A sample lobbying letter...to inspire you!
23 January 2003
Excellencies,
Next week, Ministers of Foreign Affairs from the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU) will meet in Brussels, in order to discuss their multilateral cooperation and improve the relations between these two parts of the world.
The International Campaign to Ban Landmines would like to take this opportunity to urge participants to the meeting to do their utmost to promote universalization and full implementation of the Convention banning antipersonnel landmines. In the ASEAN region, Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand are Parties to the Convention. These countries have already showed remarkable achievements in the fight against landmines. Next September, Thailand will host the Fifth Meeting of States Parties to the Convention, in Bangkok.
But more needs to be done. Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam are still mine-affected, and in 2002 new victims of antipersonnel mines or unexploded ordnance were registered in all of these countries. Greater cooperation between the European Union and the ASEAN could help to alleviate the suffering of people who are living everyday with the threat of mines.
While States Parties should encourage ASEAN countries that have not joined the Convention yet to accede to it as soon as possible, another fruitful approach could be to encourage those states to adopt preliminary measures that would show their willingness to contribute to the global effort against landmines.
In addition to greater support for mine action programs, these measures could include the establishment of a timetable for accession or ratification; greater transparency, including voluntary submission to the United Nations of reports under Article 7 of the treaty; participation in the treaty’s intersessional work program meetings and the annual Meeting of States Parties; a vote in favour of the annual U.N. General Assembly resolution supporting the treaty; declaration of the size of stockpiles of antipersonnel mines, as well as making plans for and initiating stockpile destruction; a formal declaration of no future production, export or import of antipersonnel mines; an immediate and indefinite moratorium on use of antipersonnel mines, or a declaration of no future use except in the most extreme circumstances with explicit authorization at the highest levels.
Next week, ICBL members in Asia will hold their annual regional meeting in Colombo (Sri Lanka) to prepare the ICBL’s fifth annual report, Landmine Monitor Report 2003 and strategies to address treaty implementation concerns throughout the region.
They will also reiterate the “Asia Appeal”, launched in December, on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the signing of the Treaty, which encourages ICBL members, friends and all pro-ban governments to work together to encourage non signatories from the region to accede to the Convention and ensure its full implementation in the region.
We hope that you will respond to this Appeal, and we look forward to your answer,
Sincerely yours,
Sylvie BRIGOT
Government Relations Officer
