Disarmament in Review
Background
The initiative to establish a Sponsorship Programme under CCW was developed in 2005-2006 and led to the adoption by the Third Review Conference, on 15 November 2006, of the Decision on the Establishment of a Sponsorship Programme Within the Framework of the Convention and the Agreed Guidelines for the CCW Sponsorship Programme administration.
Basic Goals
The establishment of a Sponsorship Programme was seen as a possible solution to ensure widespread participation in the work of the Convention and its annexed Protocols and to promote the universality of the Convention and its Protocols. It is intended to support the participation of the representatives of States Parties, especially from ERW-affected and mine-affected countries that have limited resources, to participate in the CCW-related activities and provides signatory States and States not yet parties to the Convention and its Protocols the opportunity to participate in the CCW-related activities and become acquainted with the work related to the Convention.
The Third Review Conference decided that priority should be given to States which, according to the United Nations, are the least developed countries; States which are on the path towards accession to the Convention and its annexed Protocols; and States which are engaged in activities related to their own implementation of the Convention and its Protocols.
The States parties to the Convention identified the following basic goals of the Sponsorship Programme:
- strengthen the implementation of the Convention and its annexed Protocols;
- promote universal observance of the norms and principles enshrined in the Convention and its annexed Protocols;
- support the universalization of the Convention and its annexed Protocols;
- enhance the cooperation, the exchange of information and the consultations among the States Parties on issues related to the Convention and its annexed Protocols.
The CCW Sponsorship Programme is not limited to organizing and managing accommodation and travel expenses for official representatives receiving financial support. It also aims to support the attendance of appropriate qualified experts with field experience or of scholars, to prepare studies and/or presentations on certain topics of interest at relevant meetings or seminars and provide any other related forms of assistance that might be deemed appropriate by the States Parties.
CCW Sponsorship Rules
Guidelines for the CCW Sponsorship Fund Administration
The following Guidelines have been approved by the Sponsorship Programme’s Steering Committee on 29 June 2007 and subsequently modified on 18 September 2008:
1. The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) is entrusted with the technical management of the CCW Sponsorship Programme. The GICHD will administer free of charge to donors the fund for the Sponsorship Programme in accordance with the terms of the relevant Decision by the Third CCW Review Conference on the establishment of a Sponsorship Programme under CCW (CCW/CONF.III/11, Part. II, Annex IV).
2. The Steering Committee of the CCW Sponsorship Programme is composed of representatives of donors to this programme and the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs. It shall elect a Coordinator. Representatives of the three UN Regional Groups, China, the President-designate of the CCW and representatives of UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) will be invited to participate in the meetings of the Steering Committee as observers and advisors.
3. The Steering Committee will inform the GICHD of its composition and of any changes in its composition. The Steering Committee’s Coordinator is the point of contact for the GICHD. She/He will work closely with the GICHD on the CCW Sponsorship Programme and inform the Committee about decisions regarding sponsorship matters.
4. Contributions to the CCW Sponsorship Programme should be transferred to the bank account of the GICHD. The details are:
Owner of the bank account: Centre international de déminage humanitaire
Name of the bank account: CCW Sponsorship Programme
Reference: “Project 9308”
Bank: UBS Geneva, P.O. Box 2600, CH – 1211 Geneva 2
Account Number: 0240-FP102368.2
IBAN: CH 48 00 240 240 FP 102 36 82
SWIFT CODE: UBS W CH ZH 80A
The interest earned and fees paid of this account are to be included in this bank account.
5. The GICHD will receive the sums allocated by the members of the Steering Committee for the CCW Sponsorship Programme. For this purpose, a contract between the donor and the GICHD will be signed.
6. The GICHD will inform the Steering Committee on the account situation before each meeting of the CCW Sponsorship Programme’s Steering Committee. The GICHD will submit to the Steering Committee the CCW Sponsorship Programme’s account balance three months after the conclusion of each sponsored CCW-related event.
7. The GICHD will submit an annual report to the Steering Committee and provide a qualified auditor to certify all financial statements regarding the CCW Sponsorship Programme.
8. The Steering Committee shall decide on the potential beneficiaries of the CCW Sponsorship Programme at least one month prior to each CCW activity. The GICHD will proceed with the sponsoring of the participants according to these decisions. The GICHD, in consultation with the Coordinator and the Steering Committee, may decide on an alternative representative from the same country as a participant to whom sponsoring was allocated if her/his participation is cancelled for pressing reasons. As a matter of principle, potential beneficiaries, who have made a presentation on landmines and/or ERW in other international treaty fora, shall not be allowed to make the same presentation in the CCW.
