PROVISIONAL AGENDA. CCW/CONF.III/1/Add.1 30 October 2006

Transcription

1 THIRD REVIEW CONFERENCE OF THE STATES PARTIES TO THE CONVENTION ON PROHIBITIONS OR RESTRICTIONS ON THE USE OF CERTAIN CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS WHICH MAY BE DEEMED TO BE EXCESSIVELY INJURIOUS OR TO HAVE INDISCRIMINATE EFFECTS CCW/CONF.III/1/Add.1 30 October 2006 Original: ENGLISH Geneva, 7-17 November 2006 Item 3 of the Provisional Agenda Adoption of the agenda PROVISIONAL AGENDA Presented on recommendation by the Group of Governmental Experts of the States Parties to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons which may be Deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects Addendum ANNOTATIONS Item 1. Opening of the Third Review Conference 1. The Third Review Conference of the High Contracting Parties to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects (CCW) will be opened at a.m. on Tuesday, 7 November 2006 at Conference Room XVIII of the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland. Item 2. Confirmation of the nomination of the President-designate 2. Pursuant to Rule 6 of the Draft Rules of Procedure (CCW/CONF.III/3), the Conference shall elect a President from among the States parties participating in the Conference. 3. At the Meeting of the States Parties to the Convention on 25 November 2005, the States Parties unanimously decided to nominate Ambassador François Rivasseau of France as the President-designate of the Third Review Conference. The Review Conference will confirm this nomination. Item 3. Adoption of the Agenda 4. At its final plenary meeting on 10 March 2006, the Thirteenth Session of the Group of Governmental Experts decided to recommend for adoption by the Third Review Conference the Provisional Agenda of the Third Review Conference (CCW/CONF.III/1). GE

2 Page 2 Item 4. Adoption of the Rules of Procedure 5. At its final plenary meeting on 10 March 2006, the Thirteenth Session of the Group of Governmental Experts decided to recommend for adoption by the Third Review Conference the Draft Rules of Procedure of the Third Review Conference of the States Parties to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May be Deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects. The Group agreed to apply, mutatis mutandis, the same Rules of Procedure as adopted by the Second Review Conference held from 11 to 21 December 2001, with oral amendments. 6. In connection with the adoption of the Rules of Procedure and in accordance with past practice, the President of the Third Review Conference will make the following statement: With regard to Rule 34 of the Rules of Procedure, it is affirmed that, in the deliberations and negotiations relating to the Convention and its annexed Protocols, High Contracting Parties have proceeded on the basis of consensus and no decisions have been taken by vote. Item 5. Confirmation of the nomination of the Secretary-General of the Conference 7. Upon appointment by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, at its final meeting on 10 March 2006, the Thirteenth Session of the Group of Governmental Experts decided to nominate Mr. Peter Kolarov, Political Affairs Officer in the Geneva Branch of the United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs, to serve as Provisional Secretary-General of the Third Review Conference on the understanding that he would perform this function until the convening of the Conference, at which time his nomination will be confirmed. Item 6. Organisation of work including that of the subsidiary bodies of the Conference 8. With the adoption of the Rules of Procedure, the Review Conference will establish a General Committee, which shall be composed of the President, who shall preside, ten Vice- Presidents, and the Chairpersons of the Main Committees, the Drafting Committee as well as the Credentials Committee. The Review Conference will also establish two Main Committees, which shall receive their assignments from the Conference and report to it; the Drafting Committee, which will be composed of representatives of the same States that are represented on the General Committee; and a Credentials Committee. The Conference and the Main Committees may establish working groups. 9. The Group of Governmental Experts has recommended to the Third Review Conference its Provisional Programme of Work, as contained in CCW/CONF.III/2. It has also proposed the following distribution of work between the two Main Committees: Main Committee I: Review of the scope and operation of the Convention and its annexed Protocols, consideration of any proposals relating to the Convention or to Protocols annexed to the Convention, and preparation and consideration of the final documents;

