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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">September 23, 2004 <i>(7:30 p.m. EDT)</i> No. 110</span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">HUMAN SECURITY NETWORK DECLARATION FOR<br>
THE NAIROBI SUMMIT</span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew today chaired a ministerial luncheon for
members of the Human Security Network (HSN).</span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">During the luncheon, the Ministers endorsed a declaration for the upcoming Nairobi
Summit on a Mine-Free World, which will be held from November 29 to December 3,
2004. As the first review conference of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use,
Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction
(the Ottawa Convention), the Nairobi Summit will take note of progress to date and
develop a five-year action plan to finish the work begun at the December 1997
Landmine Treaty Conference in Ottawa. The HSN declaration encourages countries to
participate in this summit at the highest possible level, and pledges that members of the
Network will strive for this themselves.</span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">The HSN is a cross-regional group created in 1999 to maintain dialogue and identify
areas for collective action on human security issues. The Network includes Austria,
Canada, Chile, Greece, Ireland, Jordan, Mali, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia,
Switzerland and Thailand, as well as South Africa as an observer. Canada is the Chair
of the Network from May 2004 until May 2005.</span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">For more information, visit the HSN on-line at </span><a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20071207005207/http://www.humansecuritynetwork.org/"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #0000ff"><span style="text-decoration: underline">http://www.humansecuritynetwork.org</span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000">, or
Canada’s Human Security Web site at </span></span><a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20071207005207/http://www.humansecurity.gc.ca/"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #0000ff"><span style="text-decoration: underline">http://www.humansecurity.gc.ca</span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000">.</span></span></p>
<br>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000">- 30 -</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000">The HSN Declaration for the Nairobi Summit is attached.</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000">For further information, media representatives may contact:</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000">Sébastien Théberge<br>
Director of Communications<br>
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs<br>
(613) 995-1851</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000">Media Relations Office<br>
Foreign Affairs Canada and International Trade Canada<br>
(613) 995-1874<br>
</span></span><a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20071207005207/http://www.international.gc.ca/"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #0000ff"><span style="text-decoration: underline">http://www.international.gc.ca</span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000"></span></span></p>
<br>
<br>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">HUMAN SECURITY NETWORK DECLARATION</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">FOR THE NAIROBI SUMMIT ON A MINE-FREE WORLD</span></span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000">We, the members of the Human Security Network<sup>1</sup>, take note of recent developments
since the 5th Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use,
Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of anti-personnel mines and on their Destruction in
September 2003 in Thailand, including on resource mobilization, destruction of
stockpiled mines, and universalization of the Convention, and look forward to the
Nairobi Summit on a Mine-Free World, the landmark First Review Conference of the
Convention, which will take place from 29 November to 3 December, 2004, in Nairobi,
Kenya, marking the fifth year since the Convention’s entry-into force. </span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000"> </span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000">All of our countries are States Parties to the Convention, and we remain steadfast in
our determination to end the human devastation caused by anti-personnel mines
through their total elimination. We recognize the significance of the Nairobi Summit for
the Convention. Meeting today, the Foreign Ministers of the HSN member countries
agreed to ensure their countries will be represented in Nairobi at the highest possible
level, and called for the same ambition of participation by all States and relevant
international organizations at its High-Level Segment.</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000">At this critical juncture, the Network welcomes the significant progress made to date
towards achieving the Convention’s core humanitarian objectives and towards ensuring
that the human tragedy caused by anti-personnel mines is permanently resolved. In
particular, the agreement by 143 states to be formally bound by the Convention’s
obligations, the return of vast tracts of land to safe and productive use, the destruction
of over 37 million stockpiled mines and the ongoing decline in the rate of new mine
victims demonstrate its impact.</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000">Members of the Network continue to be encouraged by the unprecedented manner in
which the international community has rallied to end the devastation of landmines. We
recognize that more remains to be done and reaffirm our full support as States Parties
in promoting implementation of the Action Plan, to be adopted at the Nairobi Summit for
the period between 2005 – 2009, in order to fulfil the Convention’s aims. We call upon
all States and relevant actors to do the same.</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000">The Network further recognizes that mine action, an essential element for increasing
human security worldwide, also contributes to broader development and peacebuilding
objectives. Members of the Network therefore undertake to promote the integration of
mine action into national development plans and will consider the integration of mine
action into peace frameworks, strategies and plans. In order to ensure that the
Convention fulfills its promise to landmine survivors, we also undertake to promote the
mobilization of additional resources for their assistance and reintegration.</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000">The Network welcomes all recent ratifications and accessions to the Convention. We
call upon all States that have not yet done so to join the Convention prior to the Nairobi
Summit, and to attend the Summit as observers. We encourage those not in a position
to join by that time to share their plans to ratify or accede to the Convention at that time.
We encourage the remaining States not Party to participate as observers at the Summit
so as to experience the universal humanitarian importance of the movement against
anti-personnel landmines.</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000">The Nairobi Summit ushers in a critical phase of the Convention in ensuring that the
promises made to mine-affected communities and their people are fulfilled. To this end,
we pledge to continue to strengthen, and ultimately universalize the international norm
against anti-personnel mines, and to do our part to finish the job of eradicating the
world of these inhumane weapons.</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000"><sup>1 </sup>The Human Security Network is an inter-regional grouping of like-minded countries
with a shared vision of promoting a more humane world where people are free from
fear and want. Launched in 1999, members of the Human Security Network include
Austria, Canada, Chile, Greece, Ireland, Jordan, Mali, the Netherlands, Norway,
Slovenia, Switzerland, and Thailand, with South Africa as an observer. Canada
assumed Chairmanship of the Network in May 2004, for a period of one year.</span></span></p>
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