9. The Steering Committee, in coordination with the GICHD, will decide on other expenditure, in accordance with the basic goals and operational purposes of the CCW Sponsorship Programme.
10. The person responsible for the CCW Sponsorship Programme at the GICHD is Mr. Pascal Rapillard, Policy and External Relations. Ms. Susanne Rihs Aeby is in charge of the logistical and technical aspects in organising the CCW Sponsorship Programme. The contact details are as follows: telephone: +41 (0) 22 906 16 85, fax: +41 (0) 22 906 16 90, E-mail: s.rihs-aeby@gichd.org. The GICHD will advise the Steering Committee on any changes to the point of contact within the GICHD.
11. With reference to paragraph 4 (i) (ii) of the Decision on the establishment of a Sponsorship Programme under CCW, the Sponsorship Programme will allocate funds as follows:
o Transportation (Rates are subject to change according to inflation and cost of living adapted to the costs. For experts traveling to destinations other than Geneva other rates will be applied, in coordination with the Coordinator of the Steering Committee):
* Air travel: the most cost-effective economy-class round-trip.
* Local transportation (airport to hotel return): CHF 70.
* Meals in aircraft, when not included: against receipt.
o Lodging:
* Hotel accommodation will be arranged by the GICHD at preferential rates. Accommodation will include the night prior to the start of the meeting and will end with the night after the last day of the meeting.
o Meals:
* Breakfast will be included in hotel accommodation.
* Lunch: CHF 35.
* Dinner: CHF 50.
o Visa fees
Telephone calls, mini-bar, laundry, or other expenses incurred are not included in the funding and will not be reimbursed.
12. Any cases of disputes between sponsored participants and the GICHD will be submitted to the Coordinator of the Steering Committee of the CCW Sponsorship Programme for arbitration.
13. If a CCW meeting takes place back-to-back with meetings profiting from another GICHD-implemented sponsorship programme, the GICHD will ensure coordinated action in case a delegate applies for sponsorship under both sponsorship programmes.
14. In case of fund liquidation, the Steering Committee will meet to take a decision on the funds remaining.
15. These guidelines may be amended at any time by the Steering Committee in consultation with the GICHD.
How to Apply to the CCW Sponsorship Programme
Conditions for successful applications
Once an application has been approved for sponsorship then the following conditions apply:
Delegates will travel on an economy class ticket arranged by or in coordination with the CCW Sponsorship Programme administrator. The sponsored delegate will accept accommodation at a hotel of the administrator’s choice.
- If a sponsored delegate is unable to travel to Geneva once a ticket has been issued, he or she must immediately inform the CCW Sponsorship Programme administrator and return the unused air tickets.
- In addition, it is the responsibility of sponsored delegates to act promptly to obtain all necessary visas for travel to Switzerland, especially since Switzerland has applied the Schengen regulations concerning the issuance of visas.
- Further information relating to the procedures and measures concerning the issuance of visas for Switzerland is available by contacting the Swiss embassy or consulate in the applicant’s country of residence or by referring to the following link of the Federal Office of Migrations: http://www.bfm.admin.ch/content/bfm/en/home/themen/einreise/merkblatt_einreise.html
- Further information is available on the Permanent Mission of Switzerland’s website: http://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home/topics/intorg/un/unge/gepri/manvis/manvi2.html
The candidate is required to make a national statement on their area of expertise, i.e. his or her country’s status of ratification, implementation or reporting.
Financing and Management of the Sponsorship Programme
The Sponsorship Programme is financed by voluntary contributions only. It is managed in an informal, flexible and transparent way by a Steering Committee, which sets the operational modality and ensures the guidance of the day-to-day implementation of the Sponsorship Programme.
The Coordinator of the Steering Committee is Ms. Ines Sprem Scigliano of Croatia. The technical management of the Programme is conducted by the Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD).
For more information on the Sponsorship Programme, please email s.rihs-aeby@gichd.org, or ccw@un.org, or fax +41 (0) 22 730 93 62, or +41 (0) 22 917 00 34.
Contributions to the CCW Sponsorship Programme
Contributions to the CCW Sponsorship Programme should be transferred to the bank account of the GICHD. The details are:
Account number: 0240-FP102 368 2 « CHF »
IBAN: CH48 0024 0240 FP10 2368 2
Account owner: Centre International de Déminage Humanitaire, P.O. Box 1300 – 1211 Geneva 1, Switzerland
Bank and full address: UBS, Geneva P.O. Box 2600 – 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
SWIFT UBS W CH ZH 80A
