The Cluster Munitions (Prohibition) Bill is scheduled for its second debate in House this afternoon [10 December 2009 New Zealand time], starting at approx. 4.20pm local time.  Watch it live online on the Internet or on television (on channels Freeview 22 or Sky 94) or come down to Parliament in Wellington and witness it live from the viewing gallery.

The Cluster Munitions (Prohibition) Bill was introduced in June 2009 and then referred to the Foreign Affairs, Defence, and Trade Select Committee. In September 2009, the Aotearoa New Zealand Cluster Munition Coalition made a submission on the Bill on behalf of its member organizations and recommended swift passage. On 30 November 2009, the Select Committee reported back with several recommendations on the Bill, including a proposal for new language to prohibit investment on cluster munition producers. The Bill must be read a third and final time before it can be enacted. New Zealand will then be in a position to ratify the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions.

The amended legislation will be read a second time by New Zealand’s Minister of Disarmament and Arms Control, Hon. Georgina Te Heuheu, who has just returned from a major landmine meeting in Colombia. At the Cartagena Summit on a Mine-Free World–which concluded on 4 December 2009–Te Heuheu pledged New Zealand’s full support for the complete eradication of antipersonnel mines and also visited a remote mine-affected community in rural Colombia. Colombia suffers hundreds of new mine casualties every year, mainly due to its ongoing internal armed conflict. Human Rights Watch has called the Colombian rebel group, Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), one of the one of the most prolific mine users in the world today.

During a meeting with campaigners held on the sidelines of the Cartagena Summit, Te Heuheu confirmed that passage of the Cluster Munitions (Prohibition) Bill was her top priority.

A total of 103 governments have signed the international treaty banning cluster bombs, of which 24 have ratified. Thirty ratifications are required for the Convention on Cluster Munitions to become binding international law six months later. In addition to New Zealand, other signatories believed to be close to completing ratification include: Belgium, Ecuador, and Togo. On 8 December 2009, the Netherlands parliament passed a motion prohibiting investments in cluster munitions by financial institutions. Divestment is now expected to form part of proposed ratification legislation is due to be considered by the Dutch parliament in 2010.

This photo by Mary Wareham shows campaigners who participated in a quad rugby match between Colombia and the United States held during the Cartagena Summit on a Mine-Free World. From left to right: Firoz Alizada (Afghanistan), Thomas Nash (New Zealand) and Ken Rutherford (USA). Both Firoz and Ken are landmine survivors; Nash coordinates the international Cluster Munition Coalition

Comments