Key developments since May 2002: Belgium
continued to play a key role in promoting universalization and full
implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty. Belgian Ambassador Jean Lint served as
President of the Fourth Meeting of States Parties and Chair of the Coordinating
Committee from September 2002 to September 2003. Belgium also served as
co-chair of the Standing Committee on Mine Clearance from September 2002 to
September 2003. On 12-13 November 2002, Belgium hosted a seminar in Brussels
for African countries on transparency reporting under Article 7 of the treaty.
Belgium contributed €4.7 million (US$4.5 million) to mine action in 2002,
including research and development, a significant increase from 2001.
Mine Ban Policy
Belgium signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December
1997 and ratified it on 4 September 1998, becoming a State Party on 1 March
1999.
Production of antipersonnel mines ceased in 1990 and transfer was prohibited
in 1993. In 1995, Belgium became the first country to enact national
legislation banning antipersonnel mines. Stockpile destruction was completed in
September 1997.
Ambassador Jean Lint, Belgium’s Permanent Representative to the
Conference on Disarmament, was President of the Fourth Meeting of States Parties
in September 2002, and then served as chair of the Coordinating Committee from
September 2002 to September 2003, playing a key role in ensuring the success of
the intersessional work program. The President’s Action Program was
issued at the Fourth Meeting of States Parties, focusing on the Mine Ban
Treaty’s core humanitarian
objectives.[1] Princess Astrid of
Belgium was present at the Fourth Meeting of States Parties.
Ambassador Marc Baptist from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented a
review of Belgium’s efforts to ensure the universalization and full
implementation of the treaty, noting that Belgium had carried out 14
démarches to encourage States to become party to the treaty; these
included new members of the European Union
(EU).[2]
The Interdepartmental Working Group, which brings together the different
ministries and other key actors, has itself launched several démarches to
Belgian embassies abroad, including future EU member states, Turkey, and a
number of Central African
countries.[3] In addition to
being an active member of the treaty’s Universalization and Resource
Mobilization contact groups, Belgium chairs the contact group on Article 7
transparency reporting and Article 9 national implementation measures.
Belgium served as co-chair of the Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine
Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies from September 2002 to September
2003, and participated fully in the Standing Committee meetings in February and
May 2003. Ambassador Lint introduced the concept of having mine-affected States
Parties report on their “4Ps” (Problems, Plans, Progress and
Priorities), which contributed greatly to more substantive and focused
presentations at the February and May intersessional meetings. The
“4P” approach was also used successfully by mine-affected States
Parties in the Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic
Reintegration.
Belgium’s annual Article 7 transparency report for calendar year 2002
was submitted on 30 April 2003. The report, which is Belgium’s sixth,
includes the voluntary Form J, giving details of mine action
funding.[4]
On 16 October 2002, Ambassador Lint introduced on behalf of Belgium,
Nicaragua, and Thailand (past, present and future Presidents of Meetings of
States Parties), the draft UN General Assembly resolution in support of
universalization and implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty. He applauded the
spirit of openness and cooperation between mine-affected and non-mine-affected
States and NGOs in working toward achievement of the treaty’s humanitarian
objectives.[5] Belgium
subsequently voted in favor of UNGA Resolution 57/74 on 22 November 2002.
On 20 March 2003, in the Conference on Disarmament, Ambassador Lint, in
reference to the conflict in Iraq, expressed his confidence that States Parties
would respect their commitments to the Mine Ban Treaty. He appealed to
non-States Parties to respect the international norm created by the treaty and
refrain from using antipersonnel mines, in view of their disastrous humanitarian
consequences.[6]
Belgium is party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons and its Amended
Protocol II, and attended the Fourth Annual Conference of States Parties to the
protocol in December 2002. An annual report was submitted in accordance with
Article 13 of the protocol on 12 December 2002, covering the period 15 October
2001-15 October 2002.
Belgium submitted its annual report on landmines to the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe on 9 December 2002. This summarizes
Belgium’s involvement in the mine ban process.
