14th DbI World Conference Perth, Western Australia 25 - 30 September, 2007

1. Paper: Identification and Control by UN Member States of Weapons Designed to Cause Blindness and/or Deafness Presenter: Colin Bennett, United Kingdom 14th DbI World Conference Perth, Western Australia 25 - 30 September, 2007

2. I am indebted to Landmine Action for the following information about the infestation of so many countries by landmines. It does not deal with the well-known cases of Indo-China and the former Portuguese colonies in Africa. This information sheet was supplied to me in response to questions put to Landmine Action and that explains its layout. 1. After the Indo-Chinese countries, Angola and Mozambique which countries have been most ravaged by landmines? Afghanistan, Burundi, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Chechnya, Colombia, Iraq, Nepal and Sri Lanka are all heavily contaminated from Landmines. 2. Are there any other placed landmines in the Americas? Peru, Colombia, Chile and Hondorus are all landmine affected countries in the Americas- some of this contamination is from improvised explosive devices. El Salvador and Guatemala state that they no longer have a mine problem. 3. I know about the cluster munition drop by NATO in Yugoslavia in 1999. Are there any placed landmines in and around Yugoslavia including Kosovo? Serbia, Albania, Bosnia- Herzegovina, Croatia are all affected as is Kosovo. (continued on next slide) Landmines throughout the WorldInformation supplied by the Landmine Action of the UK

3. 4. Are you able to tell me briefly the situation concerning landmines and cluster munitions in Iraq and Afghanistan? Iraq: It is one of the most severely contaminated countries. Minefields were placed as barriers along its 1400 km border with Iran. Additional minefields were laid on the boarded with Saudi Arabia. The Kurdish governorate is one of the most contaminated areas in the world. With regards to cluster munitions- the US and the UK used these in 2003. The US used at least 1,206 cluster bombs containing more than 200,000 submunitions. The UK dropped 98,000 submunitions. There is also still contamination from cluster munitions used in the 1991 war. It is difficult to give estimations as to the number of unexploded bomblets and the casualty data due to the security situation and lack of data management capacity within the country. Afghanistan: Again is one of the most heavily contaminated countries. Most of the landmine contamination here stems for the decade long war of resistance, followed by the Soviet occupation in 1979. However there is also significant contamination from the civil war (1992-1996) and during the Taliban regime (1996-2001). Landmines were used by the Soviet occupation forces both for conventional military purposes and also as defensive barriers around military installations, as part of strategies to depopulate villages - mines were placed in houses, irrigation systems and agricultural and grazing land. . Although Afghanistan has the biggest, oldest and most richly resourced mine action programme, due to the level of contamination it continues to be a problem. Cluster bombs were used in Afghanistan by the Soviet Union, the Taliban, the Northern Alliance and the US between 1980 and 2002. The US dropped approximately 1228 cluster munitions in 2001-2002, containing 248,056 submunitions. COMMENT BY COLIN BENNETT: Food for thought, isn't it? Landmines throughout the World(continued)

4. A) BRIEF STATEMENT OF CONTENTS 1. Are there weapons designed to cause blindness and/or deafness? Brief description of them. 2. Where are these weapons manufactured? Where have they been used? 3. What legislation have UN member states introduced to identify, regulate and license the manufacture of such weapons? 4. What are the international controls on the export/import and use of these weapons by parties under the jurisdiction of UN member states? 5. How informed are the organisations of and for deaf, blind and deafblind people in all UN member states about this issue? 6. Should DbI and its constituent organisations take a stand on this issue? 7. Should this subject be addressed in the UN Convention on Disability, now in gestation? B) DESCRIPTION OF PRESENTATION 1. I propose to begin my presentation by putting the above questions to the audience. 2. I will then give answers as far as I can to my own questions. 3. I will then seek the views on these topics of the audience. I prefer that those people writing to address these matters provide written contributions that can be distributed before the Conference begins. C) SUMMARY OF MAIN PURPOSE OF PRESENTATIONObviously the intention of this Paper is to direct the attention of the DbI and the db movement in general to the existence of these weapons. I would like to use this Paper as a springboard to force governments to debate these issues in their legislatures and in other forums in every country. I am looking for a resolution emanating from this Paper directing the DbI ruling body to take note of the contents of this Paper and any decisions/recommendations flowing from it. ABSTRACT OF PAPER TITLE: Identification and control by UN member states of weapons designed to cause blindness and/or deafness.

5. As of 31 May 2007, the 75 states participating in the Oslo Process include: Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea Bissau, Holy See, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Lao PDR, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mauritania, Mexico, Mozambique, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Senegal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, UK, Venezuela, Yemen and Zambia. States involved in the Oslo Process

6. 1. Are there weapons designed to cause blindness and/or deafness? Brief description of them. 2. Where are these weapons manufactured? Where have they been used? 3. What legislation have UN member states introduced to identify, regulate and license the manufacture of such weapons? 4. What are the international controls on the export/import and use of these weapons by parties under the jurisdiction of UN member states? 5. How informed are the organisations of and for deaf, blind and deafblind people in all UN member states about this issue? 6. Should DbI and its constituent organisations take a stand on this issue? 7. Should this subject be addressed in the UN Convention on Disability, now in gestation? A) BRIEF STATEMENT OF CONTENTS

7. Cluster Munitions Coalition: www.stopclustermunitions.org Democracy Now! www.democracynow.org International Campaign to Ban Landmines: www.icbl.org Landmine Action: www.landmineaction.org Parliament of Australia: www.aph.gov.au/bills/index.htm United Nations Office at Geneva: www.unog.ch University of Bradford Non-Lethal Weapons Research Project: www.bradford.ac.uk/acad/nlw Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org References: