Renouvellement de la Présidence de l’OMCT

During its first annual meeting, the Executive Council of OMCT has registered the resignation of Elisabeth Reusse-Decrey from her position as President, to which she had been elected in 2001. As she explained to the members of the Executive Council, Elisabeth Reusse-Decrey intends to continue her collaboration with OMCT. Being very much attached to the organisation, she will remain a member of the Executive Council, to which she has enormously contributed, and she will continue to support its work. The fast development of the activities of the foundation Geneva Call, which is presided over by Elisabeth Reusse-Decrey and of which she manages ithe activities, make her frequently travel over the world. Geneva Call, which is dedicated to engaging rebel movements to renounce the use of anti-personal mines, is nowadays present in most countries subjected to internal conflicts, both in order to negotiate with the organisations concerned and to make sure that stockpiles are effectively destroyed. This intense activity requires Elisabeth Reusse-Decrey to travel frequently, which no longer allows her – as she explained it to the Executive Council – to carry out the relevant tasks as the President of OMCT. Members of the Executive Council and the International Secretariat express their gratitude to Elisabeth Reusse-Decrey for her work fulfilled during the last five years as President, her availability and her unconditional support to the policy and actions of the organisation. When she announced her resignation, Elisabeth Reusse-Decrey proposed that she would be replaced as President by Olivier Mach, who has successively been Treasurer and Vice-President of OMCT. His nomination was unanimously accepted. According to OMCT status, the Executive Council, which is elected by the General Assembly, selects the President from among its members. As a consequence, Olivier Mach became President subsequent to the decision of the Council. His long experience within the organisation and the devotion he has demonstrated within the different functions he previously assumed within the Executive Council guarantee that the activities will continue along the strategies chosen by the General Assembly. Well acquainted with the International Secretariat and the different bodies of the organisation, the new President has immediately assumed his tasks and announced that he intends to summon the General Assembly at the first trimester of 2007. Until then, he will set up - within the Executive Board - thematic and organisational working groups to allow the maximum of members of the SOS-Torture network - made up of 282 NGOs – to participate in this important meeting. Geneva, March 2006