CALM ANNUAL REPORT 2003

Prepared by John V Head - Convenor

When I accepted the temporary position of the Convenor of CALM for the third time I did not expect to be still in office twelve months later and writing this report. However I can assure readers that it has been a very busy and successful year and I would like to thank the previous Convenor, Neil Mander, for laying a very successful foundation for progress

1. CLEAR UP CAMPAIGN
We have all been moved by the horrific injuries after the recent war to the people of Iraq, and particularly the children, by cluster munitions. Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) have in the last year caused deaths and injuries to unsuspecting people in 57 countries and this campaign is to focus the attention of the Government and people of New Zealand on what needs to be done; at international conferences and on the ground, to Clear Up this menace. Our campaign materials are supplied by Landmine Action of the UK which is funded by the British Co-operative Bank. Full details are in our newsletter but we have to thank Deborah Morris from Bangkok and John Borrie from Geneva for masterminding the Campaign. They have been in a position to attend international conferences on these matters and John has published a "Global Survey on the Explosive Remnants of War." We will be giving further updates in our newsletters but we ask that all supporters obtain a petition form from me so that you can bring this issue to the notice of friends and acquaintances.

2. GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
The Government has given every possible support to CALM. In the last month it has, following up requests from CALM, made a grant of $30,000 to the ICBL to enable them to bring three representatives of the Pacific Island NGOs to the Fifth Meeting of the States Parties(5MSP) at Bangkok. The Government has been active in promoting the Universalisation of the Mine Ban Treaty in the Pacific and I particularly thank the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon Phil Goff for his intervention with politicians in Papua New Guinea and the Minister for Disarmament, Hon Marian Hobbs, for her interventions in Papua New Guinea and the Marshall Islands and for her excellent speech at the Launch of Landmine Monitor at Parliament.
The Government participated in the 4MSP in Geneva a year ago with a delegation of four including a representative of CALM. It has been an active participant in the subsequent Intersessionals, and at the 5MSP is expected to be nominated as a Co-Rapporteur of the Treaty Standing Committee on the General Status and Implementation of the Convention. During the Intersessionals, New Zealand made interventions in almost every Standing Committee meeting, discussing items such as victim assistance, its continued assistance to mine clearing and Article 7 reporting. Our Government strongly supported the International Committee of the Red Cross seeking to control anti-vehicle mines with sensitive fuses that make them act like an antipersonnel mine. Our Disarmament Ambassador, Mr Tim Caughley, called on other nations to follow New Zealand's practice of retaining no live anti-personnel mines for training and instead using safe mine simulators or "dummy" mines. He displayed a New Zealand manufactured sample of these "dummies".
New Zealand's Mine Action funding has actually dropped in each of the last two years, largely due to reduced support for Laos. However, as reported in our newsletter, we welcome new mine action funding initiatives in Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Iraq. CALM's role is of course to seek an increase in the Government's Mine Action funding.

The former Director of the Disarmament Division of MFAT , Mr Geoff Randal is now High Commissioner in Malaysia, and on behalf of CALM, I thanked him for the great support he has given us over the last four years.

We welcome the new Director, Mr Philip Griffiths and his assurance that this support will continue. Mr Paul Roberts of the Disarmament Division is a valued member of the CALM Committee.

3. MINE BAN TREATY UNIVERSALISATION IN THE PACIFIC
As reported in the newsletter, CALM is working with the Government, the ICBL and other concerned international organisations to encourage the three Pacific nations that signed the Treaty in 1997, Cook Islands, Marshall Islands and Vanuatu to ratify the Treaty. We have also been working with the five other nations, Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Tonga and Tuvalu calling on them to accede to the MBT. We sense significant developments in each country. Five of these countries are likely to be represented by officials or NGOs at the 5MSP thanks to sponsorship by our Government and the Sponsorship programme of the GICHD (Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining). The current Pacific Islands Forum in Auckland provides further opportunities for our Government and CALM to encourage these eight nations to accede or ratify. We congratulate Timor Leste for joining the Treaty so soon after gaining their independence.

4. MINE BAN TREATY
At our previous AGM it was announced that 124 countries had ratified or acceded to the Treaty. The number has now risen to 135 and it is hoped that Turkey, Greece, Papua New Guinea, Serbia, Belarus and Burundi will announce support in the very near future but some major nations are still outside.

5. FIFTH MEETING OF STATES PARTIES TO THE MINE BAN TREATY
In the past, CALM has had just one representative at these major annual conferences. This year Hon Deborah Morris who signed the MBT for NZ in 1997 will be the CALM member of the yet to be announced Government delegation and Brian Hayes and Chris Swain will join me as members of the CALM team to the 5MSP and the subsequent General Meeting of the ICBL.

