The 8MSP was a formal meeting of the 156 States which have accepted the 1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction. It was held in accordance with Article 11 of the Convention and pursuant to the decisions of the 2004 First Review Conference and the 2006 Seventh Meeting of the States Parties (7MSP).
The 8MSP took place two months after the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention. This, and the fact that a Meeting of the States Parties (MSP) was held for the first time in the Middle East, made the 8MSP significant for the following reasons:
- It presented the opportunity to reinvigorate interest globally in the landmine problem and the approach taken through the Convention to address this problem. To those States which have accepted the Convention’s obligations and to the men, women and children affected by the existing or potential impacts of anti-personnel mines, landmines are a problem to be solved once and for all. The 8MSP was used to recommit to the tasks that remain.
- It presented the opportunity to increase interest in the Convention in the Middle East. An MSP taking place in the Middle East for the first time highlighted success stories in implementation in the region and aimed to attract further adherence to the Convention by States in the Middle East.
- It was hosted and presided over by a mine-affected State Party, which provided the opportunity to highlight the reality of the challenges faced in implementation and creative, cost-effective and efficient ways to overcome these challenges.
