The 12MSP was a formal meeting of the 160 States which had, as of the time of the meeting, 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 2009 Second Review Conference and the 2011 Eleventh Meeting of the States Parties (11MSP). The 12MSP was important because it took place at the mid-way point between the 2009 Cartagena Summit on a Mine-Free World and the Convention’s Third Review Conference in 2014. It was a chance for the international community to conduct mid-term assessment of efforts to implement the Cartagena Action Plan 2010-2014. This assessment of challenges encountered and work that remained to be done was recorded in the 12MSP’s Geneva Progress Report. The 12MSP was also an opportunity to draw a link between the Convention’s promise to landmine survivors and broader efforts to guarantee the rights of persons with disabilities. With the opening of the 12MSP coinciding with the International Day for Persons with Disabilities, this link was highlighted by the participation in the 12MSP by United Nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay. The 12MSP was also significant because served as the culmination of a great deal of work mandated by the 11MSP, including work to develop a rational response to the matter of mined areas discovered after States Parties mine clearance deadlines had passed. The 12MSP will took place at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. |