Key developments since May 2003:In 2003, Norway provided
about $28.6 million in mine action funding to 21 countries and nine
organizations. More than 20 percent of the total was allocated to victim
assistance projects, as in previous years. Norway continued to play a key
leadership role in promoting full implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty and in
the intersessional work program and Meetings of States Parties. Norway became
co-rapporteur of the Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic
Reintegration in September 2003. Norway is serving as Friend of the
President-Designate for the First Review Conference. Norway continues to chair
the Resource Mobilization Contact Group.
Key developments since 1999: Norway hosted the Mine Ban Treaty
negotiating conference in 1997 and became a State Party on 1 March 1999.
National legislation implementing the Mine Ban Treaty had already entered into
force on 22 May 1998. Norway has played a crucial leadership role in developing
the Mine Ban Treaty structures and processes, and in promoting full
implementation of the treaty. Norway took the lead in the conception and
establishment of the intersessional work program in 1999, and the creation of
the Coordinating Committee in 2000. Norway served as President of the Second
Meeting of States Parties in September 2000 and presided over the intersessional
program throughout the subsequent year. Norway served as co-rapporteur and then
co-chair of the Standing Committee on General Status and Operation of the
Convention from September 2000 to September 2002. Norway was instrumental in
setting up the Implementation Support Unit in 2001. At Norway’s
initiative, a contact group on resource mobilization was established at the
Fourth Meeting of States Parties in September 2002; Norway continues to chair
the group. Norway became co-rapporteur of the Standing Committee on Victim
Assistance in September 2003.
Norway destroyed its stockpiled antipersonnel mines in 1996, except for
Claymore-type mines, which were modified by December 1999 to ensure
command-detonation only. Norway finds no need to retain any mines for training
and development. Norway reported that US antipersonnel mines stored in Norway
were transported out in 2002.
From 1999 to 2003, Norway allocated about $115 million to mine action
funding. Landmine Monitor estimates that Norway allocated nearly $19 million to
victim assistance in 1999–2003. In 2002, Norway’s five-year
commitment of $120 million to mine action activities came to an end, but
officials have given assurances that the same level of support would be upheld
in the future.
Mine Ban Policy
Norway signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December 1997 and ratified it on 9
July 1998, becoming a State Party on 1 March 1999. Previously, in June 1995,
Parliament supported a domestic ban on the production, transfer, stockpiling and
use of antipersonnel landmines. In 1996, Norway became a leading member of the
core group of countries in the Ottawa Process. It hosted the formal negotiating
conference in September 1997 that adopted the Mine Ban Treaty. Norway has
championed the partnership of governments and NGOs, particularly the ICBL, in
achieving and implementing a ban on antipersonnel
mines.[1] Domestic legislation
to implement the treaty in Norway was passed on 16 June
1998.[2]
Norway has played a key leadership role in developing the Mine Ban Treaty
structures and processes, and in promoting full implementation of the treaty.
Norway took the lead in the conception and establishment of the intersessional
work program in 1999, and the creation of the Coordinating Committee in 2000.
Ambassador Steffen Kongstad served as President of the Second Meeting of States
Parties in September 2000 and presided over the intersessional program
throughout the subsequent year. Norway served as co-rapporteur and then
co-chair of the Standing Committee on General Status and Operation of the
Convention from September 2000 to September 2002. Norway was instrumental in
setting up the Implementation Support Unit in 2001. At Norway’s
initiative, a contact group on resource mobilization was established at the
Fourth Meeting of States Parties in September 2002; Norway continues to chair
the group. Norway became co-rapporteur of the Standing Committee on Victim
Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration in September 2003, and has also
served as Friend of the President-Designate for the first Review Conference
since that time. Norway has been deeply involved in substantive preparations
for the Review Conference.
