Activities of the Presidency of the Tenth Meeting of States Parties (10MSP)
October 2021
On 18 October 2021, 10MSP President, Ambassador Aidan Liddle, held a lunch time informal exchange with member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to discuss the CCM. The meeting took place at the United Kingdom Mission in New York in the margins of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly First Committee on Disarmament and International Security.
September 2021
On 21 September 2021, Ambassador Aidan Liddle, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the Conference on Disarmament, was confirmed as President of the 10MSP. The President wrote a blog article on his perspective on taking on the Presidency of the Convention.
Activities of the Presidency of the Second Review Conference (2RC)
September 2021
2RC President, Ambassador Félix Baumann held three informal consultations with CCM stakeholders on paragraph 8 of the draft Lausanne Action Plan on 6, 13 and 17 September 2021 at the Palais des Nations.
August 2021
On 27 August 2021, 2RC President, Ambassador Félix Baumann, held an informal briefing to provide information on the organization of Part 2 of the 2RC and update on the process in the lead up to the Conference. The briefing was held in hybrid format at the Palais des Nations where remote participation was also made possible.
June 2021
2RC President, Ambassador Félix Baumann, held a virtual briefing on 18 June 2021 to provide an update on the process in the lead up to the hosting of the second part of the 2RC. During the briefing, the President infomted that the 2RC Part 2 was foreseen to be held on 20-21 September 2021. A silence procedure followed the briefing to confirm the new dates of the Conference.
October and November 2020
In preparation for the 2RC, the Swiss Presidency and the ISU facilitated meetings on 14 October and 17 November 2020 for States Parties with CCM Article 3 or Article 4 extension requests to discuss the different modalities the States Parties could present their requests during the Review Conference.
October 2020
2RC President, Ambassador Félix Baumann, hosted an informal meeting to discuss the the working papers on the Convention’s machinery and finances on 14 October 2020 at the Geneva International Conference Centre (CICG).
October 2020
Switzerland, as President of the 2RC, released a statement on 7 October 2020 concerning the alleged use of cluster munitions in Nagorno-Karabakh. In the statement, Switzerland condemned any use of cluster munitions by any actor. Click here to read the statement in English and French.
September 2020
2RC President, Ambassador Félix Baumann, held an informal meeting to discuss the Lausanne Action Plan (LAP), the working paper on the Convention’s machinery and the working paper on CCM finances on 30 September 2020 at the Geneva International Conference Centre (CICG).
August to October 2020
Switzerland, as 2RC Presidency, and the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) co-organized a multi-city public photo exhibition “Lasting Footprints” to showcase the aftermath of cluster munitions. The exhibition was on 17-31 August in Geneva, 1-14 September in Bern, 1-19 October in Lugano and 21-31 October in Lausanne.
To coincide with the public exhibition, Switzerland and the GICHD held a screening of “The Remnants” in Geneva on 27 August 2020 and of “Into the Fire” in Lugano on 17 October 2020.
July 2020
In commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the CCM’s entry into force, the President of the Swiss Confederation, Ms. Simonetta Sommaruga, co-wrote an article with the ICRC President, undelining the importance of the Convention. Click here to read the article in English, French, German and Italian.
July 2020
2RC President, Ambassador Félix Baumann, hosted an informal one-day meeting to discuss the elements of the Lausanne Action Plan (LAP) on 8 July 2020 at the International Red Cross Museum in Geneva.
June 2020
Switzerland, as 2RC Presidency, co-organized a virtual workshop with the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) on 17 June 2020 for mine action operators to provide their feedback on the draft Lausanne Action Plan (LAP).
June 2020
2RC President, Ambassador Félix Baumann of Switzerland, hosted an informal virtual briefing on 8 June 2020 to update the CCM community on how the First Preparatory
Meeting would be convened and the preparation of the three main 2RC documents—the Review Document, the Lausanne Action Plan (LAP) and the Political Declaration. He also announced that the 2RC in November would be held at the SwissTech Convention Center in Lausanne and that a public photo exhibition to showcase the impact of cluster munitions would take place from August to November 2020 in several cities around Switzerland in the lead up to the Review Conference.
March 2020
The CARICOM Regional Workshop on the CCM took place in St. George’s, Grenada, on 3-4 March 2020. Delegates from 11 CARICOM States met to discuss CCM universalization and implementation in the region. The meeting concluded with the adoption of “The St. George’s Commitment on Universalization and Implementation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions”. The workshop hosted by Grenada and sponsored by Canada was organized with the logistical and technical support of the ISU. Switzerland in its role as 2RC presidency also participated in the workshop. Workshop resource persons were representatives of Switzerland, the CMC and the ISU.
