Victim Assistance Experts Meeting

2018 Victim Assistance Experts Meeting 

The Committee on Victim Assistance with the support of the Implementation Support Unit (ISU) held a Victim Assistance Experts Meeting in parallel to the Seventeenth Meeting of the States Parties of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention. The focus of the “Victim Assistance Experts Meeting” was on the implementation of the Maputo Action Plan (MAP) and in particular Action 15 which commits States Parties to, taking into account their own local, national and regional circumstances, “do their utmost to strengthen local capacities, enhance coordination with subnational entities as relevant and appropriate, and increase availability of and accessibility to appropriate comprehensive rehabilitation services, economic inclusion opportunities and social protection measures for all mine victims, regardless of their gender and age. This entails removing physical, social, cultural, economic, political and other barriers, including expanding quality services in rural and remote areas and paying particular attention to vulnerable groups.”

Experts exchanged experience and best practices, reflected on their needs and challenges, and learned about initiatives on disability rights such as inclusive development, assistive technology, and the CRPD and its architectures. Participants shared their inputs for the next action plan of the Convention that will be adopted by the Fourth Review Conference in 2019 and they were provided information on opportunities under the European Council Decision in support of the implementation of the Convention.

PROGRAMME 

DAY 1 | WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER

Opening remarks

• Ms. Murielle Marchand, Permanent Mission of Belgium to the United Nations in Geneva, Chair of the Committee on Victim Assistance
• HRH Prince Mired Bin Raad Bin Zeid Al-Hussein of Jordan, Special Envoy of the Convention
• Mr. Marc Zlot, ICRC, observer member of the Committee on Victim Assistance
• Mr. Loren Persi, ICBL, observer member of the Committee on Victim Assistance
• Mr. Juan Carlos Ruan, ISU Director 

Session One: Overview of the work of the Committee on Victim Assistance and the status of the Maputo Action Plan (Action 15)

• Mr. Firoz ALIZADA, Implementation Support Unit (ISU) 
  The presentation aimed at demystifying the content and concept of Victim Assistance requirements under the MAP, in particular the Action 15. 

• Experts from the States Parties shared the challenges they face in implementing Action 15, their needs for assistance and plan to achieve the objectives of Action 15 and other MAP commitments by the time of the Fourth Review Conference: Albania, Angola, Cambodia, Chad, Colombia, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Jordan, Mozambique, Peru, Senegal, Somalia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Uganda, Yemen and Zimbabwe. 

Session Two: World Health Organization: Inclusive development and assistive technology

• Participants were provided with an overview of the work of the World Health Organization (WHO) on inclusive development and their efforts in the area of improving access to assistive technology:
• Dr. Alarcos CIEZA, Disability and Rehabilitation
• Mr. Chapal KHASNABIS, Assistive Technology 

DAY 2 | THURSDAY 29 NOVEMBER

Session Three: The CRPD and Development of indicators for Disability and the Sustainable Development Goals

• The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) Secretariat presented information on the CRPD and its implementation architectures: Ms. Harumi Fuentes Furuya, Secretary a.i, Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UN OHCHR Geneva. 
• A snapshot of the draft indicators developed by the OHCHR for disability and SDGs was presented to participants by the ISU. 

Session Four: The Fourth Review Conference and the next action plan

• Norway, the President of the Fourth Review Conference of the Convention shared its plans and vision for Review Conference and welcomed inputs from the VA Experts present in the meeting for the victim assistance aspects of the Oslo Action Plan.
• Building on the lessons learned in implementing the Maputo Action Plan, participants worked in small groups to discuss their expert inputs for the victim assistance aspects of the next action plan and presented their inputs to the Fourth Review Conference Presidency and the Committee on Victim Assistance.

European Council Decision and the Global Conference

• Participants had the opportunity to learn about initiatives being undertaken under the EU Council Decision in support of the Implementation of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention and the MAP, including EU Council sponsored victim assistance that activities carried out in 2018 in Iraq and Uganda. 

Closing of the Victim Assistance Experts Meeting

• The Permanent Mission of Mozambique to the United Nations in Geneva as the incoming Chair of the Committee on Victim Assistance delivered closing remarks.
• Ms. Murielle Marchand of the Permanent Mission of Belgium to the United Nations in Geneva, the outgoing Chair of the Committee on Victim Assistance concluded the Experts Meeting and a report of the Meeting was presented to the 17MSP Plenary Meeting on Friday 30 November.

Victim Assistance Session of the 17MSP

Pictures of the VA Experts Meeting