6. FUNDING FOR OVERSEAS PROJECTS.
In the last financial year the Government spent $1,184,000 on Mine Action Assistance. We congratulate Christian World Service for obtaining a grant from the Government for a Mine Awareness programme in Afghanistan for $79,000 and the NZ Cambodia Trust for donating $25,000 to the Cambodia School of Prosthetics. This was supplemented by a grant of $100,000 from VASS.
We have had a very appreciative report from HALO Trust in Afghanistan thanking the Government and CALM for the grant of $25,000 to purchase protective equipment for their deminers.

7. CAMPAIGN WORK
CALM has continued its campaign work speaking at meetings, poster displays, maintaining liaison with Government Departments, Members of Parliament, the Army, and with other campaign groups overseas. Our liaison with the Council for International Development and the National Consultative Committee for Disarmament have been for the benefit of all parties. As noted above, CALM was a member of the Ministerial delegation to Papua and Fiji in April 2003.

8. PACIFIC AFFAIRS
CALM's Convenor has been appointed ICBL Resource Officer for Australasia and the Pacific and has been supplying ICBL and other resources when requested or needed. The Convenor has also been appointed Researcher for the Landmine Monitor for New Zealand and 14 Pacific Islands. This position has given him the opportunity to ascertain the reaction of all countries to the Mine Ban Treaty and the feedback of this research has been important to the international campaigners who are seeking to get all Pacific nations to be members of the Mine Ban Treaty.

9. NON STATE ACTORS (NSA)
NSAs are organisations who are often fighting for their independence and who seldom have any say in international conferences. Landmines are commonly used weapons and CALM continues to support the work of the ICBL NSA Working Group and Geneva Call because, to quote Elizabeth Reusse of Geneva Call; "You will never have a world without mines if you don't engage also NSAs to stop to use mines." Christopher Swain will be representing NZ CALM at the 5MSP NSAWG Workshop. In our January newsletter we reported on the successful work of Geneva Call with the warring factions in Somalia.

10. YOUTH CAMPAIGN
Through our newsletters we have called on the Youth of New Zealand to sign a petition calling for an end to war, an end to landmines and promising to work for peace in our world. Petition forms were available on our website as well as from our newsletter. Helen Presland, our first Youth Co-ordinator has advised me that she has mailed 26 pages full of signatures to Dr Kurvey of the Indian Campaign. They will be added to the petitions from youth from all over the world and presented to the Indian and Pakistan Governments in September. Other New Zealanders will have added their signatures on to the ICBL website. Congratulations to Helen for a very successful campaign.

11. LANDMINE DETECTION RESEARCH
Although the funding available overseas for this research far surpasses the funding available in this country, it is very pleasing to see that the research work at Auckland University School of Engineering continues. Lawrence Carter reports that his work on landmine detection technology continues with an emphasis on thermal imaging. In parallel with the thermal imaging work, a new approach based on eddy-current detection is being pursued. Lawrence Carter will be speaking on behalf of CALM at the NGO Events Day at the current Pacific Islands Forum in Auckland.

12. CALM COMMITTEE
A voluntary organisation such as ours depends so much on the enthusiasm of unpaid volunteers. I appreciate the support I have had from a much enlarged Committee and would particularly like to thank David Zwartz our Deputy Convenor for the work he has done for the last seven years as Editor. His newsletters have been very professionally edited and have received a lot of praise from the ICBL and others and I regret that because of other commitments, he has asked to stand down. I thank Louise Head for being prepared to step in and edit the latest newsletter. We began the year with Helen Presland very efficiently filling the role of Secretary and Youth Co-ordinator. Helen felt it was necessary for her to resign when she took a position with the Defence Department and resumed University studies. We are very pleased to have Stuart Beresford, who has recently returned from overseas after valuable work experience in Europe, as our new Secretary. Our Treasurer, Brian Hayes has continued to maintain our accounts very efficiently and with his wife Leang is now organising a fund raising programme for the handicapped people in Thailand. The funds raised from his "Running for Those Who Cannot Run" will be handed to the Prosthetic Centre at Chiang Mai, Thailand when he is at the 5MSP. Thanks to Geoffrey Head of Protel who originated and maintains our website and to Christopher Swain who has now taken over as Youth Co-ordinator. Our Committee now has representatives in Bangkok, Geneva, Albania, Christchurch, Wanganui, Hamilton and Auckland and thanks to our website we have a range of supporters from Nigeria to the USA. There is so much to be done to spread the message that the use of landmines must end. I would like to thank all Committee members for their various contributions.

13. CONCLUSION
There are still many reports in our newsletters that should be included in this Annual Report but perhaps this report is too long now. However I should conclude with a comment that shows the futility of laying mines. Earlier we reported that India and Pakistan laid 292,000 anti personnel and anti tank mines along their joint border. The tension is now past and the mines have been lifted. The Indian Parliament was told that during and after the operation, up to July 2003, a total of 798 army personnel suffered fatal casualties, many of them lifting those same mines. What an unnecessary loss of life. When will the military learn that landmines do not save the lives of their troops?

There are still many battles to be won before the use of landmines is universally banned.

I thank all connected with NZ CALM for their interest and support.

John V Head - Convenor