And ‘ended with an obvious conflict between NGOs and governments the second session of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Convention for the regulation of private military and security companies (PMSCs), which was held in Geneva at the Human Rights Council United Nations. In Italy there was a delegation of ialiana Network for Disarmament Affairs, led by Un ponte per … Mani Tese and NGO / non-profit organization, alongside the international partners of the Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative. The actions of our representatives have highlighted the seriousness of the human rights violations carried out by international contractors in Iraq, denouncing their participation, alongside the regular troops, to indiscriminate bombing, murder and rape of civilians in the Middle East and in Africa . In most cases, instigators and perpetrators of crimes remain unpunished, because of the length and cost of the processes, as well as the unavailability of the states to legally assist the victims and the absolute ineffectiveness of non-judicial redress mechanisms, such as those established by the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises. On the other hand, representatives of the U.S. government and English were very sharp to reject the hypothesis of a binding convention to regulate the activities of mercenaries, and the entire European Union and ‘aligned to this position. Representatives of various EU member states said they were not able to deploy in support of an agreement until there is consensus among all Western countries. For their part, China, Russia, Egypt, South Africa and Venezuela have stressed the need to adopt a strong regulation passed by the UN, since these agencies operate across borders. Thus it is clear the increasing tendency of states to privatize war and national defense, outsourcing its military activities to agencies that are dealt with by private interest. The former chairman of the Working Group for the Convention, Jose L. Gómez del Prado, called them “the new pirates” in an article published shortly before the start of the session in Geneva. The intervention of NGOs united in the new international coalition for the control of PMSCs, helped the technicians who make up the team to get a two-year extension for the group’s activities, which will add hours institutional contacts. It is hoped, therefore, that the next draft of the Convention, drawn up with the active participation of diplomats, may be taken into consideration by the institutions. The official report of the working group, which will be made public on August 30 on the official website of the Human Rights Council, concludes with the recommendation to investigate aspects related to human rights and the reporting of violations, and to examine the progress national legislation for the registration, licensing and contract PMSCs. Iraqi NGOs will discuss with international partners at the next Conference of the Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative, held in Basra in October. In Italy, the Disarmament Network will work to ensure our institutions adhere to regulatory standards are not binding, they already gather international consensus, such as those set out in the document Montreux.
