 compliance issues, the 11MSP recommended that the Co-Chairs of the Standing Committee on Mine Clearance should hold informal consultations with States Parties and that these consultations as a preventative measure should be undertaken well in advance of deadlines. The meeting further urged States Parties in the process of implementing Article 5 report as required annually on the location of all mined areas that contain, or are suspected to contain, anti-personnel mines under their jurisdiction or control, progressively improving the information that is provided. The Meeting also urged States Parties in the process of implementing Article 5 to report as required on the status of programmes for the destruction of anti-personnel mines in accordance with Article 5, providing as much detail as possible. Finally, the Meeting agreed that should any other State Party find itself in a potential position of non-compliance with Article 5 obligations, it should act in a committed and transparent way, immediately communicating, preferably in the form of a note verbale addressed to all States Parties, the reasons, which should be extraordinary, for its anticipated failure to comply. Moreover, if relevant, non-compliant States Parties should submit as soon as possible a request for an extension, adhering to the process agreed to at the 7MSP The 11MSP noted that the Convention is silent on how to address situations where States Parties, which never have reported Article 5 obligations, discover previously unknown mined areas. The Meeting further noted a need to develop a rational response to such situations which is firmly anchored in the object and purpose of the Convention and which does not undermine the legal obligations to destroy all anti-personnel mines in mined areas as soon as possible. In this context, the meeting requested that the President, supported by the Coordinating Committee, consult with all relevant stakeholders to prepare a constructive discussion on this matter at the May 2012 meetings of the Standing Committees with a view to recommendations on this matter being submitted for consideration the Twelfth Meeting of the States Parties. UniversalisationThe 11MSP expressed its deep concern about new use of anti-personnel mines by States not parties and armed non-State actors since the Tenth Meeting. The Meeting noted the value of engagement of States not parties and all levels, including at a high level. In this regard, the Meeting requested that the Convention’s depository, the United Nations Secretary General, write to each State not party to the Convention to strongly encourage these States to ratify or accede to the Convention. Cooperation and assistanceThe 11MSP took note of and encouraged action on the concrete ideas suggested by the in-coming Co-Chairs of the Standing Committee on Resources, Cooperation and Assistance as well as by others, to make the best possible use of this new Standing Committee. The Meeting also called on all States Parties to recommit, even in difficult financial times, to realising a world without anti-personnel mines, where the rights of all are respected and where all women, girls, boys and men can live in dignity and prosperity. ISU agreementThe 11MSP noted a new agreement between the States Parties and the GICHD on the Implementation Support Unit was signed on 6 September 2011.
ISU funding modelThe President of the Tenth Meeting presented an oral report on the work of the working group and took note and encouraged action on the recommendations made by the President of the Tenth Meeting to preserve the results of the work undertaken by the working group in 2011, to work to improve the present funding model and to ensure sufficient contributions are provided to the ISU as long as the financing model remains unchanged.
ISU work plan and budgetIn recalling the “Directive from the States Parties to the ISU” adopted by the 10MSP which instructed the ISU to propose and present a work plan and budget for the activities of the ISU for the following year to the Coordinating Committee for endorsement and subsequently to the 11MSP for approval, the 11MSP approved the work plan and budget for the activities of the ISU in 2012 which was endorsed by the Coordinating Committee on 3 November.
ISU audited financial statement and preliminary report on activities and financesIn recalling the “Directive from the States Parties to the ISU” which tasked the ISU to report in written form as well as orally on the activities, functioning and finances of the ISU to each Meeting of the State Parties, and, to submit an audited annual financial report for the previous year and a preliminary annual financial report for the present year to the Coordinating Committee and subsequently to the 11MSP for approval, the Meeting approved the report on the activities and finances of the ISU, contained in Annex IV to this report, and the ISU’s 2010 audited financial statement.
Intersessional Work ProgrammeIn recalling the 10MSP decision to examine the possibility of rationalising the numbers of States Parties in leadership positions on Standing Committees, the States Parties approved the proposal presented by the 10MSP President which would see four States Parties in leadership position on each Standing Committee being reduced to two per Standing Committee with this proposal implemented in two phases.
The 11MSP agreed to set the dates of 2012 meetings of the Standing Committees from 21 to 25 May 2012 and identified the following States Parties as the Standing Committee Co-Chairs and Co-Rapporteurs until the end of the Twelfth Meeting of the States Parties: a. Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration: Algeria and Croatia (Co-Chairs); Colombia Co-Rapporteur); The Meeting noted with satisfaction the efforts undertaken pursuant to the decision of the Tenth Meeting to request the Coordinating Committee to organise the week of meetings of the Standing Committees in 2011 in such a way that time is allocated for Co- Chairs, individual States Parties and others to experiment with the new ways of using the Intersessional Work Programme to more intensively focus on national contexts or to otherwise creatively support progress in the application of the Cartagena Action Plan. The Meeting encouraged the Coordinating Committee to consider similar efforts in 2012. Twelfth Meeting of the States PartiesThe 11MSP agreed to designate His Excellency Matjaž Kovačič, Permanent Representative of Slovenia to the United Nations in Geneva, President of the Twelfth Meeting of the States Parties and decided to hold the Twelfth Meeting in Geneva the week of 3-7 December 2012. In addition, the Meeting adopted cost estimates for the Twelfth Meeting.
The 11MSP, having noted suggestions to consider whether the interactive character of the annual Meeting of the States Parties could not be enhanced and its duration shortened while improving its overall effectiveness, decided that the Coordinating Committee brainstorm on this them in the first half of 2012 and that the May 2012 intersessional meetings discuss it and submit, through the President, recommendations to the 12MSP in this regard. Should any action be taken by the 12MSP on this basis, it would lead to appropriate adjustments to the organisation of the MSP effective as from the Thirteenth Meeting. |