Swedish statement at the Fourth Review Conference

Excellencies, dear colleagues,

Mr President,

Let me take this opportunity to thank you and all those involved in the preparation of this meeting for the excellent arrangements and the great hospitality shown. It  has been a privilege for me and my delegation to be here in Oslo, the capital of Norway, our neighboring country.
I would also like to commend the Director and staff of the ISU for their excellent work throughout the history of this convention.

Mr President,

Sweden stands behind the statements made by the EU. I would like to provide some additional perspectives from a national point of view.
Since we last gathered for a review conference in Maputo, developments have sadly shown that humanitarian considerations remain as relevant as ever for mine action. The legacies of the past are still very much present and new use of anti-personnel mines, including those of an improvised nature, adds to the challenge.

Our work within mine action has also improved over the years, not least in terms gender aspects. We warmly welcome the Oslo Action Plan’s integration and mainstreaming of gender and diversity considerations into mine action programming. In this regard, we also wholly endorse the working paper on gender mainstreaming as proposed by Finland which provides practical voluntary recommendations that can provide support in our implementation.

Mr President,

Sweden believes that the national ownership and the political will of the cooperation partner countries are key to achieving sustainable development. Mine action is no exception. It needs to become an integrated part of our collective development efforts in line with Agenda 2030, as pointed out by the UN Secretary General in his Agenda for Disarmament. A new school is of little use if girls and boys cannot get there safely. A program to spur growth in the agricultural sector will have a hard time to succeed if the fields are contaminated with mines.

We hope that the concept of a National Mine Action Platform will prove to be a useful complement to the individualized approach. Where such in-country coordination mechanisms do not already exist, it could help enabling a regular dialogue on implementation and remaining challenges between stakeholders at a national level.

All in all, Sweden has contributed over 100 million EUR to mine action worldwide over the last decade. Our support, administered mainly by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), has gone to mine action in its wider sense - to clear all explosive remnants of war including cluster munitions. It has in recent years been focused mainly on demining and mine awareness, also advocacy. Currently, Sweden is funding mine action in 13 states around the world including Colombia, Libya, Ukraine, Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. We continue to support the Convention's Implementation Support Unit and would like to stress the importance of the State Parties contributions.

We would also like emphasize the rights perspective that has become part of the mine survivor agenda. This has been instrumental in moving the accessibility agenda forward in many countries worldwide. Accessibility in all its aspects also requires a socio-economic rights perspective. The right to affordable health care, and affordable aids so that everyone in need of equipment such as crutches, wheelchairs and prostheses can acquire them is fundamental to this perspective. Every person who is provided with the means to function as a productive member of society will also contribute to the overall welfare of that society. Sweden does not however, distinguish between the development aid that we provide to mine survivors in accordance with the Conventions we are party to, and the support we provide to the health care sector in mine affected countries. Our support to sustainable health care, infrastructure and personnel, and to medical education, training and services in such countries and as part of their own development strategies exceeded altogether 110 million USD since the Review Conference in Cartagena, ten years ago.

Mr President,

A Review Conference is a time to take stock of where we are as States parties, and where we have to go in order to meet the objectives set out for us in the Convention. Under the heading “Finish the Job”, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines has noted that the promise of the Ottawa Convention will be fulfilled when the norm against use of antipersonnel mines is universal, and when States Parties to the treaty have fully implemented their key obligations. Our goal of a mine-free world will only be possible to achieve if our efforts are sustained. The Oslo Action Agenda that you have put forth will be key to the continued and future implementation of the Convention. All affected must be taken into consideration in order to find viable and sustainable solutions. We warmly welcome as a guiding principle the integration and mainstreaming of gender and diversity considerations into mine action programming.

To conclude, I would like to assure you, Mr President, as well as all States Parties and partners in the UN system and in civil society, of our continued support for this Convention and for its implementation.

Thank you.