5) Description of initiative: After the recent UN review conference in November of the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons which may be Deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to hane Indiscriminate Effects (alled the Inhumane Weapons' Convention by its friends) and in th light of the wide use of cluster bombs in Lebanon in July-August 2006,there is a momentum to develop a ban on use, transfer, production of Cluster bombs and destruction of stockpiles. The International Committee of the Red Cross will hold an expert group onthe modalities of such a ban in 2007 and the Government of Norway seems ready to take a lead.Thus we must build on this momentum, especially concerning the States which have already indicated that they will oppose a ban, China, Russia, USA, UK and no doubt some states where the "Great Powers" and cluster-bomb makers have influence. The aim is to work with the representatives of states which have played a role in the past both for the Inhuman weapons Convention and the later landmines convention to support a new convention or a protocol to the Inhumane weapons Convention. As many cluster bombs do not explode on contact, they basically hurt civilians, often young who pick up the cluster bombs after the fighting.

6) Description of innovation: The innovative aspect is the timing. The original 1980 convention was a reaction to the use of nepalm during the war in Vietnam and other weapons deving developed but not yet used such as lazers that would cause permanent blindness.Although cluster bombs were widely used by NATO forces in Kosovo and Afghanistan and by US-UK forces in Iraq, there was little public attention given to their use, other aspects of these conflicts being in the spot light. The use of cluster weapons in Labanon has drawn more attention. The are full reports by the UN Special Rapporteurs, the UN Mine Clearing Unit, and NGO reports in particular Human Rights Watch.Efforts to raise arms control initiatives depend a great deal on timing and on building on public awareness. Thus for many years now, there have been no negotiatins on nuclear weapons even though the dangers of nuclear weapon use remains great. With the North Korean test and the possible development of weapons by Iran, we see a return of interest in non-proliferation, and, of course in an ultimate nuclear-weapon free world. Thus with cluster bombs, it is basically that now is a key time that we should not let pass.

7) Delivery model: Delivery method is "classic" efforts at the United Nations in New York and especially Geneva as whatever arms control efforts are made are done in Geneva. The main emphasis is contacts with diplomats, with members of the UN Disarmament secretariat, staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and other NGO representatives currently working or that will become increasingly active as more people become aware of the possibilities after the Red Cross working group. There will be articles in the press, specialized journals, whatever media is available. The most difficult is to influence policy in China and Russia where there are not the same networks of arms control groups as in the USA and UK. We have some contacts in Russia that date from Cold War years when there were people in the Academy of Sciences working on arms control. China which is the largest builder of cluster bombs is likely the most difficult to influence. There is a slight possibility that groups in countries that are victims of cluster bombs, Kosovo, Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, the eastern areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo could become active, but all these countries have other worries in the present.

8) Key operational partnerships: Cooperation is likely with those in favor of a ban; the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Mission to the UN of Norway, probably the Mission of Sweden which often has a positive policy on arms control issues, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International among human rights NGO have taken a positive stand, the Mennonite Central Committee among religious groups. In all these cased "partnership" would be the wrong word "contacts" and "keeping eachother informed" would be better terms. It is only if a conference on a ban is held that one can speak of an active coordination of efforts. I was chairman of the NGOs accredited to the 1975 and the 1980 Review Conferences of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons where the ngos worked together closely along with certain government representatives.

9) Financial model: The Association of World Citizens has five representatives at the UN in New York and five in Geneva - five being the maximum which can have a yearly accreditation. Having been an NGO representative since 1973, I know many people in the UN secretariat and have known people in the government missions over the years. Government people usually stay 3 years at the UN in Geneva so one is always having to renew contacts. But a ceertain number then go to the UN in New York

          • Costs as percentage of income: Non

          • Financing: All the representatives are volunteers and none are paid or have expenses paid by the organization. If there are any funds, they would be used for reprinting articles from publications. A trip to Russia to see how policy is made on arms control issues would be useful.

10) Effectiveness

          • Project outcomes: It is only in the future that people might benefit from a ban on cluster bombs. No one has benefited since there is no ban. If we could the people hurt by cluster weapons as future beneficiaries, then there might be a good number.

          • Number of clients in past year: As above, no one has benefited since it is directed toward the future.

11) Scaling up strategy

          • Stage of the initiative: Start Up stage.

          • Expansion plan: In 2007 there will be the Red Cross expert meeting and hopefully proposals by the Government of Norway; 2008 would be the earliest for a Conference. Much depends on the type of momentum which can be built up.

12) Origin of the initiative: There are people and groups working on the cluster bomb issue; many were active on the landmines ban, others like myself are "old disarmament hands" going back to the mid- 1950s and the ban on testing atom bombs in the atmosphere. The idea of banning weapons goes back to the Hague Peace Conferences at the start of the last century, the 1925 Protocol against poison gas, and the "Ban the Bomb" movements against A-Bombs starting in the late 1940s.The flame has been passed on from one group of people to the next.

Contact Information:
Rene  WADLOW
Representative to UN, Geneva
Association of World Citizens
(Membership organization, basically for political advocacy centered on the UN)
Le Passe, 07140 Gravieres, France
France
Tel: 33 4 75 37 23 66
Email: wadlowz@aol.com
Website: www.transnational-perspectives.org