February 2020
2RC President, Amb. Félix Baumann, was invited to brief the Permanent Delegation of the African Union in Geneva on the CCM. Meeting at Ambassadorial level, the briefing was held on 19 February 2020 and aimed to provide information on the Convention and its full implementation to African State representatives. The President highlighted the priorities of the Swiss presidency for the year specifically regarding the further universalization of the Convention on the continent which still had 9 Signatory States and 11 States not Party nearly 10 years after its entry into force.
February 2020
Amb. Félix Baumann, 2RC President, with the support of the ISU, organized a “by invitation only” meeting in the margins of the 23rd International Meeting of Mine Action National Directors & United Nations Advisers on 14 February 2020 at the Palais des
Nations. The aim of the side event was to provide a platform for CCM Signatory states and States not Party to discuss challenges and possible solutions to joining the Convention in the lead up to the 2RC. Panelists at the meeting included the ISU Director and representatives of the CMC and ICRC. The event gathered 19
participants from 7 CCM States Parties and 6 States not Party.
February 2020
2RC President, Ambassador Félix Baumann of Switzerland, was welcomed by the government of the Republic of Zimbabwe, a State not Party to the CCM, for an in-country visit on 4-5 February 2020. In Harare, Amb. Baumann met with the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and the Secretary of Defence and War Veterans
Affairs to promote the CCM and encourage Zimbabwe to accede to the Convention. The 2RC President was accompanied by the ISU Director, the Ambassador of Switzerland to Zimbabwe and representatives of the Embassies of Germany and the United Kingdom in Harare.
January 2020
2RC President, Ambassador Félix Baumann welcomed members of the Coordination Committee to the first Coordination Committee Meeting in 2020 which was held at the International Red Cross & Red Crescent Museum. The meeting was followed by a visit to the temporary exhibition “Posters Unpacked”.
November 2019
2RC President, Ambassador Félix Baumann of Switzerland, with the support of the ISU, used the opportunity of the presence of numerous states participating in the 4th Review Conference (4RC) of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) from 25-29 November 2019 in Oslo to promote CCM universalization. Several bilateral meetings were held with Signatory and States not party including Angola, Bangladesh, Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tajikistan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
October 2019
New Zealand and Iraq organized a lunchtime meeting in New York on 16 October 2019 in the margins of the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly First Committee. 31 participants from 22 States Parties, the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) and the ISU gathered to discuss the past, present and future of the Convention. Ambassador Dell
Higgie of New Zealand moderated the event. Presentations were made by the troika of CCM presidencies represented by Mr. Satyajit Arjuna Rodrigo of Sri Lanka (immediate past President 9MSP); Ambassador Félix Baumann of Switzerland (incumbent President 2RC); and Ambassador Aidan Liddle of the United Kingdom (10MSP President-Designate). CCM thematic Coordinators who were present provided updates on their respective thematic areas.
More information on the side event can be found here.
Activities of the Presidency of the Ninth Meeting of States Parties (9MSP)
June 2019
Ambassador Aliyar Lebbe Abdul Azeez, CCM 9MSP President, organized the Coordination Committee mid-term review as a working lunch on 26 June 2019 at Shiva Restaurant in Geneva. The aim of the meeting was to conduct a comprehensive stock-take of the Convention’s implementation since the 8MSP and consider the necessary efforts to apply in the lead up to the 9MSP which will be held from 2 to 4 September 2019 in Geneva. The working lunch was attended by 22 Coordination Committee members, including Ambassador Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger of Austria.
June 2019
New Zealand and the Philippines organized the Asia-Pacific regional workshop on the CCM that was held in Manila on 18-19 June 2019. The 9MSP President, Ambassador Aliyar Lebbe Abdul Azeez of Sri Lanka, participated in the workshop and joined the organizers in thanking the participants for responding to the invitation to be part of the workshop. The event gathered 13 countries—8 States not Party (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Vietnam) and 5 States Parties (Lao PDR, New Zealand, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Switzerland). Presentations given and exchanges held to inform States not Party on the key articles of the Convention, the accession process, the available resources and the experience of States Parties in joining and implementing the CCM. The ISU, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) were also in attendance as expert resources. The workshop was made possible through the generous contribution of New Zealand and Switzerland and the in-kind support provided by the Philippines.
More information on the workshop is available here.
