The 2011 ICBL Action Plan

Action Plan towards the Eleventh Meeting of States Parties to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty.

About this plan: This Action Plan by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) details priorities and activities for our campaigning in 2011. It was drafted following consultations with campaigners throughout 2010, including at the First Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) in Vientiane, 9-12 November 2010 and at the Tenth Meeting of States Parties to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, held in Geneva on 29 November-3 December 2010.

The plan describes campaign priorities on universalisation and implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty in 2011, contains a section on how we will conduct this work, and includes a schedule of key global dates as well as regional and national events and activities. Thanks go to all campaigners who have contributed to this Plan.

Overview: 2011 is another important year for the movement to eradicate landmines. The major milestone of the year will occur in November-December 2011, when the Eleventh Meeting of States Parties (11MSP) to the Mine Ban Treaty is held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Tuesday, 1 March 2011 will mark 12 years since the treaty entered into force. The focus of the year will remain on ensuring continued implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty, but we will also need to address compliance challenges involving landmine use allegations (Turkey) and missed stockpile destruction deadlines (Belarus, Greece, Turkey, Ukraine). Universalization will also remain a priority with a review of United States policy on joining the Mine Ban Treaty expected to conclude in the first half of 2011. Other developments in other states not party could require more attention by the ICBL.

I. Campaign Priorities

Universalization

As of December 2010, a total of 156 countries had joined the Mine Ban Treaty, while another two states have signed but not yet ratified (Marshall Islands and Poland). A total of 39 countries remain outside the Mine Ban Treaty and there have been no new accessions since November 2007.

Accession/Ratification: during 2011, the ICBL and its national campaigns will continue to challenge every country in the world to join the Mine Ban Treaty. In particular, the ICBL will continue to focus on:

• The US landmine policy review to press for a decision to join the Mine Ban Treaty without delay.
• The last EU member states outside of the MBT - Finland and Poland to keep their respective promises to join the Mine Ban Treaty by 2012.
• Lao PDR and Lebanon, both States Parties to the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, to take a decision to accede to the Treaty.
• The Gulf states such as Bahrain, Oman, and UAE to reengage on the issue and join the Treaty without delay.
• States from Asia and the Pacific such as Mongolia, Nepal, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Tonga, and Tuvalu, with the Eleventh Meeting of States Parties in Cambodia, presenting an excellent opportunity to create momentum on universalisation in the region.

Promoting the norm: in 2011, the ICBL will continue to work to ensure all states adhere to the prohibition on antipersonnel mines and take steps to support the Mine Ban Treaty, such as endorsing the annual UN General Assembly Resolution. We will strongly condemn any use of antipersonnel mines by any actor. In 2011, the ICBL and its member organizations will continue to encourage all non-state armed groups (NSAG) to ban the use of antipersonnel landmines. The ICBL's Halt Mine Use in Burma campaign (launched in 2004) will continue to engage all parties in 2011 including through the dissemination of the Monitor country report in Burmese.

Implementation

Stockpile destruction: in 2011, the ICBL will continue to work with States Parties and international actors to try and overcome the compliance challenges faced by the four States Parties that have failed to meet their deadlines for stockpile destruction: Belarus, Greece, Turkey, and Ukraine. While Turkey has a small amount of mines that should be destroyed shortly, Greece still has a large amount and will need pressure to destroy them quickly. Belarus and Ukraine will need to finalize arrangements for international assistance to destroy their PFM mines, which contain chemicals that make them difficult and expensive to destroy.

Clearance: in 2011, the ICBL will continue working to ensure that affected States Parties accelerate clearance of contaminated areas. We will focus on:

• States requesting extension for their clearance deadlines in 2012: Algeria, Chile, DR Congo, and Eritrea to ensure they submit timely and quality extension requests for a minimum number of years.
• States with completion deadlines in 2012: Jordan and Uganda to ensure they meet their deadlines.
• States that have not given precise information on contamination: Angola, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Congo, Croatia, DRC, Thailand, and Turkey to do so by the 11MSP.
• States that received extensions - to monitor they are on track to meeting the goals they set out in their extension requests.

Victim assistance: the ICBL will encourage States Parties to fully implement the 2009 Cartagena Action Plan as a way to help make a real difference in the lives of survivors. CMC and ICBL Victim Assistance Focal Points and other members will seek to ensure that the Cartagena Action Plan and national plans are translated into concrete, significant actions. In particular, the ICBL will focus on states with a significant number of survivors:

• To promote physical accessibility by developing/adapting their building code and physical accessibility guidelines, particularly in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Lao PDR.
• To build awareness about the Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities and linkages with the MBT and CCM, including by promoting accession/ratification to the CRPD, particularly in Afghanistan, Albania, Cambodia, Colombia, Iraq, Mozambique, and Tajikistan, and by taking part in the CRPD meetings, including its 4th Meeting of States Parties. Another way would be to hold a global action on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, on 3 December.
• To promote services in rural and remote areas, most particularly in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Thailand, Senegal, and Yemen.
• To increase the age- and gender-sensitive aspects of assistance, most particularly in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Sudan, Uganda, and Yemen.

Cooperation and assistance: in 2011, the ICBL will work with the new Standing Committee on Resources, Cooperation and Assistance to ensure that states actively participate in discussions, including by sharing experiences, raising concerns, and proposing ideas on how to address challenges related to resource mobilization and utilization. The ICBL will continue to push for funding of mine action and victim assistance programs to be maintained at high levels, as well as for more efficient and effective use of such funds.

