Disarmament in Review
On 17 February 2023, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) in Geneva hosted a workshop on National Annual Reporting Guides for the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects (CCW). The workshop aimed to obtain feedback on Guides drafted by UNODA Geneva to assist High Contracting Parties in preparing National Annual Reports. The Guides also seek to facilitate the reporting process for High Contracting Parties and ultimately achieve higher levels of reports submissions. Almost forty representatives from twenty-two High Contracting Parties participated in-person and virtually in the workshop.
Under the CCW, ºHigh Contracting Parties should submit reports on an annual basis that include updated information on progress made in the implementation of the Convention, such as measures taken to disseminate information on the CCW to the armed forces and civilian population, steps taken to meet technical requirements, and legislation related to the Convention. Amended Protocol II and Protocol V each have their own reporting mechanisms, which require High Contracting Parties to those Protocols to provide additional information on measures related to mines, booby-traps, and improvised explosive devices and explosive remnants of war, respectively. This, includes information on clearance and destruction programmes, technical cooperation and assistance, international information exchanges, and provisions for the protection of civilians.
National annual reports that are submitted in a timely manner and are of high quality are an important tool in the monitoring and evaluation of the general status and overall implementation of the CCW and its Protocols. They have the potential to strengthen and improve transparency, cooperation, facilitate assistance to requesting High Contracting Parties, and incentivize the development of national capabilities in the fields of clearance of mines and explosive remnant of war, victim assistance and rehabilitation, and preventive measures, among others.
Seeking to achieve higher rates of report submissions and hence contribute to the implementation of the Convention, standardize reporting, and simplify and streamline the process of preparing and submitting the National Annual Reports, UNODA Geneva developed Guides to the reporting forms, which include instructions, suggestions, guiding questions, and recommendations on elements to be included in each report. Having circulated the Guides to High Contracting Parties in late 2022, UNODA Geneva organized a workshop as a consultation session to obtain feedback on these, to ensure tailor-made assistance to High Contracting Parties in their reporting activities under the CCW, and to identify other possible areas of support with regard to reporting.
Beyond providing feedback during a section-by section review of the Guides, during the workshop participants also shared challenges and good practices in CCW report preparation, and asked questions about specific aspects of the reporting format. In particular, participants underscored that National Annual Reports serve as fundamental confidence building measures and shared good practices with regard to the involvement of multiple stakeholders in the report drafting process. For instance, a delegation mentioned that in-person interagency meetings including relevant ministries, military units, and the police had proven an effective approach to discuss and compile inputs for the reports. UNODA Geneva stressed the flexible nature of the CCW reporting forms, which allows for the simplification of the drafting process.
Once High Contracting Parties´ comments and feedback are incorporated into the Guides to CCW Annual Reporting forms, these will be published on ODA´s website.
The workshop was financed by the European Union.
For further information on CCW National Annual Reports or the Convention in general, please contact ccw@un.org.
Text prepared by Swann Jin
