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The week-long Wellington conference was attended by officials from 106 countries, and was a pivotal stage in the Oslo Process, which was formally launched in February 2007 when 46 countries signed the "Oslo Declaration", committing them to concluding a new international treaty on cluster munitions by the end of 2008.
New Zealand and six other countries initiated the Oslo Process following frustration at a lack of progress within the framework of the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.
The objectives of the new treaty are:
The Wellington Conference’s 'Wellington Declaration' has now created political momentum towards a Diplomatic Conference in Dublin in May. In Dublin, negotiations on a new treaty will be concluded.
New Zealand's delegation to the Wellington Conference included representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand Defence Force, Ministry of Defence, and New Zealand Agency for International Development.
A wide range of countries participated, including producers and users of cluster munitions, as well as cluster munition affected countries and non-governmental organisations.
Civil society is a vital partner in the Oslo Process and around 200 non-governmental organisations from 50 countries with an active interest in the issue were represented by the Cluster Munition Coalition.
Its New Zealand chapter, the Cluster Munition Coalition Aotearoa/New Zealand, co-ordinated non-governmental activities.
The UN plays a key role in dealing with the humanitarian harm caused by cluster munitions, and was also represented in Wellington by a number of its agencies.
For full coverage of the conference, and to find out more about the harmful effects of cluster munitions, visit the Wellington Conference website .
Cluster munitions in Afghanistan
Image courtesy of John Rodsted. Copyright John Rodsted
