Reporting workshop on the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW)

During the 2023 Meeting of High Contracting Parties (HCP) to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), HCP stressed the importance of national implementation and compliance with the provisions of the Convention and its Protocols and reiterated the call for all HCP to submit national reports on compliance in accordance with the decision taken at the Sixth Review Conference. To encourage the submission of the reports and assist HCP in preparing their reports, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA)/CCW Implementation Support Unit (ISU) organized a Reporting Workshop on 1 March 2024 to provide HCP with a platform to share best practices and challenges in the preparation of their annual CCW reports and to assist HCP to fulfil their reporting obligations. The workshop was organized under the EU-funded UNODA project in support of the CCW and its Protocols.

Participants

A total of 70 individuals from various organizations such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense, National Authorities overseeing disarmament/Mine Action issues, and Permanent Missions participated online and in-person.

The participants came from a total of 43 countries, including Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lesotho, Luxembourg, Mexico, Moldova, Morocco, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Serbia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Uruguay, US, and Zambia.

Proceedings

The workshop began with opening remarks by Ms. Carolyne-Mélanie Régimbal, Chief of Service of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs in Geneva. The participants were provided with an overview of the CCW Compliance Mechanism and the reporting obligations under Amended Protocol II (APII) and Protocol V (PV) and the current report submission status from the CCW Implementation Support Unit (ISU). Following this, guest speakers shared their national experiences in preparing the reports. The speakers were:

  1. Mr. Mumbi Mutale, Acting Assistant Director of Information, Zambia Mine Action Centre, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
  2. Ms. Wendy Olivero von Holle, Minister Counsellor, Permanent Mission of the Dominican Republic to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva.
  3. Mr. Angel V. Horna, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Peru to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva.
  4. H.E. Chim Chansideth, Director of Regulation and Monitoring, Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA).
  5. Ms. Venephet Philathong, Deputy Director of the UN Political Affairs Division, International Organisations Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Lao PDR.
  6. Mr. Nikola Kirilov Yakov, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Bulgaria to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva.

After the presentations, the participants discussed challenges, national coordination mechanisms, the role of National Points of Contact, and best practices. The CCW ISU also asked participants for their views and suggestions on how the Unit could best support them in fulfilling their reporting obligations.

Key takeaways

  1. Challenges: 
  • Lack of awareness: The lack of awareness regarding reporting obligations under the CCW and its Protocols was identified by States as an important challenge. It is difficult to maintain knowledge on this subject and keep track of reporting obligations at the national level, especially during a change of government or staff transition in key ministries. 
  • Absence of or outdated National Points of Contact (NPCs): The absence of designated National Points of Contact (NPCs) or outdated ones makes it difficult to establish effective communication channels with the CCW ISU, prepare the reports and submit them on-time.  
  • Coordination at the national level: It is crucial to have all relevant stakeholders involved in the reporting process. Some key national stakeholders consider information on weapons sensitive, which complicates coordination and information sharing at the national level. This includes gathering data on the use and effects of weapons. As a result, some HCPs struggle to provide complete data and on time. 
  • Limited financial resources for data collection: Limited finances can hinder data collection, affecting the accuracy and completeness of reports. 
  • Gathering data from various demining operators: Gathering complete and accurate information from multiple demining operators can be time-consuming due to the varying policies and procedures of each operator. 
  1. Best practices/lesson learned: 
  • Raising awareness of the CCW and its Protocols at the national level: National-level awareness campaigns can be launched to educate the public and key stakeholders about the CCW and its Protocols. This can help encourage collaboration and trust among key national stakeholders. 
  • Participation of the relevant stakeholders in CCW meetings: It is important to involve the relevant stakeholders in meetings related to CCW. Such participation can lead to the acquisition of valuable knowledge at the national level. The CCW Sponsorship Programme was identified as valuable to bring experts to Geneve who would not otherwise be able to attend those meetings. 
  • Designate and update the National Points of Contact regularly: HCPs could endeavor to maintain a National Point of Contact for CCW (which commonly is the same focal point as for CCM and APMBC for States parties to those instruments). Regular updates of the National Points of Contact and transmittal of this information to the CCW ISU can help ensure that communication channels are open and effective and that HCPs are well-informed of the reporting cycle and related matters. 
  • Establish internal deadlines for reporting: To ensure timely submission of reports, internal deadlines at the national level could be established. This allows enough time for key national stakeholders to provide input, consult with each other, and review the reports before submission. 
  • Create a national coordination framework: A national coordination framework can facilitate the national coordination of the reporting process. This framework could outline the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders involved in the reporting process. 
  • Utilize existing national mechanisms: Individuals who are responsible for the CCW and other disarmament and arms control treaties are often the same. Therefore, HCPs can use the existing national mechanisms to coordinate and collect data for all relevant reports. This can help streamline the reporting process and avoid duplication of efforts. 
  1. Suggestions/requests made to the ISU: 
  • Reminders on submission of reports could be sent out at the end of each year or early in the new year to allow sufficient time for HCPs to prepare and coordinate their reports (before the March 31 deadline).  
  • Social media could be used more frequently to raise awareness about reporting to HCPs. The campaigns could be designed to raise awareness about the importance of reporting and provide guidance on how to report. 
  • HCPs could be provided with substantive briefings and materials on the Convention and its Protocols, as well as on their reporting obligations and the reporting process. These briefings and materials could be provided in different languages to cater to the diverse needs of HCPs.  
  • More targeted reporting workshops could be organized for different regions and in different languages and different time zones. Workshops or briefings on the CCW and its Protocols would also be very useful.   
  • CCW meetings could be used as an opportunity to hold similar workshops, training, and briefings on these topics. These meetings provide a platform for HCPs from different regions to come together and share their experiences. 
  • An e-portal for managing reporting could be considered to allow HCPs to submit their reports online, which would greatly facilitate and expedite the reporting process.