3 Page 3 Main Committee II: Consideration of proposals for additional Protocols to the Convention. 10. The Group of Governmental Experts has also recommended the following documents of the two Main Committees: - Provisional Agenda of Main Committee I (CCW/CONF.III/4); - Provisional Agenda of Main Committee II (CCW/CONF.III/5); - Provisional Programme of Work of Main Committee I (CCW/CONF.III/7/Add.4- CCW/GGE/VX/6/Add.4); and - Provisional Programme of Work of Main Committee II (CCW/CONF.III/7/Add.5- CCW/GGE/VX/6/Add.5). 11. Pursuant to Rule 36 of the Draft Rules of Procedure, the Drafting Committee shall coordinate the drafting of and edit all texts referred to it by the Conference or by a Main Committee, without altering the substance of the texts, and report to the Conference or to the Main Committee as appropriate. It should also, without reopening the substantive discussion on any matter, formulate drafts and give advice on drafting as requested by the Conference or a Main Committee. Representatives of other States may also attend the meetings of the Drafting Committee and may participate in its deliberations when matters of particular concern to them are under discussion. 12. Pursuant to Rule 44 of the Draft Rules of Procedure, the plenary meetings of the Conference and the meetings of the Main Committees shall be held in public unless the body concerned decides otherwise, for instance for the negotiation of proposals. Furthermore, Rule 45 stipulates that as a general rule, meetings of other committees and working groups shall be held in private. Item 7. Election of Vice-Presidents of the Review Conference, Chairpersons and Vice- Chairpersons of the Drafting Committee, the Credentials Committee and the Main Committees 13. In accordance with Rule 6 of the Draft Rules of Procedure, the Conference shall elect from among the States parties participating in the Conference ten Vice-Presidents as well as the Chairperson and a Vice-Chairperson for each of the Main Committees, the Drafting Committee and the Credentials Committee. These officers shall be elected so as to ensure the representative character of the General Committee provided for in Rule 10, which stipulates that the General Committee shall be composed of the President, who shall preside, ten Vice-Presidents, the Chairpersons and the Vice-Chairpersons of the Main Committees, the Drafting Committee and the Credentials Committee. 14. The Thirteenth Session of the Group of Governmental Experts addressed the issue of provisional nomination of Vice-Presidents of the Review Conference, Chairpersons and Vice- Chairpersons of the Main Committees, the Drafting Committee and the Credentials Committee and agreed to request the regional Group Coordinators and China to have a list of nominees available by the opening plenary meeting of the Third Review Conference scheduled for 7 November 2006, based on the following attribution of positions to States Parties:

4 Page 4 Vice-Presidents of the Review Conference: Bulgaria, China Cuba, Czech Republic, Germany, Japan, Morocco, Philippines, Poland, and Switzerland Main Committee I: Chairperson: Lithuania; Vice-Chairman: United States of America Main Committee II: Chairperson: Brazil; Vice-Chairperson: Russian Federation Drafting Committee: Chairperson: India; Vice-Chairperson: Israel Credentials Committee: Chairperson: Croatia; Vice-Chairperson: Mexico. Item 8. Appointment of the Credentials Committee 15. In accordance with Rule 4 of the Draft Rules of Procedure, there shall be a Credentials Committee consisting of five members elected by the Conference on the proposal of the President. The Committee will examine the credentials of representatives and report to the Conference. 16. The Thirteenth Session of the Group of Governmental Experts addressed the issue of provisional nomination of the members of the Credentials Committee and agreed to request the regional Group Coordinators and China to have a list of nominees available by the opening plenary meeting of the Third Review Conference scheduled for 7 November 2006, based on the following attribution of positions to States Parties: Australia, Slovakia and South Africa Item 9. Message from the Secretary-General of the United Nations 17. The Secretary-General of the United Nations will transmit his message to the Third Review Conference, which will be delivered by the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, Mr. Sergei Ordzhonikidze. Item 10. Submission of the report of the Group of Governmental Experts 18. The Meeting of the States Parties to the Convention decided at its final plenary meeting on 25 November 2005 that all necessary preparations for the Third Review Conference are undertaken within the framework of the existing Group of Governmental Experts. The work of the Group of Governmental Experts was undertaken in three sessions at Geneva during 2006 (6 10 March; June; and 28 August 6 September 2006). The President-designate of the Third Review Conference, Ambassador François Rivasseau of France, will present the report (CCW/CONF.III/7 and addenda) of the work of the Group of Governmental Experts to the Review Conference for its consideration. Item 11. General exchange of views (Plenary) 19. Pursuant to the Provisional Programme of Work of the Third Review Conference, the general exchange of views will take place during the plenary meetings to be held on 7 and 8 November (possible high-level segment) and thereafter at any time the President of the Conference will deem it necessary.

