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Day 1 | Monday 18 December

1. Opening ceremony 

The meeting was officially opened by the Sixteenth Meeting of the States Parties (16MSP) President, H.E. Thomas Hajnoczi, Ambassador of Austria.  A high level opening ceremony featured an address delivered on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria and messages delivered on behalf of organisations that historically played a role in the Convention:

  • Thomas Hajnoczi, President of the Sixteenth Meeting of the States Parties on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria
  • Peter Maurer, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross 
  • António Guterres, UN Secretary-General
  • Tom Markram, Director of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs and Deputy to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, on behalf of the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs
  • Jody Williams, 1997 Nobel Peace Prize Co-Laureate 
  • HRH Prince Mired Bin Raad Bin Zeid Al Hussein of Jordan, Convention's Special Envoy
  • Tun Channareth, ICBL Ambassador
  • Barbara Haering, President of the Council of Foundation of the GICHD

 

Also during the opening ceremony, the delegation of Sri Lanka presented the 16MSP President with a copy of its instrument of accession to the Convention.

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2. Official opening of the meeting 

The 16MSP was officially opened by the 16MSP President, H.E. Thomas Hajnoczi, Ambassador of Austria.

 

3. Adoption of the agenda 

The States Parties adopted the agenda for the 16MSP.

4. Election of the Vice-Presidents of the meeting and other officers

In keeping with past practice, those eight outgoing members of the Committees were elected as Vice-Presidents of the 16MSP, namely: Belgium, Colombia, Costa Rica, Netherlands, Peru, Sweden, Uganda and Zambia. 

5. Confirmation of the Secretary-General of the meeting

H.E. Wolfgang Angerholzer, Director, Organisation of International Conferences and Matters Relating to International Organisations in Austria at the Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs of Austria was confirmed as the Secretary-General of the 16MSP.

6. Organisation of work

The States Parties adopted the programme of work for the 16MSP.

  • 16MSP provisional programme of work PDF 206KB

7. General exchange of views

Sri Lanka, the latest State to join the Convention took the floor to deliver a general statement.

The following States Parties took the floor to deliver general statements: Thailand, Japan Slovakia, Ireland, Holy See, Germany and Belarus.

The following organisation delivered a general statement: the European Union.

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8. Panel: 20 Years of Success: Fulfilling the Promise of the Convention by 2025

The panel "20 Years of Sucess: Fulfilling the Promise of the Convention by 2025" drew lessons from 20 years of accomplishments and looked back at the government-civil society partnerships that made the Convention a success. Panellists were able to share their personal experiences and their views on the status of the Convention and what it will take to fulfil the aspiration of a mine-free world to the fullest extent possible by 2025. The panel was moderated by Thomas Hajnoczi, 16MSP President and featured interventions from:

  • Margaret Arach Orech, ICBL Ambassador
  • Tammy Hall, Head of Strategies and Standards at the GICHD
  • Pedro Comissário Afonso, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Mozambique to the United Nations in Geneva
  • Steffen Kongstad, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Norway to the OSCE
  • Jody Williams, Nobel Peace Prize Co-Laureate

9. Informal presentation of requests submitted under Article 5

The following four States Parties which had submitted requests for extensions of their Article 5 mine clearance deadlines presented their requests: Angola, Ecuador, Iraq and Thailand.

The Chair of the Committee on Article 5, introduced the analyses that had been prepared with respect to these requests.

The following delegation shared views with respect to the request submitted by Angola: ICBL.

The following delegation shared views with respect to the request submitted by Ecuador: ICBL. 

The following delegation shared views with respect to the request submitted by Iraq: ICBL.

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