Landmines Youth Symposium
Agenda
November 30, 2007
(as of November 20, 2007)
8:00 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.
Registration
Location: Riddell Atrium
9:00 a.m. - 9:10 a.m.
Opening of Youth Forum
Paul Faucette, Canadian Landmine Foundation (CLF)
Location: Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall
9:10 a.m. - 10:10 a.m.
Keynote Address
Dr. Lloyd Axworthy, President & Vice Chancellor
Location: Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall
Dramatic reading of Vanna's Dance by Maria van Santen, author
Vanna Min (Cambodian landmine survivor) and Sokhon Prak
10:10 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Health Break
Location: Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall Foyer
10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
Introduction into Breakout Sessions
Paul Faucette, CLF
Location: Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall
10:45 a.m. - Noon
Breakout Sessions
Participants are broken into discussion groups to tackle relevant landmine questions.
Youth Champions, High School Teachers, Rights and Democracy students act as facilitators.
Location: Classrooms
Noon - 1:00 p.m.
Lunch
Entertainment by Hot Dogg
Location: Riddell Hall
1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Keynote Address
Chris Cobb, Columnist, Ottawa Citizen
Location: Riddell Hall
1:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Breakout Sessions
Participants are broken into discussion groups to tackle relevant landmine questions.
Youth Champions, High School Teachers, Rights and Democracy students act as facilitators.
Location: Classrooms
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Breakout Session Presentations
Location: Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall
4:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Closing Remarks
Dr. Lloyd Axworthy, President & Vice Chancellor
Location: Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall
Breakout Sessions
The high school and university students will be broken into groups of 5 – 10 and will have the opportunity to discuss pertinent issues affecting landmines eradication movement. The Youth Champions and others will act as facilitators for the group. The groups will also have recorders to ensure that all ideas are capture during the discussion.
Thematic Issues and Questions
Ottawa Treaty
What was the impact of the Ottawa Treaty?
Background: 2007 marks the tenth anniversary of the signing of the Ottawa Treaty on December 3, 1997. The Ottawa Treaty or the Mine Ban Treaty, bans completely all anti-personnel landmines (AP-mines). For the first time, the majority of the nations of the world agreed to ban a weapon which was in military use by almost every country in the world. For the first time, a global partnership of governments, international institutions and non-governmental groups came together – with remarkable speed and spirit – to draft an international Treaty.
Can the Ottawa Process be replicated?
Background: The Ottawa Process was a ‘fast-track’ diplomatic effort. In only 14 months countries negotiated the Ottawa Treaty. By international standards the Ottawa Process was extraordinarily fast and effective.
Should Canada be proud of the Ottawa Treaty?
Humanitarian Mine Action
Demining
How can we reverse the decrease in international mine action funding?
Background: In 2006, the Landmine Monitor Report reported the 2005 total of $376 million for mine action was down $23 million, almost six percent, from 2004. This is the first time that global mine action funding has decreased meaningfully since 1992, when states first began to devote significant resources to mine action. Of the top 20 donors, half provided less mine action funding in 2005: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, United States and the European Commission. The global decrease largely reflects big reductions from the two most significant donors: the European Commission (down $14.9 million) and the United States (down $14.6 million
Survivor Assistance
How can we increase funding for survivor assistance?
Background: The Landmine Monitor (2006) report indicates there are approximately 350,000 to 400,000 mine survivors in the world today; there may well be as many as 500,000. Several survivor assistance programs had serious funding shortfalls in 2005, preventing the delivery of essential services to mine survivors, their families and communities.
The Next 10 Years
How can we reinvigorate the landmine movement in the public consciousness?
Background: Landmine organizations believe that the world can be mine-safe by 2020. If the funding and action against landmines continues to decline the world will not meet that deadline.
How can landmine organizations engage young people?
Background: To date 152 countries have passed laws necessary to eliminate this weapon. Others, in varying degrees, are abiding by the principles of the Ottawa Convention. We have made great strides; however, with 15,000-20,000 new landmine victims every year, it is clear that more is needed to be done to rid the world of landmines. The landmine movement needs a new generation campaigners to ensure that we finish the job.