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FRIDAY 24 JUNE1. Opening of the meetingThe meeting was opened by its Chairs, H.E. Gazmend Turdiu of Albania. In opening the meeting the Chair noted the establishment of the Standing Committee was in part a result of the recognition at the Cartagena Summit that the States Parties must reinvigorate cooperation and assistance in the life the Convention. The Chair recalled that in Cartagena and afterwards, the States Parties were pushed, in particular by Zambia, to consider creating a new arena to advance cooperation and assistance. The Chair also recalled that in 2010, the President of the Second Review Conference took this call seriously and convened a special session on cooperation and assistance during the 2010 intersessional meetings. The Chair noted that the special session in June 2010 and a follow-up discussion at the 10MSP were instrumental in spelling out an agenda or roadmap as concerns cooperation and assistance. The Chair expressed that his aim as Chair of the Standing Committee is to advance the cooperation and assistance agenda that was spelled out in 2010. 2. Update on the 30 May to 1 June 2011 Tirana international symposium on cooperation in the pursuit of the victim assistance aim of the ConventionThe Chair provided an update on the international symposium on cooperation in the pursuit of the victim assistance aim of the Convention, which the Chair convened in Tirana from 30 May to 1 June 2011. 3. Partnerships and coordinationThe Chair noted that he sought to follow up on the recognition made last year, and more recently at the Tirana Symposium, that coordination of assistance and cooperation is a central aspect of national ownership, and, as such, that the emphasis should be on partner responsibilities rather than donor priorities. Joint presentations were made by Cambodia and the UNDP, and, by Mozambique and Norway, to illustrate innovate forms of partnerships. Following these presentations, the following delegations shared their views on the matter of partnerships and coordination: Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Australia, Brazil, Japan, Algeria, Argentina, Zambia, Mauritania, Tajikistan, Thailand, Indonesia, Uganda and Belgium. 4. Ensuring a high level of efficiencyThe Chaired recalled that in the papers presented in 2010 by the President of the Second Review Conference, it was stated that “meaningful discussions on Article 6 must have a broader scope than just money and move towards a better understanding of what effective and efficient international cooperation entails”. To help explore in more detail how to ensure a high level of efficiency, the Chair called upon UNMAS and the ICBL to deliver presentations. Following these presentations, the following delegations shared their views on the matter of ensuring a high level of efficiency: the ICRC, Australia, Chad, the GICHD and Sudan. 5. Other matters concerning cooperation and assistanceThe following delegations shared their views on other matters concerning cooperation and assistance: UNMAS, the ICRC, Mexico and Australia. 6. Closing remarksThe Co-Chairs closed the meeting, thanking those who contributed to the first-ever meeting of the Standing Committee on Resources, Cooperation and Assistance and calling on all to continue to work hard together to ensure the ongoing utility of this forum. |