On 12-13 November 2002, Belgium hosted a seminar in Brussels for African
countries on transparency reporting under Article 7 of the Mine Ban Treaty. The
seminar was opened by the Foreign Minister and Vice Prime Minister Louis Michel,
who expressed Belgium’s commitment to Africa, in particular the Great
Lakes region.[7] Presentations to
the seminar were made by Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Congo-Brazzaville,
Rwanda, Tanzania, and the Francophonie. Also present were Austria, Belgium
(including the Royal Military Academy), Canada, Denmark, the European
Commission, the Netherlands, the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC), ICBL, Handicap International Belgium, and a number of other NGOs.
Ambassador Lint, in his capacity as President of the Fourth Meeting of States
Parties, was invited throughout the year to international conferences focused on
the Mine Ban Treaty and the problem of antipersonnel mines.
On 4-5 November 2002, Ambassador Lint attended a regional conference in
Moscow for the Commonwealth of Independent States countries, hosted by the ICRC,
on Landmines and Explosive Remnants of War, where he chaired various portions of
the conference. From 29 November to 1 December 2002, Ambassador Lint attended
the Symposium on the Fifth Anniversary of the Mine Ban Convention organized in
Ottawa by the Canadian government. In his speech, he highlighted the reasons for
the success of the Mine Ban Treaty and the Ottawa process, emphasizing the
importance of the work of ICBL and ICRC and the role of the public conscience.
On 1 March 2003, Ambassador Lint spoke at the Warsaw conference,
“Landmines–The Deadly Legacy,” which was organized by the
Polish Red Cross. He encouraged Poland to ratify the treaty, and was
“optimistic that Poland will soon join the rest of Europe, and most of the
rest of the world...and that the call made by citizens and civil society
organizations...will be listened to and acted
upon.”[8] On 26 April 2003,
Ambassador Lint spoke at the first ever landmines conference to be held in
Turkey, “Antipersonnel Mines in Turkey and Worldwide”, which was
organized by two Turkish NGOs. Ambassador Lint also attended conferences in
Cambodia and Peru promoting the universalization and full implementation of the
Convention.
Ambassador Lint held Presidential Consultations with all relevant actors on
31 January and 12 May 2003 to prepare the preparatory work for the first Review
Conference, the results of which will be presented for decisions by the States
Parties at the Fifth Meeting of States Parties in Bangkok, Thailand in September
2003.
Joint military operations and “assist”
At the Standing Committee meetings in February 2003, Belgium strongly
reiterated its policy whereby in joint military operations with States not party
to the treaty, Belgian forces are bound by national legislation prohibiting any
action that would lead to the use of antipersonnel mines. This was described as
being a stricter prohibition than is contained in the Mine Ban
Treaty.[9]
Stockpiling
A source within the Ministry of Defense has
confirmed to Landmine Monitor that Belgium does not possess Claymore-type
directional fragmentation
devices.[10]
Mines retained under Article 3
Belgium originally retained 6,240 antipersonnel mines (Type MB 35 Bg) for
purposes permitted by Mine Ban Treaty Article 3. This quantity has since been
reduced each year. The most recent Article 7 report noted consumption of 293
mines for training purposes in 2002, with 4,806 mines
remaining.[11] Belgium reported
that 158 mines were used at the Engineer School to educate Explosive Ordnance
Disposal personnel and to train combat units in mine awareness; 135 mines were
used in Engineer Combat Units to train
deminers.[12]
At the Standing Committee meetings in May 2003, Belgium supported the view
that “the minimum number of mines absolutely necessary” should be in
the hundreds or thousands, not tens of thousands. Belgium also urged that
States Parties report fully on the purposes for which retained mines are used,
as Belgium does itself.[13]
Antivehicle Mines with Sensitive Fuzes and Antihandling Devices
In May 2002, Belgium stated that the army had concluded that all its types of
antivehicle mines are “in compliance with both the spirit and
letter” of the treaty.[14]
In the CCW context, Belgium has not provided data on antivehicle mines with
sensitive fuzes for the information-sharing initiative of Germany, as its
antivehicle mines were produced abroad and it believes that the producers would
be better placed to submit the
information.[15]
Mine Action Assistance
In its most recent Article 7 report, Belgium notes
that sustaining the funding of mine action at adequate levels will be one of the
challenges of coming years. The needs of mine-affected countries exceed
resources available: “At a minimum mine affected countries and the donor
community should ensure that available resources are used in a best possible
manner. This in itself will however not suffice.” Donor countries will
have to identify innovative resource generation and address the issue of
priorities. Mine-affected countries should also mobilize domestic
resources.[16]
During 2002, Belgium acted as president of the Mine Action Support Group,
during which field trips were undertaken to Afghanistan, Angola, the Democratic
Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and South Africa.