Norway has also participated in the Universalization and Article 7 Contact
Groups, and sought clarifications on a bilateral level in cases of possible
non-compliance. Norway has been very active in universalization efforts,
promoting the Mine Ban Treaty as a universal norm, including through the Human
Security Network. In March 2004, Norway protested strongly and with
considerable domestic support against the US abandonment of its policy aim of
joining the Mine Ban Treaty by
2006.[3] Norway has voted in
favor of all pro-ban UN General Assembly resolutions since 1996, including UNGA
Resolution 58/53 in December 2003, which calls for universalization and
implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty. Before the UN General Assembly in
October 2003, Norway’s representative called on States to renew “our
political and financial commitment” to the Mine Ban Treaty in order to
deal with the “urgent humanitarian challenge” posed by antipersonnel
mines.[4]
Norway was one of five countries to offer to host the first Review Conference
of the Mine Ban Treaty, which will be held in Nairobi 29 November-3 December
2004. At the Fifth Meeting of States Parties in September 2003, Ambassador
Steffen Kongstad said that the Review Conference must “hammer out a vision
and a practical plan of action for the next five years” in order to
realize the objectives of the Mine Ban Treaty. He referred to the importance of
resource mobilization, both increased levels of funding and better resource
utilization, including coordination and “national ownership of mine
action... Sharing knowledge and experience among mine-affected countries
constitutes a resource in itself.” He stressed that mine action should be
further integrated into the broader development
agenda.[5] Norway has
contributed to and actively participated in many of the regional conferences
held to prepare for the Nairobi Summit.
At the June 2004 intersessional meetings, Norway observed that Article 5
obliges States Parties to clear all mined areas, that is, to become
“mine-free.” Anything less, such as “mine safe” or
“impact free,” is not
acceptable.[6] Norway also
presented on behalf of the Resource Mobilization Contact Group a review of
resources currently available to achieve Article 5 obligations. This review
identified over $2.2 billion in resources applied to mine action in the past
seven years and concluded that “ensuring a sufficient flow of resources
over the next several years will be crucial.” As important as the
monetary amounts, is “cost-effectiveness, increased in-country
coordination and better
prioritization.”[7] The
Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that the Contact Group has received
considerable support from States Parties, with about 75 people attending
meetings recently.[8] At the
Contact Group meeting in February 2004, the NGO Perspective on the Debris of War
presented its views that many mine action programs are unnecessarily costly and
complicated, with the result that “under the current circumstances the
obligations of the Ottawa Treaty cannot be
met.”[9]
Norway submitted its annual Article 7 transparency report for calendar year
2003 on 30 April 2004. The report included the voluntary Form J, giving brief
details of mine action funding. Five previous Article 7 reports have been
submitted.[10]
Norway has participated in State Party deliberations on matters of
interpretation and implementation related to Articles 1, 2, and 3. At the
February 2004 Standing Committee meetings, Norway said that it is not customary
in international treaty law to agree on official common interpretations. Norway
noted the Mine Ban Treaty is not ambiguous in most respects, and although
practices have varied, they are becoming more consistent, and this should
continue.[11]
Regarding Article 1 and the issue of joint military operations with States
not party to the Mine Ban Treaty, the Ministry of Defense confirmed in 2003 and
2004 that its position remains that under no circumstances will Norwegian forces
use antipersonnel mines, or contribute to such use, in joint operations with
other States. The prohibition in Norwegian law against use also applies to
soldiers operating outside Norway’s
borders.[12]
Regarding Article 2 and the issue of antivehicle mines with sensitive fuzes
and antihandling devices,in September 2003 Norway reiterated its
position that the treaty text negotiated in Oslo in 1997 establishes an
effect-oriented definition of antipersonnel mines which includes any mine which
functions as an antipersonnel mine: “The definition of an anti-personnel
mine in the Mine Ban Convention simply lays down that any mine designed to
explode by human contact is defined as an antipersonnel mine. This is the
ordinary meaning to be given to the text, in accordance with the
principles of international law.... It does not matter whether the main purpose
of usage for that mine is directed towards vehicles. It does not matter whether
it is called something else than anti-personnel mine. If it falls within the
definition, then it is an anti-personnel
mine.”[13]
Regarding Article 3 and the permissible number of mines retained for training
and development, Norway has taken the view, reiterated at the Fifth Meeting of
States Parties in September 2003, that the number of antipersonnel mines
retained by some State Parties “exceeds what can reasonably be considered
the ‘absolute minimum necessary’.” Norway believes that
States Parties should report on the intended purpose and actual use of retained
mines. Norway finds no need to retain any mines for training and development,
and says this does not limit its substantial demining
operations.[14]
Norway is a State Party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons and its
Amended Protocol II, and attended the Fifth Annual Conference of States Parties
to the Protocol in November 2003. Norway submitted an annual report as required
by Article 13 of the Protocol on 25 September 2003. It has submitted annual
reports and attended annual conferences of States Parties in previous years as
well. It has also participated actively in the CCW Group of Governmental
Experts meetings, supporting the adoption of a new protocol on explosive
remnants of war.
