Over 100 states have decided to probibit the use, development, production, stockpiling and transfer of inaccurate and unrelibale cluster munitions. The signing of the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) will take place in Oslo from 2-4 December 2008.
Cluster Munition Coalition, Defend International and civil society organisations around the world are calling on high-level representatives such as foreign ministers and heads of state to personally sign the treaty in Oslo.
Defend International is hereby asking its members and friends to help make sure that their governments register to take part in the Oslo Signing Conference!
Info Received from Cluster Munition Coalition
Date: 2 – 4 December 2008
Host: Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Location: Oslo, Norway
Below some important information to help your government to register for the Oslo Signing Conference on 3 December, as well as other important practical information relevant to government participation at the conference.
Government registration
All delegates must register their participation on the official Oslo Signing Conference website:
Letters of invitation to states
Letters to states inviting them to come to Oslo to sign the Convention have been sent out by the Norwegian Foreign Minister to all Foreign Ministers of UN Member States. Letters have also been distributed to all UN missions in New York.
If your government has not received the invitation letter, you can request a copy of it from the Norwegian embassy in your country. If there isn’t a Norwegian embassy in your country, contact your country’s mission to the UN in New York, or the UNDP country office.
Visas
Governments should register as soon as possible and must process their applications to get a visa to go to Norway immediately to make sure that the visa is ready in time for travelling to Oslo on 2 December.
Information Note on Visa Requirements for Norway
The visa application and all the application requirements (listed below) should be delivered at the visa section of the EMBASSY that will issue you the Schengen visa for the purpose of the conference. The opening days and hours for the embassies vary, but in generally the visa section is open only few days in the week and in the morning hours from 10:00 am – 12:30 pm.
If there is no Norwegian Foreign Service mission in your country of residence, the consulate of another Schengen country may process the application and issue a Schengen visa valid for Norway.
The processing time for a visa application will take a minimum of 2 weeks and should be submitted prior 10 of November. Applications submitted after this date will be prioritized, but the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration can not guarantee that they will be processed in time for the Conference. You can find information on visa requirements on the Foreign Service where the application will be submitted and on the website of the Norwegian Director of Immigration (www.udi.no/templates/Tema.aspx?id=4477).
Full powers
If the signature of the Convention is to be undertaken by a person other than the Head of State or Government or the Foreign Minister, duly executed Full Powers are necessary. Dated copies of the full powers, signed by a Head of State or Government or Minister of Foreign Affairs must be faxed to the UN Treaty Section before 28 November.
More information and the model of Full Powers instruments can be found on the website http://www.osloccm.no/documents.cfm “Signing Requirements”. Governments may list more than one person able to sign on the Full Power document.
Sponsorship for governments
Developing countries that are going to Oslo to sign the Convention can apply for sponsorship to participate in the Oslo Signing Conference. Note that countries that attend as observers and are not signing cannot receive sponsorship.
For enquiries about sponsorship your government should contact UNDP at: clustermunitions.oslo@undp.org
You can also direct your inquiries to Ms. Jenny Romero tel. +41 22 917 8198 and Ms. Simona Chladkova tel. +41 22 917 8352, Fax +41 22 917 8060.
- More information can be found on the official conference website: http://www.osloccm.no
- Help ban cluster bombs. Sign the People’s Treaty and call on governments to sign the Convention on 3 December. www.stopclustermunitions.org/peoplestreaty
Schedule of events for civil society participants
Monday, 1 December 2008
* Arrival of campaigners
* 18:00-21:00 – Welcome meeting and dinner
Tuesday, 2 December 2008
* 9:00-16:00 – CMC orientation and planning workshop
* 13:00-16:30 – Parliamentary Forum
* 19:00-21:00 Welcome reception hosted by Minister of Defence Anne-Grethe Stroem Erichsen
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
* 9:00-18:30 – Stalls, displays and campaign activities in the tent city outside the City Hall
* 10:00-11:00 – Official opening of the CCM Signing Conference (first signings in plenary)
* 11:00-11:10 – “We made it happen” photo opportunity
* 11:10-11:30 – Press conference
* 11:30-13:00 – Signing continues in parallel with Session I of the General Debate
* 13:00-14:30 – Lunch
* 14:30-18:00 – Signing continues in parallel with Session II of the General Debate
* 14:00-18:30 – Concert and appeals on stage outside the City Hall
* 18:00-18:10 – Delegates exit the City Hall and meet the public (Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs makes an appeal from stage)
* 19:00-21:00 – Official dinner for Ministers and Heads of Delegation, Akershus Castle
* 19:00-21:00 – Reception for all other delegates, Oslo Plaza Hotel
Thursday, 4 December 2008
* 9:30-13:00 – Session III of the General Debate (signing continues in parallel if not finished)
* 13:00-14:30 – Lunch
* 14:30-18:00 – Session IV of the General Debate
* 18:00-18:05 – Closing ceremony
* 18:30-21:30 – Closing reception hosted by the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund in cooperation with the CMC, Opera House
Friday, 5 December 2008
* Departure of campaigners and delegates
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Laura Cheeseman
Campaigning Officer
Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC)
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7820 0222
Mob: +44 (0) 7515 575 175
Skype: laura.cheeseman