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<html> <head> <meta name="Generator" content="Corel WordPerfect 8"> <title>AXWORTHY - ADDRESS TO THE FIRST MEETING OF STATES PARTIES TO THE ANTI-PERSONNEL MINE BAN CONVENTION</title> </head> <body text="#000000" link="#0000ff" vlink="#551a8b" alink="#ff0000" bgcolor="#c0c0c0"> 99/33 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY NOTES FOR AN ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE LLOYD AXWORTHY MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS TO THE FIRST MEETING OF STATES PARTIES TO THE ANTI-PERSONNEL MINE BAN CONVENTION MAPUTO, Mozambique May 3, 1999 (5:15 p.m. EDT) In meeting here today in Mozambique, I feel we are bringing this issue -- a global ban on landmines -- full circle. For it was the stories of horror and devastation caused by anti-personnel [AP] mines told by people from war-torn communities everywhere, from Mozambique and Cambodia to Central America and Afghanistan, that put the landmine issue at the forefront of the international agenda. The dignity, graciousness and hope with which the Government of Mozambique and the people of Mozambique receive us here today is a testament to what can be done when a society -- supported by the world -- decides truly to leave war behind and begin the arduous process of reconstruction and reconciliation. These same stories of hope and courage can be found in other mine-affected states around the world. I would like to thank the Government of Mozambique for inviting us to their country for this important occasion. There is no better place for this historic meeting to have taken place. I know that this meeting is the result of months of hard work and commitment by many people -- in Maputo, in capitals around the world -- including members of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade serving here in the region and in Ottawa. I would like to offer you my sincere thanks and congratulations for your efforts. The history of this process has been unique. Unique because it brought together governments and civil society, the countries of the North and South, the world's international organizations and committed people everywhere to work for the common goal of a ban, an unequivocal ban on anti-personnel mines. From its very outset, this process was driven by the conviction that we had to take decisive action to protect the lives and well-being of innocent individuals, ruthlessly swept up in the horror of war. The way we dealt with the landmine issue changed thinking about how we could deal with humanitarian crises. It is no coincidence that, shortly after achieving the landmine ban, the international community moved to create the International Criminal Court. There is clearly a new dynamic emerging around the world that is increasingly placing the individual -- individual rights, dignity and well-being -- at the centre of the international agenda. Those of you who visited the mine fields yesterday saw the deadly impact of these weapons on the lives and land of Mozambicans. Unfortunately, I was not able to join you. I was visiting a refugee camp, Stenkovic 1, in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. I spoke with people who had fled their homes; listened to their stories of brutal murders, rapes, the hysteria of hatred and the destruction of every shred of normality and security in their lives. I left there with strengthened resolve and conviction: the international community has no option but to act to protect and defend individuals when their very lives and existence are threatened. These are strong words, I know. And controversial. But they must be said. And this is the right setting. We are here among a group of countries -- with the United Nations, the ICRC [International Committee of the Red Cross], and the NGO community -- that decided to take firm action on behalf of people everywhere and so moved, with extraordinary speed, to ban anti-personnel mines. This was an act of courage and humanity. This decision was not, of course, popular with everyone. And we still have our detractors. But we know we did the right thing, at the right moment, for the right reasons: protecting the security of individuals. It is this same motivation and the same challenge that we face in places such as Kosovo, Sierra Leone and in too many other places. It is this same humanitarian agenda that should drive us forward in our work here. Of course, we can and should celebrate our meeting here today. We have achieved a treaty that no one thought possible. We have seen it enter into force in record time. We have watched much of the global community rally round the new international norm created by this treaty. However, our celebration must be tempered because, even as we meet, there are new victims and new mines are being laid. New mines. Remining. Even by countries that have signed the Convention. This is cause for real concern. In Angola, a treaty signatory, mines are again being used. This, in a country whose own people are already suffering the tragedy of previous AP mine use. There are persistent reports of mines being laid in the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Mines are being used as part of the brutal ethnic cleansing campaign under way in Kosovo. The stories told to me by a representative of Handicap International in Skopje confirmed that, even after we have a political settlement to this conflict, mines will pose a serious threat that will impede the rapid return of refugees to their homes. We must use this opportunity here to speak out about these acts that violate the new international norm created by the treaty. We must respond to those who challenge the validity of the treaty. We can do this by working at the regional level to bring pressure to bear on these governments to stop creating this humanitarian disaster in our neighbourhoods. We must call these miscreants to account: to their own publics and to the international community. We must also use this opportunity, here in Maputo, to recommit ourselves to the principles and obligations we have assumed in signing and ratifying this Convention. We cannot permit a few delinquents to squander all that we have accomplished. We have help in our task: the continued momentum behind the Convention that continually brings forward more ratifications and the addition of new signatories. We also have the power of civil society behind us -- a community committed to ensuring that the gains made in the negotiation and signing of the AP mine ban convention become real and remain respected. This community has made an incredible contribution to this effort with the publication, in record time, of Mine Monitor, with its comprehensive documentation of the mine issue in over 100 countries. Canada is proud to have been an early and vigorous supporter of this effort -- we encourage others to join in funding this publication and helping it become an annual citizen's companion to our Convention. There are also new challenges to face, made clear by the continued use of landmines in areas of conflict such as Kosovo and Angola. Those mines will present a major obstacle and risk in any resettlement of refugees. We must use this meeting, here in Maputo, to put in place at the United Nations a rapid-response mine action capacity that is able to mobilize as soon as a peace agreement is reached, or even before. A quick and co-ordinated mine action response will save lives. There are a number of elements that we should consider: <ul> <li>information gathering and planning;</li> <li>the integration of mine action plans into peace accords;</li> <li>the provision of maps and technical details by belligerents in the post-conflict phase;</li> <li>the availability and pre-positioning of equipment;</li> <li>rapidly deployable survey and assessment teams;</li> <li>mine awareness and preparedness training while refugees are still in the camps; and</li> </ul> <ul> <li>the provision of emergency medical assistance to victims.</li> </ul> I believe that the international community should work together, with the UN, to examine the challenges posed by post-conflict mine action and to develop ideas for a systematic and effective approach to dealing with these urgent humanitarian situations. Taking Stock While looking forward, we must also reflect on what we have accomplished so far -- if only to ensure that we continue to make steady progress. Has the Convention, with its commitments to destroy stockpiles, stop transfers, clear mines and help victims, made a difference to the lives of people in mine-affected states? Let's look at a few facts: As of today, 135 countries have foresworn the use of AP mines, all but two of the countries of the Americas, most of Europe and much of Asia. Seventy-seven countries have already ratified the Convention. The number of mine victims in some of the world's most severely affected countries is declining. The once-flourishing trade in AP mines has all but vanished. There are fewer than 10 mine-producing countries in the world that do not support a comprehensive moratorium or de facto ban on the export of AP mines. Since the Ottawa Process began in 1996, 20 countries have destroyed more than 14 million stockpiled mines. These are mines that will never take a life or limb. Resources for mine action are increasing. In Ottawa, in December 1997, half a billion dollars was pledged in mine action. Canada itself committed $100 million over five years. Global funds are starting to flow. In the past year alone, 10 donor countries have initiated 98 new mine action programs in 25 countries. And we are starting to be smarter about how we do mine action: prioritizing to meet the needs of local communities; helping build the capacities within mine-affected states themselves; and integrating NGOs into our mine action right from the beginning, co-ordinating our efforts through the UN Mine Action Service, which is acting as a global focal point for effective mine action. The Convention is helping: the fact is that it makes much more sense to invest in the painstaking and costly task of mine clearance in places where governments have said they will never again use these weapons. Innovation and Momentum This meeting represents the beginning of another phase in our work. Now the challenge is to focus our resources and our partnership for the long haul. We must continue our work to universalize the Convention. Convince those who believe they need these weapons to protect their borders that there are much more effective alternatives that won't mistake a shepherd or a child for a smuggler or a terrorist. Convince those who think that AP mines afford them some military advantage that such advantage, if indeed it exists, is transitory at best; it will become humanity's lingering and deadly disadvantage. It is the compelling humanitarian case against these weapons that has moved 32 of 34 countries in the Americas, 17 of 19 NATO members, most of Africa, and much of Asia to give up AP mines; to make adjustments to their force structures and to find alternatives -- in doctrine and technology -- that will neither heighten the risk to soldiers nor leave behind a deadly legacy for an innocent population. We can -- and must -- live without these weapons, just as we live without dumdum bullets, chemical weapons and the other horrific instruments of war that, because of their extreme humanitarian impact, have been outlawed. Making Progress Maintaining the momentum behind the issue will be key. It is important to reach out continually to engage our publics and respond to the real interest shown by people. Funding by governments is important and significant. But there are others in our societies who want to play a part in ridding the world of these weapons and helping the victims. For this reason, we are working to engage the private sector, in partnership with NGOs and government, to make our mine action effort sustainable. The Intersessional Work Program proposed for adoption at this meeting also provides a framework for more structured work on mine action and Convention implementation. It will give us the opportunity, for example, to focus work on key issues such as victim assistance and the challenges of long-term reintegration into society. We hope that it will be agreed here. And we hope that all states -- signatories and non-signatories, as well as the UN, international organizations and NGOs who share our mine action objectives -- will participate in this work. Canada, as always, is ready and willing to play its part. The Continuing Challenge Just over two years ago, in our own capital city of Ottawa, we took up a challenge that many thought impossible. The majority of the world's governments and millions of people responded with energy and determination. That response produced our Convention, opening for signature in that same city just one year later. Even those few who have not yet signed are increasingly caught up in the spirit of the Convention and its new international norm. Now we have a new challenge: to fully implement this Convention. To make the world a more humane place because we will have banned and eliminated this weapon. To make it part of the world's brutal past -- having no place in humanity's hopeful future. Our track record in meeting -- and exceeding -- challenges that seemed beyond anyone's expectations has been pretty good to date. Let's not stop. Let's keep going together, in partnership. It is what the people of the world expect. We must continue to consecrate our work for all those who, over the years, have been the victims of AP mines. Thank you. </body> </html>

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