On Thursday, 21 February a lunchtime talk for interested members of the public will be held in Wellington on the multiple problems posed by unexploded cluster munitions in South Lebanon.

 

Lunchtime Talk
“Cluster Munitions in South Lebanon”
Ilott Theatre, Wellington Town Hall
Thurs. 21 February: 1pm-2.30pm

Ms. Habbouba Aoun of the Beirut-based Landmine Resource Centre will facilitate this panel discussion which features presentations by Ms. Bonnie Docherty of Human Rights Watch, Mr. Chris Clarke of the South Lebanon Mine Action Coordination Centre and Lt. Cdr. Steve Lenik of the New Zealand Defence Force. No RSVP is required.
Download Flyer

Biographies of the speakers follow.

Ms. Habbouba Aoun, Landmine Resource Centre (Lebanon)
Habbouba Aoun has coordinated the Landmines Resource Centre in Beirut since 1997. She has been involved with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) since 1998, providing research on Lebanon’s mine problem for the ICBL’s annual Landmine Monitor report. Aoun has worked extensively on mine risk education and victim assistance, including on the emergency interventions in the aftermath of the 2006 conflict in Lebanon. She is a member of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Balamand in Beirut.

Ms. Bonnie Docherty, Human Rights Watch
Ms. Bonnie Docherty is a researcher in the Arms Division of Human Rights Watch (HRW). Since authoring HRW’s first full field-based 2002 report on cluster munitions use by the United States in Afghanistan, Docherty has gone on to publish extensive field research on cluster munitions, the conduct of war and civilian casualties in Lebanon and Israel (2006), Gaza (2006), and Iraq (2003). On 17 Feb 08, Doherty will releasing her latest research ahead of the Conference, “Flooding South Lebanon: Israel’s Use of Cluster Munitions in Lebanon in July and August 2006.”  Human Rights Watch is a founding member of both the International Campaign to Ban Landmines’ (ICBL) and the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC). Docherty is also a lecturer and clinical instructor at Harvard Law School’s Human Rights.

Mr. Chris Clarke, South Lebanon Mine Action Coordination Centre
Mr. Chris Clarke is United Nations programme manager for the Mine Action Coordination Centre, the official body tasked with coordinating munitions clearance with the Lebanese Army in South Lebanon. One of his tasks has been to try to secure detailed information from Israel on the cluster bomb strikes that causing 255 civilian and demining casualties in the year following their deployment. Clark is a senior technical advisor with extensive knowledge and experience of mine action.  He previously served as UN Programme Manager in Sudan and UN Chief of Operations in Kosovo.

Lt. Cdr. Steve Lenik, New Zealand Defence Force
Senior National Officer Lieutenant Commander Steve Lenik led a team of ten New Zealand Defence Force personnel (three Navy divers and six Army engineers) in Tyre, South Lebanon in February 2007 to assist with cluster munition strike site clearance. Working in cooperation with the United Nations Mine Action Co-ordination Centre in Southern Lebanon (UN-MACC-SL), the team cleared orchards and other agriculture land, and also removed and demolished unexploded munitions found by locals. Since returning to New Zealand in August 2007 he has spoken at Rangitoto College near his home of Takapuna in Auckland, as well as media.

Comments