In the Conference on Disarmament, Norway has taken the view since 1999 that
there is no advantage in the CD negotiating a transfer ban on antipersonnel
mines when a total ban already
exists.[15]
Production and Transfer
No significant production of antipersonnel mines is known to have taken place
in Norway; some mine components were manufactured in the early 1990s. Mines
were previously imported, notably Claymore-type directional fragmentation
mines.[16] Production and
transfer of antipersonnel mines were first legally prohibited by the 1998
legislation. Norway has reserved the right to import directional fragmentation
mines, designated as “sector charges.” It has modified
Claymore-type mines in its stockpiles to comply with the treaty.
The Norwegian Petroleum Fund removed Singapore Technologies Ltd. from its
investment portfolio in 2002, due to the company’s involvement in
production of antipersonnel mines. In June 2003, a government-appointed
commission recommended barring investment in manufacturers of antipersonnel
mines, cluster bombs and incendiary weapons, as well as chemical, biological and
nuclear weapons. The government’s budget for 2004 followed these ethical
guidelines, adopted by Parliament in June 2004, and which were due to be
implemented in the second half of
2004.[17]
Stockpiling and Destruction
Norway’s stockpile of 160,000 antipersonnel mines was destroyed by
October 1996, with the exception of Claymore-type directional fragmentation
mines, which were modified by December 1999 to ensure command-detonation
only.[18] Norway has opted not
to retain any antipersonnel mines for training and development purposes. Its
representatives at annual meetings of States Parties and during the
intersessional process have maintained that live mines are not needed for such
purposes.[19]
Foreign Stockpiling and Transit of Antipersonnel Mines
In May 2003, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Norway’s
ratification of the Mine Ban Treaty was based in part on an understanding that
“‘transfer’ had to be interpreted cumulatively, so that the
physical transport, inclusive of the transport over a state border, is not
prohibited as long as there is no transfer of the property
rights.”[20] In March
2004, it was confirmed that this position had not
changed.[21] This statement
arose in relation to the 123,084 US antipersonnel mines stockpiled in Norway at
the time of entry into force of the Mine Ban Treaty. Norway determined that
these mines were under Norwegian jurisdiction and control, and thus subject to
Article 4 of the treaty (stockpile destruction), but that their transportation
out of Norwegian territory was not a violation of the treaty because no transfer
of property rights took
place.[22] Norway applied the
Article 4 deadline of 1 March 2003for destruction of stockpiles of
antipersonnel mines as the deadline for removal of the US mines. The US mines
(123,084 ADAM mines) “were transported out of Norwegian territory in
2002,” according to the Article 7 report submitted in April
2003.[23] The Ministry of
Foreign Affairs told Landmine Monitor that the US antipersonnel mines were
removed in November
2002.[24]
Mine Action Funding
In 2003, the Norwegian government provided US$28,575,562 in mine action
funding.[25] This compares to
$25,361,845 in 2002.[26] About
20 percent of the funding was granted through the Norwegian development
cooperation agency (NORAD), with 80 percent coming from its humanitarian aid
budgets. More than 20 percent of the total was allocated to victim assistance
projects, as in previous
years.[27] Funding was
distributed to 21 countries and nine organizations:[28]
Countries/Regions:
Afghanistan: NOK6.85 million ($967,255) consisting of NOK5.5 million to HALO
for mine clearance, and NOK1,350,000 to Trauma Care Foundation/Tromsø
