The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) participated in the Fifth Review Conference of the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines held in Siem Reap, Cambodia from November 25-29, 2024, as well as a side event on “Capacity building for mine action in Africa in cooperation with Cambodia”, JICA has been promoting ownership and capacity building in the affected countries and, based on its long-standing cooperation with Cambodia, shared Cambodia’s knowledge with other mine-affected countries to continue its efforts to eliminate landmines. JICA has been promoting ownership and capacity building in the mine-affected countries.
JICA Director Ando speaks at a side event of the Fifth Review Conference of the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines (commonly known as the Ottawa Conference) held in Cambodia in November. Participants in the March for a Mine-Free World, a march held in conjunction with the Ottawa Conference.
Outline of the Fifth Review Conference of the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines
The Review Conference is held every five years to review the implementation of the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines based on the action plan adopted at the previous Review Conference and to adopt a new action plan. This year’s review meeting was held to mark the 25th anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention, and was held in Cambodia, which had the largest number of landmine victims in the world at the time the Convention entered into force, but has since made national efforts to address landmine issues.
At the opening ceremony, after the opening remarks by Senior Minister Leetich, a woman who lost her leg due to landmine damage in Iraq appealed for the elimination of landmines as well as support for disabled people, including girls, who have been affected by landmines. Prime Minister Hun Manet touched on the history of landmine damage that people have suffered even after the peace agreement of the civil war, and expressed his country’s commitment to contribute to the realization of a safe world in a geopolitically unstable world by promoting landmine countermeasures based on Cambodia’s experience.
Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Hidetoshi Hidetoshi, who attended on behalf of the Japanese government, introduced the Comprehensive Support Package and the Japan-Cambodia Initiative announced by former Foreign Minister Kamikawa, with reference to human security. He expressed his commitment in his chairmanship to the 22nd Conference of the Parties next year.
Approximately 700 participants from 134 countries participated in the five-day conference and adopted the Siem Reap Angkor Declaration and Action Plan for the period up to the next Review Conference. The Declaration and Action Plan reiterated the international commitment to ending the damage and suffering caused by anti-personnel landmines and the activities to be undertaken, and included measures to address climate change and environmental considerations, which were not included in the Declaration and Action Plan of the previous Review Conference five years ago. In addition, a pre-event was held the day before the conference, and approximately 30 side events were held during the conference period, where discussions on the elimination of anti-personnel landmines were actively held both inside and outside the conference venue.
Immediately prior to the conference, it was reported that the U.S. was planning to provide anti-personnel mines to Ukraine, and NGOs promoting the elimination of anti-personnel mines staged a protest during the plenary session. In the Declaration adopted on the last day of the conference, the participants expressed their sense of crisis over the continued use of anti-personnel mines in armed conflicts and called on all parties to comply with their obligations under the Convention.
On the last day of the conference, Ms. Tomiko Ichikawa, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Japan to the Conference on Disarmament Issues, who will assume the chairmanship of the Conference of the States Parties after the plenary session until the end of the 22nd Conference of the States Parties next December, listed the following priority issues during her term: 1) strengthening ownership and capacity building support for affected countries, 2) introducing advanced and emerging technologies, 3) strengthening synergy with the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) (WPS), (3) strengthening synergies with WPS, and (4) universalizing the Convention. Regarding (1) in particular, he mentioned JICA’s cooperation with Cambodia to share Cambodian knowledge with other landmine-affected countries, which will continue in the future.
Review Meeting
JICA’s efforts and achievements at the Fifth Review Conference of the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines
(1) March for a Mine-Free World
March to promote the slogan “A Landmine-Free World” of the Conference to Study the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Landmines. Cambodian ministers, including Senior Minister Leat-It and Director General of the Cambodian Mine Action Victims Support Agency, delegates from other countries, landmine victims, and local children walked for about two hours through Angkor Wat, a World Heritage site. The Japanese government was represented by Ambassador Tomiko Ichikawa, Permanent Representative of Japan to the Conference on Disarmament Affairs, and JICA Director Ando and others participated.
Participants
(2) Visits to the Peace Museum, which is under construction with grant aid, and an exhibition event of Japanese equipment and technology
On November 24, the day before the opening of the Review Conference, the Japanese government (including JICA) and Cambodia (CMAC) co-hosted an inspection event of the Peace Museum, which exhibits the history of civil war and landmine damage. The main building of the museum is under construction with Japanese grant assistance (scheduled for completion in April 2026). The event was attended by Mr. Eiri, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan and Director Ando of CMAC, Mr. Leetich, Senior Minister of Cambodia, Mr. Ratana, Director of CMAC, and over 200 participants from various delegations and international organizations, who inspected Japanese demining equipment and other equipment temporarily displayed on the museum grounds, as well as the existing exhibits in the museum.
Director Ando giving a speech Exhibition at the Peace Museum
(3) Side Event “Capacity Building for Sustainable Mine Action through Cooperation between Africa and Asia”
On November 25, the first day of the conference, JICA, CMAC, and the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) jointly organized a side event. Representatives of mine action agencies from Nigeria and South Sudan, CMAC Deputy Director General and International Cooperation Specialist Komukai held a panel discussion to share the challenges of strengthening mine action capacity in African countries, as well as lessons learned from Cambodia. From the floor, government officials from Ethiopia, Somalia, and Zambia spoke on the significance of the partnership.
Side events
The event was attended by about 100 people from African delegations, European and U.S. donors, international organizations, and NGOs, and was fully booked. The cooperative relationships fostered at this event, including those in Africa, will be linked to TICAD 9 to be held next year.
(4) Signatures of discussion minutes
On November 25 during the conference, the minutes of the discussion (agreement) on the new technical cooperation project “Project for Strengthening the Organizational Capacity of the Cambodian Mine Action Center, Phase 2” between JICA Director Ando and CMAC Director Ratana was signed. The project will strengthen CMAC’s system to support other mine-affected countries, as well as to strengthen its system as a technical development center (including development and demonstration support for Japanese equipment and technology) and cooperation in the field of public relations (including operation of the Peace Museum, which is under construction through grant aid).
JICA Director Ando and CMAC Director Ratana
(5) Booth Exhibit
During the conference, a JICA booth was set up on the conference site to distribute pamphlets on JICA’s cooperation in mine and UXO countermeasures and the cluster project strategy, providing an opportunity to communicate JICA’s longstanding cooperative relationship with Cambodia and its contribution to the elimination of anti-personnel landmines.
Major plans and events related to mine and UXO countermeasures in 2025
Early February Mine countermeasures training for Nigeria (Cambodia)
Late Feb. African Countries and Cambodia Mine Action Partnership Workshop (Zambia)
Late March Start of new technical cooperation project in Cambodia
April 4 International Day for Mine Awareness and Demining Support
Late May Start of new technical cooperation project in Laos
Late August TICAD9 Side Event on Mine and UXO Control in Africa (Yokohama)
Autumn: Ukraine Mine Action Conference, Tokyo (JICA side event and possible speaking engagements)
December 22nd Conference of the States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of Landmines (Geneva)
This is a tentative schedule and is subject to change.
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