FIRST REVIEW CONFERENCE OF THE CONVENTION ON CLUSTER MUNITIONS
UNIVERSALISATION
STATEMENT OF AUSTRALIA
Madam President
Australia continues to strongly encourage universal adherence to the Cluster Munitions Convention, particularly among our neighbours in the Indo-Pacific region.
We have actively promoted and supported the Convention in a number of ways amongst our Pacific island neighbours and also amongst our neighbours in South East Asia.
Australia supported the first and second Pacific regional workshops which considered options for addressing the problems of explosive remnants of war in the Pacific including by joining the Convention. Australia also strongly supports the workshops already mentioned by Japan, including the ASTOP meetings held annually hosted by Japan for all the countries in our region.
We have been a long-term supporter of the work of civil society groups such as the ICBL-CMC in promoting universalisation of the Convention.
Australia will continue to seek new opportunities to promote universalisation of the Convention. We will continue to provide support, including financial, for the work of other agencies in pursuing this important goal. For example we will provide more than AUD400,000 to the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor over the next three years.
Australia takes this opportunity to acknowledge, the contribution of the United Nations, civil society, and NGOs in maintaining momentum towards universalisation of the Convention – our efforts towards universalisation are strengthened and underpinned by our close working partnership.
Thank you Madam President.