The Delegation of the Republic of Slovenia, the Delegation of the European Union, the Permanent Mission of Slovenia and the Implementation Support Unit (ISU) of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Production, Stockpiling, and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction, will be held from August 27 to 29, 2024 in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
The Convention’s preamble records the wish of the States Parties “to do their utmost in providing assistance for the care and rehabilitation, including the social and economic reintegration of mine victims.” This has been translated into the legal obligation and human rights-based approach known as victim assistance (VA). This concept first appeared in 1997 in the text of Convention and has since served as the basis for how many disarmament instruments address this obligation.
Victim assistance in the framework of the Convention aims to provide “care and rehabilitation, including [for] the social and economic reintegration of mine victims”, recognising the inherent rights and needs of victims. States Parties have agreed to ensure the full, equal, and effective participation of victims in society, based on respect for human rights, gender equality, inclusion, and non-discrimination.
The States Parties have recognised that to be effective and sustainable, victim assistance should be integrated into broader national policies, plans, and legal frameworks related to the rights of persons with disabilities underthe Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRCPD), and to health, education, employment, development, and poverty reduction in support of the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
At the 2024 Fifth Review Conference (the Siem Reap-An gkor Summit on a Mine-Free World), the international community will adopt a new action plan to guide implementation efforts. Therefore, the Regional Conference will be the ideal stage for States Parties and organisations to provide informed and inclusive feedback to enhance the VA provisions of the new plan.
The Regional Conference will also be an opportunity to bring attention to the need for sustainable VA implementation in the region beyond mine clearance completion and to meet with representatives of mineaffected communities and survivor organisations.
А draft programe and further logistical information will soon be published on the Convention’s website
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