The Ottawa Convention: the first step towards humanitarian disarmament

The Royal Higher Institute for Defence in close cooperation with the Belgian Federal Public Service of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation and United Nations Brussels are organising the colloquium 'The Ottawa Convention: the first step towards humanitarian disarmament'.

This colloquium will take place on Thursday, 28 March 2013 at 14:00 hours in the conference centre of the Campus Renaissance (entrance: Rue Hobbema 8, 1000 Brussels). The lecture will be given in English with simultaneous translation into French and Dutch. We kindly ask you to confirm your participation before Monday, 25 March 2013 by sending the completed reply form by e-mail to symposium.rhid@mil.be or by fax to +32 2 742 69 57.

The conference is the scene-setter for, and will be followed by, the official inauguration of the LANDMINES: Treacherous weapons exhibition at the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History in honour of the United Nations’ International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action to be held on 4 April 2013. Invitees should be present no later than 18:00 hours in the Bordiau exposition hall of the museum.

Colloquium Programme

14.00 – 14.45: Registration and coffee, seats taken at 14.45

15.00 – 15.02: Welcome address

Colonel Corinne FAUT

Director-General of the Royal Higher Institute for Defence

15.02 – 15.05: Introduction

Mr Pieter DE CREM

Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence

15.05 – 15.15: Keynote speech

Mr Didier REYNDERS

Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and European affairs

Panel 1: The spirit of Ottawa and its significance for Humanitarian Disarmament

15.15 – 15.30: Ms Agnès MARCAILLOU

Director of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS)

15.30 – 15.40: Ms Nicole HOGG

Legal advisor, Arms Unit, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

15.40 – 15.50: Ms Sylvie BRIGOT-VILAIN

Executive Director, International Campaign to Ban the Landmines – Cluster Munitions Coalition

(ICBL – CMC)

15.50 – 16.15: Panel discussion

Moderator:

Major Lode DEWAEGHENEIRE

Coordinator for National Reporting and Information Exchange under the Ottawa Convention, Cell Weapons Treaties and Arms Control, Strategy Department, Belgian Defence

16.15 – 16.30: Coffee/Tea time

Panel 2: Mine action on the ground: placing the people in the centre

16.30 – 16.40: Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Philipsen

Commanding Officer of the 11th Engineer Battalion, Former Belgian National Contingent Commander UNIFIL and former Staff Officer Demining UNIFIL headquarter

16.40 – 16.50: Mr Umedjon NAIMOV

Ban Advocate, mine survivor from Tajikistan assisted by Ms Hildegarde VANSINTJAN

Advocacy Officer, Handicap International

16.50 – 17.00: Mr Kerry BRINKERT

Director, Implementation Support Unit (ISU) of the Ottawa Convention

17.00 – 17.15: Panel discussion

Moderator:

Lieutenant-Colonel Jean-Albert LEGROS

Director of the Centre for Security and Defence Studies, Royal Higher Institute for Defence

17.15 – 17.20: Closing remarks

Mr Yvan BAUDOIN

Professor Emeritus, Royal Military Academy