What You Should Know About The Gto-14

What you should know about the GTO-14:

1. What is the GTO-14: The GTO-14 is a group of 14 non-government organisations from the civilian population of Colombia that work in the field of anti-personnel mines and that have joined forces in order to achieve the best and most concrete results to benefit the victims of this problem. 2. Who are the 14 organisations: The Asamblea permanente por la Paz, the British Council, the Colombian Campaign to Ban landmines (CCCM), CIREC, Corporación Retorno y Vida, the Colombian Red Cross, Fundación Mi Sangre, Fundación REI, Fundación Restrepo Barco, Handicap International, Mercy Corps, Moviment Per la Pau, Pastoral Social and United for Colombia. 3. What is the objective of this alliance: To demonstrate to the country and to the international community at the Second Revision Conference of the Ottawa Convention that will take place in Cartagena from 30th November to 4th December that this group of organisations is dedicated to working together to protecting victims of anti-personnel mines and to working towards a Colombia without mines. 4. What is the Ottawa Convention: Along with 157 other countries, Colombia signed the Convention to ban the use, storage, production and transfer of anti-personnel mines and which calls for their destruction in 1997. Colombia ratified the

convention in the year 2000. By signing this Convention, the States Parties are committing themselves to the removal and/or destruction of anti-personnel mines within their country within ten years of joining the treaty. Furthermore, the Participating States should join together again for the Revision Conference in order to discuss issues which relate to the fulfillment and success of the Convention. 5. What is the Revision Conference: Every five years, the participating states must attend a Revision Conference in order to assess the application of the Convention’s terms and its current state, and to draw conclusions on how the Convention has been put into practice. The first Revision Conference took place in Nairobi, Kenya in November 2004. It was here that the 2005-2009 Nairobi Action Plan was created to establish the essential action to be taken in the fight against landmines during this period. Colombia will host the Second Revision Conference which will take place in Cartagena from 30th November to 4th December 2009. 6. The launch of the Regional Forums pre- Revision Conference: The Regional Forums will cover almost the entire country. They are being carried out within the framework of the activities of GTO-14 in order to support the Second Revision Conference in Cartagena. The Colombian Campaign to Ban Landmines (CCCM) and Fundación Mi Sangre are responsible for these forums. 7. What are the Regional Forums for: To revise, with the participation of NonGovernmental Organisations, survivors of landmine accidents, communities affected by landmines, Landmine Victim Associations as well as the general public, the Colombian Government’s fulfillment of the pledges it made in 2004 at the First Revision Conference in Nairobi, Kenya.

8. The intended outcome of the forums: a) That landmine victims, their families and communities affected by landmines actively participate in the evaluation of Colombia’s implementation of the terms of the Ottawa Convention. b) That organisations involved in the anti-landmine campaigns from the various departments take up a stance with regards to the fulfillment of the Convention’s terms. c) To produce both a written and a filmed document that presents the opinions given at each forum on the realisation of and advances made with regard to the Ottawa Convention in Colombia. d) The document will be distributed at Cartagena to both National and International Organisations and the information gathered will be used as a support in the discussion forum that the singer Juanes will hold along with victims of anti-personnel mines within the framework of the Conference. For more information visit www.gto14.org