Mine Victim Resource Center (TCF/TMVRC) for victim assistance
Angola: NOK15 million ($2,118,076) to Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) for
mine clearance
Asia: NOK4,084,150 ($576,703) consisting of NOK2,073,450 to Landmine
Survivors Network (LSN) for “Raising the Voices,” NOK60,700 to
Cambodian Mine Action Center for regional mine action seminar, NOK150,000 to
Jesuit Refugee Service for the Thailand Campaign to Ban Landmines, and NOK1.8
million to UNDP for mine action
Bosnia and Herzegovina: NOK17,856,000 ($2,521,357) to NPA for mine
action
Cambodia: NOK1.6 million ($225,928) to TCF/TMVRCfor MRE (NOK1
million) and rehabilitation (NOK600,000)
Central America: NOK4.95 million ($698,965) consisting of NOK350,000 to LSN
for amputee peer support network, and NOK4.6 million to the OAS for mine
clearance
Croatia: NOK13,656,000 ($1,928,296) to NPA for integrated mine action
Eritrea: NOK10 million ($1,412,050) consisting of NOK5 million to UNDP and
NOK5 million to UNDP for mine action capacity building.
Ethiopia: NOK10,494,000 ($1,481,806) consisting of NOK350,000 to LSN for
amputee peer support network, NOK6,230,000 to UNDP for the mine action center,
and NOK3,914,000 to UNDP for the landmine impact survey
Iran: NOK550,000 ($77,663) to TCF/TMVRC for victim assistance
Iraq: NOK21,033,087 ($2,969,978) consisting of NOK5 million to NPA for mine
action in Iraqi Kurdistan, NOK12,983,087 to NPA for mine action, NOK1.4 million
to TCF/TMVRC for victim assistance in northern Iraq, and NOK1,620,000 to
TCF/TMVRC for victim assistancein Suleimanyeh and Erbil
Jordan: NOK1,350,000 ($190,627) consisting of NOK1 million to Norwegian
Demining Consortium for support to mine action, and NOK350,000 to LSN for victim
assistance
Lebanon: NOK8,292,000 ($1,170,872) consisting of NOK5 million to Mines
Advisory Group for mechanical demining, NOK3 million to NPA for mine victim
rehabilitation, and NOK292,000 to UNDP for the Trees instead of Mines
project
Mozambique: NOK15,671,000 ($2,212,824) consisting of NOK15 million to NPA
for demining, NOK350,000 to LSN for “Raising the Voices” and
NOK321,000 to Scanteam for review of NPA demining
South America: NOK21,500 ($3,035) to Real Embajada Noruega, Santiago for a
children’s book on landmines
Sri Lanka: NOK6,211,840 ($877,143) to NPA for mine clearance
Sudan: NOK4.44 million ($626,950) consisting of NOK3 million to DanChurchAid
for mine action in Nuba Mountains, and NOK1.44 million to NPA for mine
action
Somaliland: NOK4,889,978 ($690,490) consisting of NOK2,889,978 to HALO for
demining, and NOK2 million to Danish Demining Group (DDG) for mine action
Thailand: NOK102,000 ($14,403) to Asia Disaster Preparedness Center for
regional seminar
Vietnam: NOK350,000 ($49,422) to LSN for amputee peer support
network
Organizations:
GICHD: NOK3.2 million ($451,856), and NOK500,000 ($70,603) for the
Sponsorship Program
Fifth Meeting of States Parties: NOK30,662 ($4,330) for general support
FAFO (Institute for Applied Social Science): NOK2,185,000 ($308,533) for
mine action and peacebuilding research project
PRIO: NOK1,773,490 ($250,426) for Assistance to Mine Affected Communities
project
ICBL: NOK4,980,000 ($703,201) for advocacy and research
NPA: NOK1,575,000 ($222,398) for follow-up on Working on Landmines
project
ICRC special appeal on victim assistance, Special Fund for Disabled, and
Norwegian Red Cross: NOK29,952,000 ($4,229,373)
UNDP: NOK3 million ($423,615) for mine action projects
Handicap International: NOK1,645,200 ($232,310) for victim assistance
projects
Also included in Norway’s funding of mine action in 2003 were two films
on the mine issue, with a total of NOK1,035,000
($146,147).[29] The
International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance records
Norway’s donation of $4,357,361 in 2003, which was used for demining
activities in several countries in southeast
Europe.[30]
From 1999 to 2003, Norway allocated about $115 million to mine action
funding. In 2002, Norway’s five-year commitment of $120 million to mine
action activities came to an end, but the Minister for International Development
repeated assurances that the same level of support would be maintained in the
future.[31] At the end of 2002,
approximately $9 million remained unspent, which was added to the 2003 budget.
The total was expended as follows: 1998: $24 million, 1999: $21.5 million, 2000:
$19.5 million, 2001: $20 million, 2002: $25.5
million.[32] At least 28
countries have received Norwegian funding since 1999, including Albania,
Algeria, Burma, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo (Yugoslavia), and Laos, in addition
to those funded in 2003.
In 1999-2003, a large proportion of Norwegian mine action funding was devoted
to victim assistance projects, including the ICRC special appeal. Landmine
Monitor estimates that Norway has allocated about $18,809,674 to victim
assistance in this period (1999: $6,657,483; 2000: $4,579,394; 2001: $5,065,564;
2002: $4,822,750; 2003:
$2,063,493).[33]
Funding Policy
Norwegian policy is to “give priority to mine action in countries that
have joined the Convention, unless there are strong humanitarian reasons not to
do so.”[34] Mine action
should be integrated into the broader development agenda, with greater
coordination between national and local authorities, field operators and donors
within each mine-affected
country.[35]
At the Standing Committee meetings in February 2004, the Norwegian delegation
said that it will continue to channel at least 20 percent of mine action funding
to mine victims. But it emphasized that mine-affected States have the main
responsibility for mine victim assistance. “This should be integrated in
national health plans and general plans for economic and social
reintegration.”[36] At
the Fifth Meeting of States Parties in September 2003, Norway pointed out that
mine casualties would continue to occur in coming years, adding to those already
in need of care, rehabilitation and socioeconomic reintegration: “When the
land is cleared, the survivors will still be in need of help.... Mine victim
assistance is and should be integrated into other rehabilitation and medical
measures.”[37]
Mine Action
In 2003, Norwegian Defense Forces carried out mine clearance operations in
Afghanistan, Kosovo and Iraq. In Kosovo, explosive ordnance disposal (EOD)
personnel are an integrated part of the Norwegian battalion. In Iraq, Norwegian
efforts were concentrated on EOD, as most minefields are mapped and marked and
thus constitute a less acute risk to the civilians. However, the Norwegian
engineer battalion in Iraq destroyed about 7,500 mines during 2003. The mission
started in 2003 and was planned to last until
mid-2004.[38] In previous
years, the Defense Forces have also been involved in mine clearance in the
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
Nongovernmental Mine Action
During 2003 and 2004, Norwegian People’s Aid was active in mine action
in 11 countries: Angola, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Croatia, Ethiopia,
Iran, Iraq, Laos, Lebanon, Mozambique, and Sri
Lanka.[39] In 2004, NPA started
a mine action program in Sudan, with funding of $2.2 million from the Norwegian
government.[40] In 2003, NPA
employed approximately 1,700 deminers around the world and its mine action
expenditure was $25.3 million (NOK179,429,519), down from an annual average of
NOK200-250 million due to running costs and some new
investments.[41]
In 2003, the Norwegian Red Cross (Norcross) continued to run three orthopedic
workshops in Somalia and two workshops in Iraq. It started a Safe Playground
project in Nagorno-Karabakh to help children avoid mine-contaminated areas.
