Ban Advocates Blog

Dejan Dikic, Statement on Victim Assistance, Wellington Conference on Cluster Munitions, Wellington, New Zealand, 20 February 2008

Thank you, Mr. Co-chair, for giving me this opportunity to speak. I am Dejan Dikic and I come from Serbia. I am a cluster munitions survivor. I also consider myself a witness, as in my city, Nis, I can see around me every day the consequences of cluster munitions and the effects they have had on my community. I am here today to share my experience and thoughts with you. I believe human rights and solidarity are the basis of civilization. Therefore I ask, and as a survivor I request, that you, distinguished delegates, ensure that victim assistance will remain at the core of the future Treaty. I also challenge States Parties to the future Treaty to work with us, the victims, so that victim assistance provisions in the treaty will really make a positive difference to our lives.

Sladjan Vučković, Statement on Definitions, Wellington Conference on Cluster Munitions, Wellington, New Zealand, 19 February 2008

Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am Slađjan Vučković, a cluster munitions survivor from Niš in Serbia. I would like to speak about a few aspects of this issue today. As a professional, I once worked on cluster sub-munitions disposal. During my work I had an accident, and I lost both of my arms and a part of my leg. I am also a family man with two children.

Soraj Ghulam Habib, Opening Ceremony, Wellington Conference on Cluster Munitions, Wellington, New Zealand, 18 February 2008

Co-chairs, Excellencies, Ministries, Colleagues and Friends,

I think some of you already know me from the Vienna Conference on Cluster Munitions. My name is Soraj Ghulab Habib and I come from Afghanistan, Herat province. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak. I am happy to see so many delegations here in Wellington. I have heard that there are more than 110 states here today. Congratulations! I am here to call on all states, both those that are here today and those that have not participated in the process yet, to support the Wellington Declaration and to work for the strongest possible treaty, a treaty that will make a concrete difference for the people.

Dejan Dickic, intervention during the Transparency and Compliance session, Vienna Conference on Cluster Munitions, Vienna, Austria, 7 December 2007.

Thank you for giving us this opportunity to speak. We strongly agree with the need for objectively monitoring the whole cluster munitions treaty. Our position is that there must be an obligation for addressing cluster munitions and victim assistance in the future treaty. We respect the authority of the state institutions that will be monitoring the process. We know that civil society can be effectively incorporated into monitoring activities. Civil society has a long history of playing a leading role in the monitoring of arms conventions, in particular Landmine Monitor as the watchdog of the Mine Ban Treaty. Also in this process, States should insist on civil society’s presence and participation because of our expertise gained through working in affected communities. Each State Party should realize that NGO activists are not their opponents. States should be aware that a greater role needs to be given to survivors, their families, and communities in the coming Cluster Munitions Monitoring process.

Sladjan Vuckovic, Opening Ceremony, Vienna Conference on Cluster Munitions Vienna, Austria, 5 December 2007

Thank you, Madam Minister, for giving us the floor.

Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

After Umarbek’s story it is very difficult to stay indifferent. A family gathered in its home experienced a tragedy. How did those children deserve to become disabled persons for life? Cluster munitions have impacted thousands of sad destinies. One of them is mine.

Soraj Ghulam Habib, Opening Statement, International Forum hosted by the Cluster Munition Coalition, 3 December 2007, Vienna, Austria

Thank you for this opportunity to speak.

I am Soraj Ghulam Habib, from Herat in Afghanistan; I am a cluster munitions survivor and a member of the Ban Advocates and CMC. I joined the Advocates to campaign for the banning of CM because I know that CM affects people, ordinary civilians. I am not just expressing my own difficulties, but those experienced by thousands of survivors all over the world. We are Ban Advocates because we have experienced the real effects of cluster munitions. We call for a ban on all cluster munitions. We believe that there is no such thing as acceptable cluster munitions. This is an inhumane weapon. We believe there should be no exceptions to the ban; we need rules, not exceptions, in order to prevent further suffering. We call on all states to join the Oslo process. The Oslo process is the right place to deal with cluster munitions.

Dejan Dikic, Belgrade Conference for States affected by Cluster Munitions, 3 October 2007, Belgrade, Serbia

I am a survivor member of the Handicap International Cluster Munitions Ban Advocates Project and a survivor and campaigner for survivors’ rights in my own affected community of Nis. I know from my community that their needs are far from being adequately met. I know from the stories of other survivors and advocates that this is a problem in all our affected communities. Our participation is important. What can we, people from affected communities, ask from this process? The process can learn from our experiences. At the same time, we will ask “What will this process do for us, our families and communities?”

Umarbek Pulodov, International Forum hosted by the Cluster Munition Coalition, 2 October 2007, Belgrade, Serbia

Thank you for the opportunity to speak at this Forum. I am Umarbek Pulodov and I come from Tajikistan, from a cluster munitions affected community. Together with 10 colleagues from other affected countries, we chose to join the Handicap International Cluster munitions Ban Advocates Project to advocate for a ban on cluster munitions, so that the needs of victims are addressed and their fundamental rights implemented in practice. We want to contribute our thoughts and knowledge to the Oslo Process to assure that decision-makers will take into consideration the real needs of cluster munitions survivors, including those of their families and communities. We believe there is an urgent need for involving people directly concerned with these weapons in drafting the new treaty.