147 Later, the dialectics of progress increasingly impeded the universalisation effort In

December 1997 the Ottawa Convention was signed by an exceptionally large number of countries. Thereafter, the countries that were sympathetic towards the convention but had not signed the convention at the time of the Signing Ceremony were easily persuaded to sign. But the further the process of universalisation of the Ottawa Convention advanced, the more difficult it became to move states not parties to become full-fledged members of the convention. The shrinking group of states that had not yet become a State Party consisted of a core group of countries that turned down the treaty on military and security grounds, and a second group of countries which were very unlikely ever to become a State Party. It could not realistically be expected that these ‘tough nuts’ and ‘tougher nuts’ would yield to the recurrent appeals from the Ottawa community. In August 2002 the Universalisation Contact Group (UCG) voiced the desirability of setting a target number for the Review Conference in 2004, the building of broad strategies in addition to specific country-approaches, and the need for longer-term strategies for targeting the ‘difficult countries’. But few concrete ideas in this regard came up at the time.

In 2003 the Ottawa Convention General Support Team was established in an attempt to change minds in these countries through a military-to-military dialogue. However, the initiative could not really make a difference; from the First Review Conference of the convention in November/December 2004 until the end of 2006, only eight countries acceded to the convention, leaving a list of forty of the most reluctant cases.

7.3 Promoting participation

General course of events

In the run-up to the First Meeting of States Parties in Maputo, widespread participation in the work programme of the Ottawa Convention was identified as a vital instrument to keep the landmine issue on the international agenda, to maintain the spirit of cooperation and inclusiveness of the pre-Ottawa process, and to ensure the universalisation and effective implementation of the treaty. Over and above this, it was generally thought to be an important instrument to discourage the arising of dividing lines between donor countries and mine- affected countries.

In 1999 and 2004 series of démarches were organised by a small group of States Parties to push States Parties to participate in the 1MSP and non-States Parties to participate in the First Review Conference of the convention. Furthermore, the Sponsorship Programme

for the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention was established in advance of the 2MSP in 2000

to ensure more widespread participation from mine-affected and other countries in the annual meetings of the States Parties to the convention and in the intersessional working programme. The latter programme aims at covering the subsistence and travel costs of representatives of States Parties that have limited financial means and would normally have difficulty attending these meetings. It is currently driven by a group of 14 States Parties (including the Netherlands) which were either already involved in

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sponsorship, or which wanted to become involved in order to promote the universalisation or implementation of the convention.266

The programme certainly helped to keep participation at a high level over the years.267

The high level of participation is particularly striking given that by comparison with the CCW, a relatively high number of developing countries are represented in the Ottawa Convention.

Table 7.3 Dutch policies on participation December 1997- December 2006

Objectives No distinct policy objective with respect to participation has been

formulated since December 1997. Dutch pursuit of widespread

participation materialises in due attention and concrete efforts with regard to the issue.

Results By the performance of démarches, the Netherlands contributed directly to

the participation of 35 countries in the First Meeting of States Parties. Through concerted EU action it contributed indirectly to the participation of 21, 26 and 16 countries in Third, Fourth and Fifth Meeting of States Parties respectively.

By providing resources to the Sponsorship Programme the Netherlands contributed directly towards the participation of a total of 1054 participants in 17 meetings of the convention.

Interventions As a member of the core group the Netherlands performed bilateral and

multilateral démarches in 51 countries to urge countries to attend the First Meeting of States Parties and to be represented at as high a level as possible.

As a member of the Human Security Network it encouraged states not parties to accede to the treaty prior to the First Review Conference of the Ottawa Convention in 2004 and at the same time urged these states to attend the summit.

Since 2000 the Netherlands has sponsored travel and subsistence costs of delegates from other less wealthy States Parties via the Sponsorship Programme.

Impediments The pursuit of high level attendance in 1999 and 2004 to the First Meeting

of States Parties and the Nairobi Summit respectively was in both instances hindered by persistent uncertainty with regard to the Dutch level of attendance.

Objectives

Having participated in the Ottawa process from the outset, the Netherlands

unhesitatingly adopted the aim of widespread participation. By contrast with the other

266 GICHD, Intervention to the GGE to the CCW by Stephan Nellen, 7 March 2007.

267 The success of the Sponsorship Programme has contributed to the adoption by the Third Review Conference of the CCW, on 15 November 2006, of the Decision on the Establishment of a Sponsorship Programme within the

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