Norcross supports the ICRC mine victim program and Special Fund for Disabled
(SFD). The total budget for Norcross in 2003 was approximately NOK37.4 million
($5,281,069).[42]
The Tromsø Mine Victim Resource Center and Trauma Care Foundation
continue their work in rural communities affected by epidemics of trauma and
disease. The Center focuses on emergency and continuing medical care;
rehabilitation, prosthetics and assistive devices; employment and socio-economic
reintegration; and legislation and national planning. The Trauma Care
Foundation currently works in northern Iraq/Kurdistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and
Cambodia.[43] The
Foundation’s handbook for medics and medical teachers, “Save Lives
Save Limbs”, is available in English, Burmese, Khmer, Kurdish, Farsi and
is being translated into Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic in 2004 and
2005.[44]
Research and Development
Norway and other Nordic countries are involved in ongoing cooperation to
standardize mine detection and clearance equipment. The Norwegian Army and
Defense Research Establishment are examining sensor systems to improve mine
detection.[45]
Other organizations involved in mine-related R&D include the Norwegian
Demining Consortium (the Compact 140 Minemouse mini-flail, which has operated in
Iran, Kosovo, Lebanon, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Jordan and Afghanistan),
Hagglunds Moelv (the Viking flail), Rofi Industries (a demining apron), SINTEF
(multi-sensor detector), and Defense Research Institute (mine-detection).
Norway is also involved in the Nordic Demining Research
Forum.[46]
In 2003, the Assistance to Mine Affected Communities (AMAC) project,
established by the International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO) in 1999,
published “Mine Action and Peacebuilding: Exploring the Agenda,” and
“Humanitarian Mine Action and Peacebuilding: Exploring the
Relationship.”[47] AMAC
conducted exploratory visits to Afghanistan, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Sudan, with
follow-up case studies in 2004. Also in 2003, AMAC edited a special mine action
issue of Third World Quarterly. PRIO also collaborated with Handicap
International and UNICEF to publish in September 2003 an in-depth study of
“village demining”: Crossing the Divide: Landmines, Villagers and
Organizations, by Ruth
Bottomley.[48] In 2002, PRIO
published “Assessing Landmine Impact at the Field Level: A Training
Manual.”[49]
In December 2003, FAFO (Norway’s Institute for Applied Social Science)
and Landmine Action UK started the “Mine Action Contributions to
Peacebuilding” project, to explore how humanitarian mine action can
contribute to peacebuilding, based on three mine- and conflict- affected
countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sri Lanka, and
Sudan).[50] The project has
received support from Norway (NOK2 million – $282,410), Switzerland
(€50,000 – $56,575)and Canada (C$50,000 –
$35,681).[51]
Landmine Casualties
In 2003, there were no mine casualties in Norway or to Norwegians abroad. In
2002, a deminer was killed in a mine incident while working for the Norwegian
army in Afghanistan. A Norwegian working as a European Union observer in FYR
Macedonia was killed by an antivehicle mine in July 2002. Since 1999, no other
Norwegian casualties have been reported.
[1] See Landmine Monitor Report 1999, pp.
633–635, and Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p.
697. [2] Beslutning I Odelsting nr. 77
(1997–98), Lov om gjennomføring av Konvensjonen om forbud mot bruk,
lagring, produksjon og overføring av antipersonellminer og om
ødeleggelse av slike miner (Law on the implementation of the Convention
on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of
Anti-Personnel Mines and On their Destruction). This legislation entered into
force on 22 May 1998. It includes penal sanctions, but in certain circumstances
exempts foreigners whose countries are not States Parties to the treaty. The
exception was crafted with US forces conducting training in Norway in mind. See
Landmine Monitor Report 1999, p. 635. Until November 2002, US antipersonnel
mines were stored in Norway. [3]
“US disappoints Norway once again,” Aftenposten (daily newspaper), 4
March 2004. [4] Statement by Amb.
