Madame President,

We would like to warmly congratulate you on your assumption of chair of the 16th Annual Conference of Amended Protocol II of CCW. We also congratulate other officers of the bureau on their election as Vice Presidents.

Madame President,

2. India supports the approach enshrined in Amended Protocol II of striking a balance between humanitarian concerns on landmines and legitimate defence requirements, particularly of States with long borders. We support the vision of a world free of the threat of landmines with mine survivors fully integrated into their society and with individuals and communities free to pursue development in a safe and secure environment. We believe that the availability of militarily effective alternative technologies that can perform cost effectively the defensive function of anti-personnel landmines will facilitate the achievement of this goal.

3. We attach importance to the full implementation of Amended Protocol II and have been up to date in submission of our national reports. We have fulfilled our obligations under the Protocol related inter alia, on non-production of non-detectable mines as well as rendering all our anti-personnel mines detectable. India is observing a moratorium on the export and transfer of landmines. Information regarding our obligations under Amended Protocol II is being regularly disseminated to our Armed Forces. Whenever and wherever mines have been used for defensive military operations, they have been laid within fenced perimeters and marked, in accordance with the requirements specified in Amended Protocol II. Post operations these mines have been cleared by trained troops.

4. An integral part of efforts to avoid civilian casualties is to enhance public awareness on landmines. Further, mine victims are assisted in rehabilitation inter alia, by providing financial compensation, employment and health assistance. India's ratification of the Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities underscores the importance we attach to victim assistance. We would also like to stress the importance of development and sharing of technology to protect civilians against the indiscriminate use of mines as well as for mine clearance.

5. India has extended assistance to international demining and rehabilitation efforts including as part of UN peacekeeping operations to which India is a leading contributor. Indian mine clearance professionals have contributed to both clearance and clearance training in several countries including in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Angola, Benin and Afghanistan. We have also provided support for mine clearance in the erstwhile conflict affected areas in Sri Lanka and in this context welcome the progress made thus far as detailed in the statement made by the Sri Lankan delegation this morning. In the last five years, a total of 481 personnel from various countries have undergone training in India in mine clearance and explosives disposal.

Madame President,

6. Amended Protocol - II serves as perhaps the only UN framework which addresses the issue of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) which is today the weapon of choice for terrorists and NSAs. We believe that the international community has much to learn from exchange of experience in dealing with the threat of IEDs. India's Centre of Excellence for training on IEDs has organized several training courses in which a number of service personnel from foreign countries have participated alongside Indian participants. Delegations from the defence forces of Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Vietnam visited the Centre of Excellence during the past one year. Further, 91 personnel from Bhutan, Ghana, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nepal, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Tanzania were trained in counter-IED and explosive disposal during the period July 2013 to June 2014. Our experts have also made regular contributions to the discussions on IEDs here under the CCW framework.

7. We commend the efforts of the Coordinators on IEDs from Australia and France in taking forward our discussions on the issue this year. We also appreciate their efforts to keep delegations informed of the 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. The recommendations proposed by the Coordinators provide a good basis for discussions this year. We believe that while there is scope for enhancing cooperation among States in exchange of expertise and information sharing on countermeasures, this should be done on a voluntary basis keeping in mind confidentiality of sensitive information.

8. As mentioned in report of the Coordinators on IEDs, while there has been substantive engagement on the issue of IEDs in the CCW framework for the past five years, these weapons continue to pose considerable humanitarian problem and cause a significant number of casualties among military personnel and civilians. We, therefore, support continuing the useful work on IEDs under the CCW framework with focus on addressing the threat of IEDs, while underlining that the responsibility for enforcing rule of law, including respect for international law lies with the legitimate government authority of that State Party.

9. India values the work and contribution of NGOs in our consideration of CCW issues, including in Amended Protocol-II. We appreciate the informal consultations conducted by Ambassador Remigiusz Henczel as Chair designate of the CCW along with you on the participation of certain NGOs.

Madame President,

10. India continues to believe that Amended Protocol II is a unique instrument in view of its scope as well as its membership. We support all efforts to carry forward the process of its more effective implementation and towards its universalization and we welcome Iraq's decision to join the CCW and in particular Amended Protocol-II. We look forward to working with you, the Coordinators and the ISU in this regard.

Thank you.