Belgium’s funding for mine action increased substantially in 2002.
Belgium reports that in 2002 it contributed €3,655,533 to mine
action.[17] Landmine Monitor
identified an additional €174,572 in funding to the ICBL, HI Belgium and
UN Voluntary Trust Fund, and an additional €908,000 spent on research and
development on mine detection and clearance technologies, bring the total to
€4,738,105 (US$4.5 million).
In 2001, Belgium provided €2,115,445 in mine action funding, plus
€1,536,061 for research and development.
Belgium describes its priorities as Afghanistan, Cambodia, the Democratic
Republic of Congo, Laos and, thematically, mine clearance, victim assistance and
technology transfer. The government has provided the following
information:[18]
Afghanistan - €587,615 ($558,234), comprising €362,615 to HIB
for unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance and capacity building, and
€225,000 to UNMAS for a database system;
Cambodia – €399,216 ($379,255) to the Ministry of Defense for
technical assistance to the mine action center’s demining operations;
Laos – €562,135 ($534,028) to the Ministry of Defense for four
demining and quality assurance advisors, for the mine action center’s
demining operations in Champassak;
Democratic Republic of Congo – €1.5 million ($1.425 million) to
HI Belgium for technical assistance in demining and mine risk education;
Research and Development – €598,652 ($568,719) to the APOPO
project; and
Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining – €9,915
($9,419) for the Implementation Support Unit.
In addition, Landmine Monitor has identified the following Belgian
governmental funding of mine action in 2002:
Afghanistan - €22,634 ($21,502) via the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for
Assistance in Mine
Action;[19]
HI Belgium - €102,360 ($97,242) for advocacy and public awareness
work; and
ICBL - €49,578 ($47,099) for the Landmine Monitor.
Additional funding for research and development in 2002 included:
€744,000 ($706,800) for the HUDEM project; €90,000 ($85,500) for the
PARADIS project; and €74,000 ($70,300) for the International Test and
Evaluation Program. These funds came from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and
Defense, including in-kind
assistance.[20]
Regarding assistance to mine victims, Belgium reports that in 2001 about 34
percent of its mine action funding was allocated to victim assistance
programs.[21] Equivalent data is
not reported for 2002. Several Belgian projects involving support to persons
with disability may be expected to include mine victims, although this cannot be
quantified:
Burundi - €95,191 ($90,431) to HI Belgium for assistance to the
disabled;
Cambodia - €214,180 ($203,471) to HI Belgium for physical
rehabilitation and economic reintegration;
Colombia - €23,798 ($22,608) via HI Belgium as structural support to
the Rei Foundation.[22]
NGO Activity
HI Belgium launched the Landmine Monitor Report
2002 at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on 13 September 2002 with a
presentation of the major findings. On 16 October 2002, Landmine Monitor and HI
Belgium briefed the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) on the major
findings of the report, also at NATO Headquarters. All 46 EAPC countries were
represented at the meeting, which was chaired by NATO Secretary General Lord
Robertson.
On 1 March 2003, to celebrate the anniversary of entry into force of the Mine
Ban Treaty, HI Belgium visited the Brussels embassies of several non-party
States, including Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Serbia and Montenegro,
Turkey, and the US. Lithuania has since ratified the treaty. Tajikistan was
also visited, as it had not submitted its Article 7 report.