Johan L. Løvald, Permanent Representative to the UN in New York, UN
General Assembly, New York, 9 October
2003. [5] Statement by Amb. Steffen
Kongstad, Deputy Director General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Fifth Meeting of
States Parties, Bangkok, 15 September 2003.
[6] Statement by Amb. Steffen
Kongstad, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine
Action Technologies, Geneva, 22 June
2004. [7] Resource Mobilization
Contact Group, “A review of resources to achieve the Convention’s
aims,” presented by Norway at the Standing Committee on General Status and
Operation of the Convention, Geneva, 25 June
2004. [8] Interview with May-Elin
Stener, Department of Humanitarian Aid, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oslo, 1
March 2004. [9] Steven Olejas,
DanChurchAid, Statement by the NGO Perspective on the Debris of War, Resource
Mobilization Contact Group, Geneva, 10 February 2004, available at
ips.idium.no/folkehjelp.no/. The NGO Perspective on the Debris of War was
established in August 2003 with five founder members, including Norwegian
People’s Aid. In March 2004, the NGO Perspective met in Norway to discuss
with UN agencies ways of improving the cost-effectiveness of mine
action. [10] See Article 7 Reports
submitted: 30 April 2004 (for calendar year 2003); 30 April 2003 (for calendar
year 2002); 3 May 2002 (for calendar year 2001); 11 June 2001 (for calendar year
2000); 23 August 2000 (for the period 26 August 1999–22 August 2000); and
26 August 1999 (for the period 1 March–26 August
1999). [11] Intervention by Norway,
Standing Committee on General Status and Operation of the Convention, Geneva, 9
February 2004. At the Fifth Meeting of States Parties, it was agreed that
States would continue to discuss Articles 1, 2 and 3, with a view to reaching
understandings before the Review Conference.
[12] Letters from Ministry of
Defense, 21 March 2003 and 3 March 2004, and from Merete Fjeld Brattestad and
May-Elin Stener, Department of Humanitarian Aid, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 6
May 2003. See also Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p.
390. [13] Intervention by Norway on
Article 2, Fifth Meeting of States Parties, Bangkok, 15–19 September
2003. [14] Intervention by Norway on
Article 3, Fifth Meeting of States Parties, Bangkok, 15-19 September 2003.
[15] Norway’s response to
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) questionnaire, 13
November 2003, p. 2. [16] See also
Landmine Monitor Report 1999, pp.
636–638. [17] Email from Gro
Nystuen, Head of the Petroleum Fund’s Advisory Commission on International
Law, 28 May 2004, and subsequent telephone conversation on 30 August 2004. See
also www.dep.no/fin/engelsk/
. [18] Email from May-Elin Stener,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 26 February 2003; letter from Ministry of Defense,
21 May 2002. The stockpile consisted of three types of mine: M14 (90,000), M2A1
(48,000), and M16 (22,000). There were three types of directional fragmentation
mine: FFV-013, M19 and M100. See Landmine Monitor Report 2001, pp.
752–753. [19] Intervention by
Norway on Article 3, Fifth Meeting of States Parties, Bangkok, 15 September
2003; email from Gro Nystuen, Senior Advisor, Section for Peace and
Reconciliation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 30 June 2004; letter from
Department for Security Policy, Ministry of Defense, 3 March 2004. See also
Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p. 753, and Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p.
388. [20] Letter from Merete Fjeld
Brattestad and May-Elin Stener, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 6 May 2003; email
from Gro Nystuen, Senior Advisor, Section for Peace and Reconciliation, Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, 30 June 2004. Translated by Landmine
Monitor. [21] Interview with May-Elin
Stener, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2 March 2004; letter from Department for
Security Policy, Ministry of Defense, 3 March 2004.
