Article 13 of Amended Protocol II provides for a conference of High Contracting Parties to the Protocol to be held annually for the purpose of consultations and cooperation on all issues relating to the Protocol.

Pursuant to the relevant decision of the 2012 Fourteenth Annual Conference (Geneva, 14 November 2012), the Fifteenth Annual Conference of the High Contracting Parties to Amended Protocol II will be held on 13 November 2013 in the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland. The Conference will be presided by Ambassador Luis Gallegos of Ecuador and he will be assisted by three Vice-Presidents representing Belarus, China and Finland.

The Conference will review the status and operation of the Protocol and consider matters arising from reports by High Contracting Parties according to paragraph 4 of Article 13 of Amended Protocol II, as well as development of technologies to protect civilians against indiscriminate effects of mines. The Conference will also consider the issue on Improvised Explosive Devices.

The Conference will consider, in particular, the work of the informal open-ended Group of Experts, established by the Tenth Annual Conference, which was held on 8 and 9 April 2013.

Ms. Namdi Payne of Australia, Coordinator on Improvised Explosive Devices, assisted by Mr.
Laurent Masmejean of Switzerland as Co-Coordinator;

The issue on the operation and status of the Protocol; on matters arising from reports by High Contracting Parties according to paragraph 4 of Article 13 of Amended Protocol II, as well as development of technologies to protect civilians against indiscriminate effects of mines will be under the overall responsibility of the President-designate.

• Programme of Work CCW APII Group of Experts 2013

• Letter by the President-designate on preparations for the discussion on the Operation and status of the Protocol;
• Letter by the Coordinator on IEDs and Co-Coordinator on preparations for the discussion on IEDs;
• Letter by the ISU informing States on the Compilation of existing guidelines, best practices, and other recommendations aimed at addressing the diversion of illicit use of materials;
• Food-for-Thought Paper by the Coordinator on IEDs on developing best practices in the framework of CCW APII aimed at helping to address the diversion or illicit use of materials that can be used for IEDs;
• Non-paper by Australia on IEDs promoting discussion on information sharing on IEDs and on how to develop and improve best practice to minimise the spread of IEDs.

To see the presentations that were delivered by the experts during the Group of Experts, which have been submitted to the Secretariat, please click below:


Operation and Status of Amended Protocol II
Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs)


Segment 1
Information exchange on IEDs, with presentations of case studies from affected countries and an exchange on national experiences with steps to prevent IED use

Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) Fact Sheet on IEDs Impact 2011-2012

COLOMBIA by Lt. Colonel Diego Padilla, Demining Inspector, Humanitarian Demining Section, Engineering Branch, Colombian Armed Forces

INDONESIA Indonesia’s Experience in Preventing the Use of IED, by Lt. Colonel Tedjasukma Ekaputra, Director of Planning & Operation, Peacekeeping Centre, Indonesian National Defence Forces

INDIA Improvised Explosive Devices: India’s Contribution to International Cooperation by Lt. Colonel Madhukar Jha, Directorate General of Military Operations, Indian Ministry of Defence

RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Report on the Implementation of Amended Protocol II
Main areas of activities in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to improve measures to counter IEDs
by Colonel Alexander Mikhailovich Semiglazov, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit, Russian Federation Armed Forces

NIGERIA Combating the Problems of IEDs in Nigeria: the EOD Experience by DSP Haruna Ismaila, Commander, Bomb Disposal (EOD), Police Forces Headquarters

SRI LANKA Experience in Combating IEDs in Sri Lanka by Major General Lasantha Nath Wickramasuriya, Chief, Field Engineer, Sri Lankan Army

SPAIN The IED Threat by Colonel Rafael Jiminez Sanchez, Director, Demining Centre (CID), Ministry of Defence

UGANDA by Lt. Colonel Wilson Kabeera, Chief Combat Instructor, Uganda Defence Forces

UKRAINE The IED Counter-action and providing security during Euro 2012 by Colonel Sergii Lutsenko, Head, Laboratory of Examination of Explosives and Explosive Devices, State Research Forensics Centre, Ministry of Internal Affairs