HI Belgium participated in the Third World Market in Brasschaat on 13-18
January 2003. Some 2,000 students attended the workshops, and HI Belgium
explained the importance of continued support for mine victims, distributing the
blue laces, its symbol of solidarity with mine victims. On 21 and 27 February
2003, HI Belgium carried out school education and fundraising events in Antwerp.
Landmine/UXO Problem and Casualties
On 27 July 2003, an antitank mine from World War II
was found on the beach in Blankenberge. Deminers said it still contained
explosives.[23]
In 2002, the explosive ordnance disposal unit SEDEE-DOVO received 3,229
reports of unexploded ordnance, and collected 291 tons of
UXO.[24]
On 19 December 2002, a local deminer working for HI Belgium near Kisangani in
the Democratic Republic of Congo was injured by a
mine.[25]
[1] “President’s Action
Program,” Fourth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 16-20 September
2002. [2] Statement of Belgium, Fourth
Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 16-20 September
2002. [3] Email from Paul Huynen, Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, 13 June 2002. [4] See
Article 7 Report s submitted on: 30 April 2003 (for calendar year 2002), 30
April 2002 (for calendar year 2001), 30 April 2001 (for calendar year 2000), 27
April 2000 (for calendar year 1999), 15 August 1999 (for the period 1 May-15
August 1999) and 2 May 1999 (for the period 3 December 1997-30 April
1999). [5] “Statement on Resolution
entitled ‘Implementation of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use,
Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their
Destruction’,” First Committee, United Nations General Assembly, New
York, 16 October 2002. [6]
“President of Fourth Meeting of States Parties to Mine-Ban Treaty Urges
States to Respect the Mine Ban during Conflicts,” Conference on
Disarmament, Geneva, 20 March 2003. [7]
“Mot d’introduction de Monsieur Louis Michel,” Seminar on the
Application of the Ottawa Convention’s Article 7 in Africa, Brussels 12-13
November; Landmine Monitor notes. [8]
Statement by Ambassador Lint of Belgium, “Landmines–deadly legacy, 5
Years After Adoption of the Ottawa Treaty,” Warsaw, 1 March
2003. [9] Statement by Belgium, Standing
Committee on the General Status and Operation of the Convention, Geneva, 7
February 2003. (Landmine Monitor
notes.) [10] Interview with Ministry of
Defense official, Geneva, 13 May
2003. [11] Article 7 Report, Form D, 30
April 2003. [12] Article 7 Report, Form G,
30 April 2003. [13] Statement by Belgium,
Standing Committee on the General Status and Operation of the Convention,
Geneva, 16 May 2003. (Landmine Monitor
notes.) [14] Ibid., 31 May 2002.
(Landmine Monitor notes.) [15] Ibid., 7
February 2003. (Landmine Monitor
notes.) [16] Article 7 Report, Form J, 30
April 2003; Response to the Landmine Monitor Questionnaire, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, 4 April 2003. For mine action funding policy, see Landmine Monitor
Report 2001, p. 617. [17] Information
provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Article 7 Report, Form J, 30 April
2003. Exchange rate: €1 = US$0.95, used throughout the report. Federal
Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 6 January
2003. [18] Article 7 Report, Form J, 30
April 2003. [19] Mine Action Support
Group, “UNMAS Update” in “Newsletter: December 2002,” p.
10. [20] Response to the Landmine Monitor
Questionnaire, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 4 April 2003. For a description of
these research and development projects, see Landmine Monitor Report 2001, pp.
619-620, and Landmine Monitor Report 2002, pp.
109-110. [21] Article 7 Report, Form J, 30
April 2003; Response to the Landmine Monitor Questionnaire, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs (undated). [22] HI Belgium,
“Plan d’action 2002. Lutte contre le handicap dans les pays en
développement,” September
2001. [23] “Une mine pres de
l’estacade de Blankenberghe,” Belga Press Agency (Le Soir), 27 July
2003. [24] Telephone conversation with
Adjudant Francois De Coster, SEDEE-DOVO, 3 June
2003. [25] Email from Simon Bokongo,
Landmine Monitor researcher for the Democratic Republic of Congo, 22 December
2002.
About Us
Our Research Products