[22] Letter from Merete Fjeld
Brattestad and May-Elin Stener, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 6 May
2003. [23] Article 7 Report, Form B,
30 April 2003. See Landmine Monitor Report 1999, pp. 639–640, and
Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p.
701. [24] Letter from Merete Fjeld
Brattestad and May-Elin Stener, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 6 May
2003. [25] Article 7 Report, Form J,
30 April 2004. This reports the total funding in US$ only. Itemized donations
reported by the Foreign Ministry in NOK add to NOK197,277,907. Email from
May-Elin Stener, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 25 May
2004. [26] 2002 funding converted to
US$ at exchange rate used for Norway in Landmine Monitor Report 2002: NOK1 =
US$0.125. The Article 7 report for calendar year 2002 noted a total
contribution of $25,612,343. [27]
Article 7 Report, Form J, 30 April
2004. [28] Email from May-Elin Stener,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 25 May 2004. This reports itemized funding in NOK
only. Conversion to US$ added by the Landmine Monitor: 2003 exchange rate of $1
= NOK7.0819, used throughout the remainder of this report unless otherwise
stated. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 2
January 2004. [29] Ibid.
[30] ITF, “Annual Report
2003,” p. 18. [31] Statement by
Hilde F. Johansen, Minister for International Development, “The Future of
Humanitarian Mine Action: On the Fifth Anniversary of the 1997 Oslo Text
Negotiations,” Oslo, 12–14 September 2002. For previous statements
about continued funding, see Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p.
390. [32] Email from Gry Rabe
Henriksen, Department for Human Rights, Humanitarian Affairs and Democracy,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 11 June 2003. Norway included slightly different
funding data in its review of resources presented at the Standing Committee
meetings in June 2004. [33] Data taken
from previous editions of the Landmine Monitor Report at US$ exchange rates used
in each year. [34] Statement by Hilde
F. Johansen, Minister for International Development, 12–14 September
2002. [35] Interview with May-Elin
Stener, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2 March
2004. [36] Intervention by Norway,
Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-economic Reintegration,
Geneva, 10 February 2004. [37]
Statement by Amb. Steffen Kongstad, Fifth Meeting of States Parties, 15
September 2003. [38] Letter from
Department for Security Policy, Ministry of Defense, 3 March 2004.
[39] For full details of NPA
programs, see relevant country entries in this edition of the Landmine
Monitor. [40] Email from Aksel Steen,
Advisor, NPA, Oslo, 24 June 2004. [41]
Per Nergaard, Head of Mine Action Unit, NPA, Oslo, 5 October
2004. [42] Email from Ole Trapness,
Norwegian Red Cross, 2 June 2004. [43]
Intervention by Norway, Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and
Socio-Economic Reintegration, Geneva, 13 May 2003. Landmine Monitor
notes. [44] Email from Odd Edvardsen,
Tromsoe Mine Victim Resource Center and Trauma Care Foundation, 1 September
2004. [45] Amended Protocol II Article
13 Report, Form C, 25 September
2003. [46] See Landmine Monitor Report
2001, p. 759, and Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p.
395. [47] FAFO–AIS, Landmine
Action and PRIO, “Humanitarian Mine Action and Peacebuilding: Exploring
the Relationship,” Policy Brief, September 2003;. Kristian Berg Harpviken
and Bernt A. Skåra, “Humanitarian Mine Action and Peacebuilding:
Exploring the Relationship”, Third World Quarterly, Vol. 24, No. 5,
October 2003, pp. 809–822. [48]
Email from Kristian B. Harpviken, Project Leader AMAC, International Peace
Research Institute, Oslo, 10 March
2004. [49] International Peace
Research Institute Oslo, “Annual Report 2002;” see: www.prio.no/amac
. [50] Email from Christian H. Ruge,
Senior Adviser, FAFO, 17 June 2004; see: www.newsecurity.info
. [51] At 2003 exchange
rates.
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