Canadians abroad celebrate the Ottawa Convention's 10th Anniversary
The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, widely known as the Ottawa Convention, was opened for signature in Ottawa on December 3, 1997. To mark the 10th Anniversary of the signing of the Ottawa Convention, Canadian missions around the world organized a series of events to celebrate the accomplishments of the Convention and to renew our collective commitment to address the challenges that remain.
- Canada's Embassy in Montevideo, Uruguay
- Canada's Embassy in Tokyo, Japan
- Canada's Embassy in Bogotá, Columbia
- Canada's Embassy in Mexico City, Mexico
Celebrating in Montevideo, Uruguay
The Uruguayan Parliament hosted an unprecedented event to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the opening for signature of the Ottawa Convention, in its prestigious palace in Montevideo. The President of the Chamber of Deputies, Enrique Pintado, hosted the ceremony and underlined the important achievements of the mine action community in the struggle to eliminate antipersonnel landmines and encouraged all countries to respect the norms of the Convention. Participants of the event included the local diplomatic corps, Uruguayan deputies, the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Daniel Peña Fernández, the Ambassador of Canada, Alain Latulippe, and Fernando Poladura, a retired official of the Uruguayan Armed Forces.
Major Poladura made a moving statement, recounting his expereince as a demining supervisor in the Uruguayan contingent of the United Nations mission in Angola (UNAVEM II), in 1996. In his workds, he “became another sad statistic”, when he was seriously injured in a mine explosion and his leg was amputated below the knee. The Major considered himself fortunate to be from a country that provided adequate hospitalization, a prosthesis and re-education, but stressed that, unfortunately, this is not the case for the large majority of victims. After saluting Canada’s leadership in the Ottawa Process, and the efforts of the 156 State Parties, the Uruguayan Major emphasized the impact of each individual contribution to the fight against mines, contributions that provide intelligence, creativity and heart to such an important issue.
Canadian Ambassador Latulippe remarked that "if the 10th anniversary of the Convention deserves to be celebrated for the great accomplishments of the last decade, it is also an occasion to underscore the importance to carry on our efforts to live – one day – in a world free of antipersonnel mines."
For the occasion, Búsqueda, an important Uruguayan political and economic analysis weekly publication, published key information on the implementation of the treaty and the remaining challenges in the struggle against mines.
Celebrating in Tokyo, Japan
To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the opening for signature the Ottawa Convention, the Canadian Embassy in Japan organized a special two-part public event on December 3 to review the success of the Convention and look at the challenges that remain on the road towards a mine-free world.
Throughout the years, Japan has always strongly supported the Ottawa Convention. Following an extensive publicity campaign, a diverse and enthusiastic crowd of participants gathered at the Embassy in the afternoon of 3 December to learn more about landmines. To pay tribute to the constructive role played by its civil society, the Embassy invited the Japan Campaign to Ban Landmines (JCBL), as well as several other Japanese NGOs, to set up booths at the Embassy and encouraged the public to visit them.
Later that evening, approximately 100 people attended a public lecture in the Embassy theatre. Participants included Japanese parliamentarians, students, representatives from some of Japan’s most important media organizations, as well as diplomats from countries that have yet to join the convention. First to speak was Mr. Toshihiro Shimizu, Secretary General of the Japan International Volunteer Center and JCBL board member, who presented the perspective of Japan’s civil society on the Convention. Canada’s Ambassador to Japan, Mr. Joseph Caron, followed with a detailed account of the history of the landmines treaty and some of the challenges it still faces today. These presentations were followed by a long and lively Questions and Answers period, during which both speakers were engaged by a curious and dynamic crowd. In the end, all agreed that this event was a fitting tribute to one of the most democratic international treaties ever adopted.
Celebrating in Bogotá, Columbia
The Canadian Embassy in Bogotá, Colombia, also celebrated the 10th anniversary of the opening for signature of the Ottawa Convention by hosting a multifaceted public diplomacy event in its offices on November 27. Many activities were held for the occasion, including an exhibition of demining equipment by the Armed Forces, the screening of a historical documentary, presentations by the representatives of the Canadian and Colombian governments, and a panel of experts that discussed the challenges in the struggle against landmines. The event was led by the Embassy's Political Counsellor and Chargée d'affaires, Wendy Drukier, whose speech focused on the uniqueness of the Ottawa Convention. Ms.Drukier noted Canada's international leadership in the ban against antipersonnel mines and its support for Colombia's in its efforts to implement the treaty amidst an active armed confrontation.
Colombia's highest authorities in the fight against landmines were in attendance, including Francisco Santos, Vice-President of the Republic, Andrés Dávila, Director of the Presidential Program for Integral Action against Landmines, and Colonel Alexander Camona, Director of the School of Engineers of the Armed Forces. Davila provided recent statistics on landmine accidents in Colombia, the only Latin American country where landmines are still being planted. On average, since 2005, there have been three landmine victims per day (killed, maimed, or wounded). Of this number, 35% of the victims are civilians, 65% are members of the armed forces, and 10% are minors. Colonel Carmona outlined the great difficulties and dangers of demining activities in the context of active armed confrontation. Vice-President Francisco Santos highlighted the importance of international cooperation in the country's fight against landmines, and thanked the Canadian Embassy and the Government of Canada for their ongoing support and active presence throughout the years.
Celebrating in Mexico City, Mexico
Another mission to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the opening for signature of the Ottawa Convention was Canada’s Embassy in Mexico City, Mexico. On the occasion, the Head of Mission, Guillermo Rishchynski, hosted a reception on December 3, 2007, at the Embassy.
Canada welcomed approximately 70 guests from the Mexican government (including military representatives), international organisations, think tanks and the diplomatic community, representing more than 20 countries. Numerous press outlets were present, including local television channel Cadena 3, the newspaper Excelsior and Notimex, Mexico's national news agency. Ambassador Rishchynski was interviewed on Formato 21, a 24-hour news radio station.
Mr. Rishchynski’s speech, "Working Together for a World Free of Mines," highlighted the remarkable cooperation between civil society organisations and governments which led to the development of the Ottawa Convention. He also provided an overview of the significant achievements of the Convention to date. He added, however, that despite these advances, much remains to be done: millions continue to be affected by landmines and that States not parties to the Convention include several of the world's political and economic powers (which collectively possess an arsenal of 160-180 million landmines).
Mexico was one of the first countries in the world to call for a total ban on anti-personnel landmines and has been involved with since the negotiation of the 1980 Convention on Conventional Weapons. As a member of the core group of nations which led the Ottawa process, Mexico also played a key role in the negotiation of the Ottawa Convention. It was among the 122 countries that signed the Convention on December 3, 1997, and became the 17th country to ratify the instrument on June 9, 1998. Mexico provides consistent support for resolutions advancing the issue within the Organisation of American States (OAS).
