Victim Assistance: Words into Deeds
Intervention on the Draft Action Plan on behalf of the Working Group on
Victim Assistance of the ICBL, presented by Margaret Arach Orech
November 30,
2004
Mr. President,
First, we would like to acknowledge the work that has been done to date
and the commitments undertaken by States Parties in the Action Plan.
We take this opportunity to remind the distinguished delegates that Victim
Assistance is a lifetime commitment, and sustainability is key. Landmine
survivors and other persons with disabilities are often among the most
impoverished group in every society, as many States have noted. Many
landmine survivors do not have access to some of their most basic needs:
food security, access to water, adequate housing, roads, a means of
earning an income, health care, or access to rehabilitation services.
We enthusiastically support and appreciate the commitments made.
We are pleased that much of our input has been included already and have
specific comments or reflections on only three Action Points.
On Action Number 33, rights do matter. Legislation that comprehensively
ensures the rights of persons with disabilities, of which landmine victims
are a part, must be established and implemented to ensure that we have
recourse at the national level. In this respect, we encourage States
Parties to support the process of the Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities, and would urge the inclusion of wording to this effect
in the Action Plan, as we have previously submitted. As several States
Parties have mentioned the draft Convention, we believe this should met
with support.
Regarding Action Number 36, the Draft Review has identified 23 mine-affected
States Parties with significant numbers of landmine survivors that will
become a more focused challenge for the Convention over the next five years.
It is clear greater focus on Victim Assistance is necessary. However,
flexibility is also necessary to accommodate new information becoming available
in mine-affected countries and as States with significant numbers of survivors
join the Convention, for example,
Ethiopia. The ICBL urges that rights and needs of the tens of thousands of
landmine survivors in States not party to the Convention are not overlooked
because of the stance taken by their governments. In this regard, we are
pleased to note that several donor States Parties do make
exceptions for urgent humanitarian concerns, such as the Netherlands and Norway
And finally on Action Number 37, we support the position of the ICRC in
that the wording on this Action is not clear and requires clarification.
The ICRC's proposal would also make this Action item under Victim Assistance
consistent with other parts of the Action Plan, namely Action Number 53.
In this regard, we would also urge States Parties to consider Form J as
an integral, if voluntary, part of their article 7 reporting obligations.
We would also like to support the ICRC's addition of the word "interim"
to the aim of zero new victims in Action Number 20.
In conclusion, the common goal is to change the quality of life of landmine
survivors, their families, and their communities. So we accordingly
urge all States Parties to ensure that decisions taken in this Summit are
communicated at all levels, including relevant line ministries, program
implementers, national service providers, (government and NGO alike), and
donors, so that they can transform these words into deeds.
The ICBL, which includes landmine survivors, is here for the long term
and we will hold you and ourselves accountable to ensure that all landmine
survivors enjoy their right to the Convention's promise to the hundreds
and thousand of landmine survivors around the world, as well as for their
families and communities.
Thank you for your attention.
> no attachments, please send in text
> At 10:13 AM 11/30/2004, you wrote:
>
>>Dear Sophie,
>>
>>Attached is a copy of the ICBL's WGVA's intervention on the Draft
Action
>>Plan of today.
>>
>>All the best, Kirsten
>>
>>[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>>
>>Yahoo! Groups Links
>>
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