Jean Asselborn, Discours prononcé à l'occasion de la première réunion des États-parties à la Convention sur les armes à sous-munitions, Vientiane

It is a great honour to be in Vientiane today for the first meeting of States Parties to the Convention on cluster munitions and I would like to begin by thanking the Lao government for organizing this important event in the process of fighting against cluster munitions.

We have come a long way since the launch of the Oslo process, a process that Luxembourg has supported from its inception. What we have achieved in Oslo two years ago is a landmark result: the signing of an ambitious, legally binding international convention, prohibiting the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of all cluster munitions that cause unacceptable humanitarian consequences.

Without the sustained efforts of the states pioneering in the fight against these weapons, in particular Norway, which was the driving force in the preparation of the Convention, without the unfailing commitment of civil society, notably Handicap International, and without the compromising attitude of those states that have such weapons in their arsenal, this ambitious text could not have entered into force on 1st August 2010.

To date, 46 States have ratified and 108 States have signed the Convention. Like Laos, my country was among the first 30 signatories to ratify the Convention, thereby contributing to a prompt entry into force. Furthermore, Luxembourg is one of the few countries to have gone further in their national legislation than the text of the Convention in also prohibiting the financing of cluster munitions. I call upon all States who have signed the Convention to join us in that endeavour. This financing prohibition should, as far as possible and – above all – where it is known, be extended to investments in companies that produce cluster munitions, such as Belgium, Ireland and New Zealand have recently done and as Switzerland and the Netherlands are intending to do.

Today we meet in Vientiane to start the second chapter of a process which aims to end the suffering caused by cluster munitions: the implementation of the Convention through concrete acts.

Here in Laos, where 300 people are affected yearly by cluster munitions, Luxembourg has supported in the past, and will continue to support in the future, the Lao government in its fight against these weapons. Since 1999 my country has contributed to the demining operations in Laos for a total amount of 2.7 million US dollars and we will continue this effort with a further contribution of 750,000 Euros over five years for the Lao "UXO Trust Fund". This instrument allows for the practical implementation of several provisions contained in the Convention: the clearance of contaminated areas, risk reduction education, victim assistance and international cooperation.

Luxembourg's contribution to the UXO Trust Fund has to be placed in the context of its development cooperation, because we are convinced that integrating mine action into the development agenda will yield sustainable results.

It is also through participation in peacekeeping missions of the United Nations that Luxembourg is fulfilling its obligations regarding international cooperation. Thus, Luxembourgish minesweepers actively contribute to clear Lebanon from cluster munitions in the framework of the United Nations Interim force.

Now that the Convention entered into force, there is a pressing need to increase the number of such initiatives both at the national and international level, and I call on all States Parties to the Convention, and civil society groups, to remain strongly committed to ensure the continued success of our Convention, since many important steps still lie ahead:

It is essential that the international community provides itself with an action programme to implement its commitments: the millions of cluster munitions which are still stockpiled all over the world should never be used and must be destroyed within the fixed deadlines. Victims should be able to benefit from a prompt and non-bureaucratic assistance;

The Oslo process is an impressive example of an influential model of international cooperation. It is important to keep the momentum and strive with determination towards an ever more sustained international cooperation with all stakeholders. In this context I would like to stress the vital role of civil society, which has been a driving force behind the generation process and the establishment of the Convention.

We must also continue to commit ourselves to the universalisation of the Convention. The number of countries that have pledged not to use cluster munitions has increased significantly since the launch of the Oslo process in February 2007. We must not diminish efforts in this direction now that the Convention entered into force. I will use my bilateral contacts with states not parties to the Convention to encourage them to join the Convention in view of its universalisation.

Finally, I hope that the prohibition to finance cluster munitions as implemented in Luxembourg’s legislation could serve as an example and that many other countries will join us in this bold and promising initiative. And it is only by working together, it is only through international cooperation, that we can restrain the production of these weapons.

Thank you for your attention.