October 2018
The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, in its role as the Presidency of the Ninth Meeting of States Parties (9MSP), organized a lunchtime meeting at the UN Headquarters in New York on the universalization of the CCM with a focus on the Asia/Pacific region. This side event took place on Friday, 12 October 2018, in the margins of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly First Committee on Disarmament and International Security and gathered States Parties and States not Party to the Convention from the Asia/Pacific region as well as from other regions.
9MSP President, Ambassador Aliyar Lebbe Abdul Azeez, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in Geneva, warmly welcomed the attendees via video conference in Geneva and presented the Presidency’s key priorities until the 9MSP. The President also introduced the 2018 UNGA Resolution on the implementation of CCM, which would be submitted by Sri Lanka and its co-sponsors. It is anticipated that States attending the meeting would vote in favour of the Resolution.
During the meeting, the CCM Implementation Support Unit (ISU) presented an overview of the Convention, with a particular emphasis on the tools and assistance available to States in their ratification/accession and further implementation of the CCM. States were afforded the opportunity to share on the obstacles they had encountered in the process of ratification of/accession to the CCM. Representatives of the ICRC and CMC also participated in the side event. In order to facilitate a candid discussion on addressing these challenges, the meeting was held under the Chatham House Rule.
Click here to view the programme of the meeting.
Activities of the Presidency of the Eighth Meeting of States Parties (8MSP)
December 2017
By note verbale dated 15 December 2017 addressed to all Permanent Missions to the United Nations of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, Ambassador Hernán Estrada Roman, Permanent Representative of Nicaragua to the United Nations in Geneva, informed to have decided to step down from his position as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Permanent Representative of Nicaragua to the United Nations Office in Geneva.
Following a silence procedure that lasted until COB Tuesday 20 February 2018 and during which the United Nations Secretariat received no objections, Nicaragua will continue to hold the Presidency of the Eighth Meeting of the States Parties and will appoint a representative to preside the Meeting.
September 2017
On the third day of the 7MSP, Nicaragua was elected to the Presidency of the 8MSP by States Parties. His Excellency Mr. Hernán Estrada Román would carry out his duties as President of the 8MSP, assisted by his colleagues of the Permanent Mission of Nicaragua to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva.
Activities of the Presidency of the Seventh Meeting of States Parties (7MSP)
October 2017
The German Presidency of the 7MSP organized a lunchtime side event on 26 October in the margins of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) First Committee in New York. Ambassador Biontino highlighted the “country coalitions” concept, the “structured dialogue” and the “military-to-military” engagements with States not Party that were initiated by the German Presidency of the 7MSP. He also presented the 2017 CCM draft resolution that was submitted to the UNGA by Germany together with 42 co-sponsors.
September 2017
Ambassador Biontino, the President of the 7MSP, presented his paper on Country Coalitions to Promote the Implementation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions at the 7MSP on the first day of the Meeting, which took place on 4-6 September in Geneva. The “country coalitions” concept is aimed to foster comprehensive implementation of the CCM through in-depth cooperation, which would support the work of the coordinators on international cooperation and assistance.
June 2017
The President of the 7MSP, Ambassador Biontino co-organized a South East Europe Regional Seminar with the Centre for Security Cooperation (RACVIAC). The workshop on ‘Enhancing implementation of Articles 3 & 4 of the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) in South East Europe: the country coalition concept’ took place at the Centre for Security Cooperation (RACVIAC) on 12-13 June in Rakitje, Croatia.
Detailed information on the workshop is available here.
June 2017
The Presidency of the 7MSP, Germany, co-hosted and co-sponsored a workshop on ‘Universalizing Land Release’ with the Austrian Presidency of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC), with the support of the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD). The workshop took place in Geneva on 7 June and its aim was to enhance understanding of and exchange good practices in the implementation of non-technical surveys, which could help affected States conduct land release in the most effective and efficient manner.
March 2017
The President of the 7MSP, Ambassador Biontino held a Regional Seminar with South East Asian countries on ‘Cooperating to implement the Convention on Cluster Munition: The Country Coalition Concept’ in Bangkok, Thailand, on 16-17 March.
Detailed information on the seminar is available here.
February 2017
The President of the 7MSP, His Excellency Mr. Michael Biontino, participated in a panel on The Challenges of completion during the 20th International Meeting of National Mine Action Programme Directors and United Nations Advisers which was held from 7-10 February 2017 in Geneva. Against this backdrop, the German President made the following statement.
January 2017
New Year Open Letter from the German Presidency of the 7MSP.