Statement by H.E. Akira HAYASHI
Ambassador, Delegation of Japan to the Conference on Disarmament
at the First State Parties Meeting on the CCW Amended Protocol II
15 December 1999, Geneva
Mr. President,
First of all, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on your assumption as President of this meeting as well as give you the assurance of my delegation's full support. I would also like to extend my appreciation to the Swedish delegation for taking the initiative in sponsoring the UN Resolutions which promote the awareness of the significance of the CCW Amended Protocol II, as well as their contribution in preparing for this conference.
Mr. President,
It has been pointed out that the landmine issue is a serious concern for all, and various efforts have been made at the global and regional levels to reduce the evident risks posed by such indiscriminate weapons. The seriousness of the concern is obviously reflected in figures that appear in UN statistics. According to data collected by the UN, over 110 million landmines still remain scattered in some 70 countries, and effective mine clearance is required urgently and in massive scale. In addition, providing assistance to mine victims is an imminent necessity, since, according to some statistics, more than 2,000 humans are victims of injuries or even death every month, of which approximately 20 % are children under 15 years old. Moreover, the statistics estimate that while only one mine gets cleared, about 20 new mines get placed. In order to rectify the problem of the tragic human disaster, it is important for us human beings to achieve as much as possible an effective and universal ban on landmines.
Mr. President,
The CCW Review Conferences were convened from 1995 to 1996. The efforts made by the States Parties resulted in the adoption of the Amended Protocol II, which extends the scope of Protocol II and stipulates more strictly-regulated-mine use and transfer restriction. By those great enhancements added to the Amended Protocol II from the original one, an important step towards solving landmine problems was effectuated. Japan ratified the Amended Protocol II on 10 June 1997 as the fifth state, and the Amended Protocol II entered into force on 3 December 1998, 6 months after achieving deposit of the instrument of ratification by 20 countries. My delegation is pleased that the first Conference of States Parties on the Amended Protocol II is being convened today.
Mr. President,
I would like to now emphasise that the CCW Amended Protocol II is a prominent convention that holds a great significance, even after the realisation of the Ottawa Convention.
First of all, the CCW Amended Protocol II regulates not only APLs but also other mines, such as anti-vehicle mines and mines laid to interdict beaches, waterway crossings or river crossings, as well as booby traps.
Second, this Protocol is accepted by those countries that are not in a position to accede to the Ottawa Convention for various reasons of their own, including their national defence necessities. There are prospects to gain more accessions of such countries to this Amended Protocol. It is necessary to make every effort to increase the membership of States Parties and promote the significance of this Protocol.
Third, although this Amended Protocol does not achieve a total ban of APLs, it introduces a significant partial ban by allowing only for specific types of APLs as well as modes of operation, which meet the requirements of this Amended Protocol and thus contribute to the reduction of casualties among civilians in countries that still depend on APLs.
Mr. President,
For this Amended Protocol to be a successful milestone tool, we the States Parties, must bear in mind that full and sincere implementation of the obligations of this Protocol is vital. The international community has to deeply concentrate its efforts in tackling landmine problems, especially for next year's Governmental Experts Meetings and for the Review Conference in 2001 in accordance with Article 8 of the CCW.
Mr. President,
After the Ottawa Convention entered into force, various countries which were not able to accede to it, suggested to negotiate a transfer ban of APLs - given that they could at least agree on this type of ban. Under the leadership of the Special Co-ordinator of Australia during the past two years at the CD, intensive discussions were made, even though the final conclusion for the draft decision was not attained.
On the other hand, some argue that such a transfer ban of APLs should be negotiated in the framework of the CCW since this Protocol has left significant areas untouched. My delegation is aware of the technical problems such as the difference of definition that exist between the Ottawa Convention and the Amended Protocol II. We are presently not in a position to decide which framework is the most adequate to negotiate. Nevertheless, one point is clear: we cannot allow for such a problem to persist indefinitely. Japan urges the States concerned to begin consultations to find an adequate framework and start negotiations as early as possible. We feel that a legally-binding framework of a transfer ban of APLs can eventually include those countries outside the Ottawa Convention.
Mr. President,
It is needless to say much about the importance of the Ottawa Convention, but, I would like to mention it in passing to illustrate Japan's contribution to solving some problem that both this Amended Protocol II and the Ottawa Convention address.
Japan signed the Convention on 3 December 1997 and acceded to it on 30 September 1998. The then Foreign Minister and current Prime Minister, Mr. Obuchi, proposed a "Zero Victims" program at the signing ceremony and manifested Japan's contribution of about \ 10 billion (equivalent of US$ 100 million at today's exchange rate) during the following 5 years in order to enhance mine clearance and victim assistance.
At the implementation of this pledge, Japan made a contribution of US$ 38,540,000 for mine clearance bilaterally in and with Cambodia and through international and regional organisations such as, UNDP, UNOCHA, the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Action and OAS; and a contribution of US$ 3,300,000 for victim assistance and mine awareness through international organizations such as, UNICEF, ICRC, and the UN Voluntary Trust Fund and US$ 1,280,000 during the past 7 years though various NGOs.
After the successful States Parties Meeting in Maputo, Japan continues to actively participate in the intersessional works for the Second States Parties Meeting, given a special role as Co-rapporteur of the Victim Assistance Standing Committee of Experts (VA-SCE).
Mr. President,
The international community has recently succeeded in concluding the Amended Protocol II of the CCW and the Ottawa Convention, as well as thrived at the promotion of both their early entries into force. The principle issue we are faced with today is to effectively implement the two tools in order to eliminate these tragic and indiscriminate weapons which maim and kill innocent victims throughout the world. In this sense, further efforts are required to ultimately eliminate landmines.
Thank you.