5 Page Pursuant to Rule 49 (2) of the Draft Rules of Procedure, representatives of nongovernmental organisations may make oral statements in plenary meetings on questions in which they have a special competence, upon the invitation of the presiding officer of the plenary and subject to the approval of that body. In accordance with the Provisional Programme of Work of the Third Review Conference a plenary meeting on 8 November 2006 has been envisaged for that purpose as well. 21. To mark the entry into force of CCW Protocol V on Explosive Remnants of War, a special plenary meeting (possible high-level segment and NGO statements) is scheduled for 13 November in the morning. Item 12. Review of the scope and operation of the Convention and its annexed Protocols 22. Following the decision of the Second Review Conference of the States Parties to the Convention as stipulated in Part II, Final Declaration, under Review of the Articles, Article 8 (Review and amendments) of its Final Document (CCW/CONF.II/2) to convene a further conference five years following the entry into force of the amendments adopted at the Second Review Conference, but in any case not later than 2006, with preparatory meetings starting as early as 2005, if necessary, the Meeting of the States Parties to the Convention in its final plenary meeting on 25 November 2005 decided to convene the Third Review Conference of the States Parties to the Convention from 7 to 17 November 2006 at Geneva in conjunction with the Eighth Annual Conference of the States Parties to Amended Protocol II. 23. At its sixtieth session, the General Assembly of the United Nations, in its resolution 60/93 of 6 January 2006, inter alia, recalled the decision of the Second Review Conference of the States Parties to the Convention to convene a further conference not later than 2006, requested that the Review Conference be held in November 2006 in Geneva and be preceded by as many preparatory meetings as deemed necessary by the States parties, and also requested the Meeting of the States Parties on 24 and 25 November 2005 to take a final decision on these matters. Furthermore, the General Assembly noted that in conformity with article 8 of the Convention, the Third Review Conference may consider any proposal for amendments to the Convention or the Protocols thereto as well as any proposal for additional protocols relating to other categories of conventional weapons not covered by existing protocols to the Convention. The General Assembly also requested that the Third Review Conference and its preparatory meetings exert maximum effort to promote universalization of the Convention, as amended, and of all Protocols thereto, including through the holding of regional conferences and seminars. Item 13. Consideration of any proposal for the Convention and its existing Protocols 24. Pursuant to Rule 29 of the Draft Rules of Procedure, the draft proposals submitted to the Conference by the Group of Governmental Experts (CCW/CONF.III/7 and addenda) shall constitute the basic proposals for consideration by the Conference. 25. In accordance with Rule 30 of the Draft Rules of Procedure, other proposals and substantive amendments shall normally be introduced in writing and handed to the Secretary- General of the Conference, who shall circulate copies to all delegations in the languages of the Conference. As a general rule, proposal shall be discussed or put to a decision only when

6 Page 6 copies of it have been circulated to all delegations in their respective working languages not later than the day preceding the meeting. Item 14. Consideration of proposals for additional protocols to the Convention 26. Pursuant to Rule 29 of the Draft Rules of Procedure, the draft proposals submitted to the Conference by the Group of Governmental Experts (CCW/CONF.III/7 and addenda) shall constitute the basic proposals for consideration by the Conference. 27. In accordance with Rule 30 of the Draft Rules of Procedure, other proposals and substantive amendments shall normally be introduced in writing and handed to the Secretary- General of the Conference, who shall circulate copies to all delegations in the languages of the Conference. As a general rule, proposal shall be discussed or put to a decision only when copies of it have been circulated to all delegations in their respective working languages not later than the day preceding the meeting. Item 15. Report of the Credentials Committee 28. The Conference shall approve the Report of the Credentials Committee. Item 16. Reports of the Main Committees 29. The Conference shall take note of the Reports of the Main Committees. Item 17. Report of the Drafting Committee 30. The Conference shall take note of the report of the Drafting Committee. Item 18. Consideration and adoption of the final documents 31. The Conference shall consider and adopt the final documents under this item. Item 19. Other matters 32. Any other matters may be raised as the situation warrants.