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA U.S. Counter-Improvised Explosive Device (C-IED) Policy Overview by the Joint-IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO), Mr. Alex Wagner, Office of the Secretary of Defense

EUROPOL Strategies, Efforts and Challenges on IEDs by Gonçalo Simões, Senior Specialist, CBRN and Explosives Team

EUROPEAN UNION C-IED in the EU from a Military Perspective by Major Niels van Bekkum, Armed Forces of The Netherlands, EU Member State



Segment 2
Commence developing best practices aimed at helping to address the diversion or illicit use of materials that can be used to make IEDs

GENEVA ACADEMY OF INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW AND HUMAN RIGHTS Towards Possible Best Practice Guidelines on IEDs within the scope of Amended Protocol II by Mr. Stuart Casey-Maslen, Head of Research

GERMANY Counter-IED in Afghanistan from a German Perspective: Lessons learned and best practices by Colonel (GS) Helmut Heck, Counter-Improvised Explosive Devices Centre, Bundeswehr Joint Forces Operations Command

UNITED KINGDOM Improvised Explosive Devices: Responding to the Threat – Best Practice by Colonel Jonathan Welch CBE, British Army

AUSTRALIA Improving Information Sharing, Best Practice by Brigadier Wayne Budd, Commander, Australian Defence Force Counter-IED Task Force

ARGENTINA Trials and Tests on Explosives and other Dangerous Goods: IED Preventive Measures by Colonel Eng. Oscar Osvaldo Giacomelli, Institute of Scientific and Technical Research for Defence, Ministry of Defence

ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY AND CO-OPERATION IN EUROPE (OSCE) Explosive Hazards Reduction and Response in Central Asia – OSCE Co-operative and Inclusive Approach by Mr. Luka Buhin, Mine Action Officer, OSCE Office, Tajikistan

ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES (OAS) IEDs: Perspectives on the Threat and Responses in the Americas by Carl E. Case, Coordinator, Mine Action and Control of Arms and Munitions, Department of Public Security

WORLD CUSTOMS ORGANIZATION (WCO) Programme Global Shield: Past, Present and Future by Mr. Lawrence Chow, Business Analyst

COUNTER-IED CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE (C-IED CoE, Madrid) Observations on the biggest lessons learned in C-IED and Best Practices by Major Niels van Bekkum, Operations Officer

NATO SUPPPORT AGENCY (NSPA) Preventing the Misuse of Conventional Munitions in IEDs by Mr. Steve Brown, Senior Technical Officer, Mine Clearance and Explosive Disposal Projects

UNODA
Update on the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG) by Ms. Gillian Goh, Political Affairs Officer, Conventional Arms Branch, New York (delivered by Mr. Yuriy Kryvonos, Political Affairs Officer, UNODA Geneva Branch);
UNODA Fact Sheet Secure Ammunition Management through UN SaferGuard



Segment 3
IHL rules applicable to IED use and the Protection of civilians

INDEPENDENT RESEARCHER, Ms. Joanna Wright IED Networks, Humanitarian Impacts and IHL, setting the scene

UNMAS Methodology for the Protection of Civilian Populations from IEDs by Ms. Agnès Marcaillou, Director

UNICEF Protecting Civilians from Improvised Explosive Devices by Ms. Judy Grayson, Senior Advisor, Child Protection Section, Armed Violence and Weapons Team



Segment 4
IEDs and Victim assistance

AFGHANISTAN by Mr. Mohammad Sediq Rashid, Chief of Operations, Mine Action Coordination Centre, Kabul






Compilation of existing guidelines, best practices, and other recommendations aimed at addressing the diversion or illicit use of materials which can be used for IEDs

A draft Compilation was first circulated on 5 April 2012 by the Co-Coordinators on IEDs and was discussed by the Group of Experts. The Group welcomed the draft and supported its dissemination. Subsequently, the Fourteenth Annual Conference requested the Implementation Support Unit to disseminate the Compilation and, in consultation with the Coordinators and the High Contracting Parties, to maintain the Compilation on an ongoing basis, including updating it as new relevant guidelines, best practices, recommendations and other comments are published.

The High Contracting Parties are invited to update the Compilation at any moment. Please contact the ISU for any assistance on this matter.


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