Weekly Report: 2011-04-11 to 04-16 - BWC / ISDR

Still catching up !

BWC: This week was largely taken up by the BWC Preparatory Committee, which sorted out the agenda and topics for the BWC 7th RevCom to be held in Geneva this coming December.  A leading concern on the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), is Article X, on cooperation and assistance.  ASEAN delivered a joint statement.  We had been busy meeting and coordinating with fellow delegations for the organization of the BWC "Superweek" to be held in Makati City in late June,  Later in the year, in June,for the ASEAN and Asia-Pacific Community.  We are bringing together a series of workshops and seminars which would otherwise be held separately throughout the year, on the following themes: (1) preparation for the RevCon, (2) bio science and technology, (3) BWC confidence building measures, and (4) national implementing legislation for the BWC.  Among are partners for this activity are the BWC-ISU, the US State Department / Biosecurity Engagement Program (BEP), the European Union -Joint Action on the BWC, and VERTIC.  We are also asking our other friends in the region to join us in this project.  We strongly feel we can benefit by encouraging synergy, through this week of activity, among our biosecurity and biosafety processes and stakeholders: parliamentarians, diplomats, scientists, the security sector, academe, industry, and so on.  We need to bring together our various communities tackling various aspects of BWC work, on the national, regional and global levels. 

ISDR: We were also quite busy with preparations for the ISDR Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction  to be held in Geneva from 9-13 May 2011. The GP is DRR's highest-level conference, and is held every two years.  We will have quite a high-powered and large delegation from the Philippines, including Secretary Dinky Soliman, Governor Joey Salceda, Congressman Mel Senen Sarmiento, and other LGU officials and civil society members.  Representing the Office of Civil Defense will be EXO Ronald Flores, who will be joined by colleagues from NEDA and DoF. I was invited to speak on Private Sector cooperation during the GP.  

Weekly Report: 2011-04-03 to 04-08 - CCW, ERWs & IEDs / GDAVD / BWC / FilCom

Argghhh !  Falling behind on my reports !  

CCW: Well, it was another week of CCW activity.  I presented two reports, one on Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) (the IED issue is coordinated by my good friend Reto Wollenmann of Switzerland) and another on Explosive Remnants of War (ERWs) (this is coordinated by another good friend James O'Shea of Ireland).  Regarding IEDs in the Philippines, I noted the following trends -on their use by Armed Non-State Actors (ANSAs) in the Philippines: (1) growing sophistication of IED design, (2) evidetnt commonalities of IED design and execution showing an expanding network of ANSA training, (3) the increasingly difficult access to landmines cause ANSAs to develop and use IEDs, (4) IEDs are favored weapons by ANSAs due to the ready availability of explosives and materials and (5) UXOs from Philippine military artillery firing are a major component of ANSA IEDs.  On ERWs, PH is not yet a party to CCW Protocol V on ERWs, but we already have some activity on ERW clearance. PH ERWs come from two sources - WWII munitions, and those from the recent conflicts in Mindanao.  The US had recently assisted us in clearance of WWII ERWs coming from Caballo Island, which were transported to and destroyed at Crow Valley in Tarlac.  We have joint training and education programs in Mindanao conducted by the PCBL and the Fondation Suisse de Demanage (FSD), and by the US Government. 

GDAVD: PH is a member of the Core Group for the Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development (GDAVD), Core Group meetings are held several times a year, such as on April 5 .  It was noted that the PH Office of the Presidential Adviser for the Peace Process (OPAPP) is engaging closely with the issue of AV reduction, and will probably represent the Philippines in the 2011 GDAVD Summit to be held in Geneva this October.  There is still interest in holding the 2nd Asia-Pacific GDAVD Regional Workshop in Manila in 2012.

BWC: Ambassador Garcia and I particpated in a weekend seminar / workshop (April 8-10) on the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) 7th Review Conference, co-sponsored by Indonesia, Norway and the UN BWC-Implementation Support Unit (ISU), and was held in beautiful Montreaux.  The Philippines and Indonesia will serve as Vice-Presidents in the 7th RevCom to be held this December.

FilCom: On April 6, we held a meeting with the Filipino Community in Geneva / Vaud (FilCom) to begin planning for our June 12 (Independence Day) celebrations.  It was decided to hold a traditional "Kermesse" or picnic affair, on June 11. There will also be other events in the lead up to June 12, including the OF Basketball League finals, and a "Gandang Ina" beauty contest.

Weekly Report: 2011-03-28 to 04-01

Well, instead of daily posts, I will make weekly reports.


For this week I was chairing the 2nd 2011 Session of the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons - Group of Government Experts (CCW-GGE).  The CCW-GGE is mandated to come up with a new draft protocol on Cluster Munitions within the CCW framework. I was most ably assisted by my "Friends of the Chair" - Lt. Col. Jim Burke (Ireland), Mr. Philip Kimpton (Australia) and Ms. Anesa Kundurovic (Bosnia-Herzcegovina).  It was held at the UN Palais des Nations in Geneva.


On April 28 I met with the "Ginger Group" of the Conference on Disarmament (CD) Missions on the follow-up to the High-Level Meeting (HLM) of the UN SecGen on the CD.


On April 30 I also attended a meeting of the UN International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction  (ISDR) Support Group, where I am coordinator for the Asia-Pacific and ASEAN Missions.  We focused on preparations for the upcoming ISDR Global Platform which will be held in May.  I also met informally with ASEAN and GRULAC collegues to discuss possible joint activity in the Global Platform and beyond.