Transparency reporting: in 2011, the ICBL will work to improve the level of compliance by States Parties with the treaty's Article 7 requirement to submit annual national transparency reports. An ICBL Action Alert on transparency reporting will be circulated to all campaigners ahead of the 30 April 2011 deadline. The ICBL will work to ensure that high-quality, detailed reports are submitted, including by supporting efforts by Belgium to develop concrete proposals by the 11MSP to improve the quality of reporting. The ICBL will encourage Equatorial Guinea to submit its initial transparency report, which is more than eleven years overdue, as well as voluntary reports from states that have not yet joined the Mine Ban Treaty.

National legislation (Article 9): in 2011, the ICBL and its national members will work to ensure that States Parties in the process of developing national legislation as required by Article 9 of the Mine Ban Treaty finish as soon as possible (Bolivia, DR Congo, Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Kuwait, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria, Palau, Philippines, Rwanda, Thailand, Vanuatu, Tajikistan). The ICBL and its national members will engage with the above States Parties, in cooperation with the ICRC. Mines retained for training. In 2011, the ICBL will continue to urge States Parties that hold large stockpiles of mines for training to reduce or completely destroy them (Turkey, Bangladesh, Brazil, Sweden, Australia, Greece, Belarus, Algeria, and Croatia). We will continue to press States Parties to report on mines retained for training, especially those that are not believed to have consumed any mines since entry into force for that country (Angola, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bhutan, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cyprus, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo and Venezuela).

II. How we will work

Global outreach

At the global level, the ICBL will continue engaging with states on a regular basis through their missions in Geneva, as well as at diplomatic fora such as the Coordinating Committee, intersessional meetings and the 11MSP, as well as on the margins of the CCW meetings in Geneva, the annual UN General Assembly (UNGA) First Committee in New York, and other opportunities. In cooperation with national campaigners, the ICBL Diplomatic Advisor and staff may undertake advocacy missions to selected countries (e.g. Afghanistan, Angola, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Chad, Colombia, DRC, Lao PDR, Nepal, Oman, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, and Turkey).

National outreach

At the national level, ICBL members, including Victim Assistance Focal Points will continue to undertake an array of activities according to their needs and priorities. Campaigning activities include regular contact with national authorities, national workshops, parliamentary engagement, grassroots mobilization, and media outreach. More information on specific country plans are available from country campaigns and ICBL staff.

Youth outreach

Mines Action Canada and other ICBL members will continue to engage with youth in support of the campaign to ban landmines. In 2011, MAC interns will be deployed to Cambodia, Colombia, Nepal, Tajikistan, Uganda, Vietnam, and Zambia to support national campaign work.

Gender work

Campaigners in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Colombia, Croatia, Nepal, Sudan, Turkey, Uganda, and Yemen have expressed interest in gender aspects of mine action. The Swiss Campaign to Ban Landmines is willing to provide advocacy, research, and training support on gender to interested campaigners. The ICBL will continue to work to ensure gender balance and overall diversity in all aspects of its work.

Media and communications

The ICBL will continue to secure media coverage through 2011, especially in the lead-up to the 11MSP. The ICBL website www.icbl.org will be amended to reflect the core focus on landmines and the Mine Ban Treaty, and regularly updated/promoted. All ICBL members will be encouraged to sign-up to and regularly use these ICBL online tools:

• Facebook page.
• Twitter feed.
• Image library.
• YouTube channel.

Campaign-wide actions

Campaigners derive support from each other's efforts and strength in numbers so the following campaign-wide activities have been identified for all campaigners to try and undertake in 2011. The ICBL hopes to be able to undertake another round of financial grants to support local campaigning endeavors in 2011, probably around the September/October build-up to the 11MSP.

• 1 March 2011 anniversary of entry into force: The ICBL will commemorate the 12-year anniversary of the Mine Ban Treaty's entry into force on Tuesday, 1 March 2011. If the US policy review is not yet concluded, ICBL members may reach out again to US embassies, perhaps in cooperation with their own government representatives via joint visits, where appropriate. In addition, ICBL campaigners in States Parties may write to their heads of state to call on them to contact President Obama and urge the US to join the Mine Ban Treaty. Another option would be to also reach out to Russian embassies to urge Russia to join the MBT, following their first ever statement at the MBT meeting in December 2010.
• Countdown to 11MSP: The ICBL will launch a countdown to the 11th Meeting of States Parties in Cambodia (Nov. 28-Dec. 2) either starting on the last day of the 2nd MSP to the CCM or two months before the opening of the 11MSP. The "Push 4 Progress" has been identified by the Cambodian Campaign as a potential theme for the period leading up to the 11th MSP. The final countdown coincides with the rice harvest in Cambodia (October-December), which is traditionally a time of hard work followed by rewards.
• 3rd December: International Day of Persons With Disabilities (14th anniversary of MBT signature and 3rd anniversary of CCM signature): The ICBL Victim Assistance Focal Points and other members will commemorate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities by organizing on this day, around the world a range of activities to raise public awareness about victim assistance, and the rights and needs of survivors, and other persons with disabilities.

III. Schedule of Events

In addition to the list of major global conferences and events, the following national and regional events and advocacy opportunities have been identified.

2011 Global Dates

Feb. 28-Mar. 4: Arms Trade Treaty 2nd preparatory meeting in New York (NY) - Mar. 1: Mine Ban Treaty anniversary (1999 - 12th year) - Mar. 8: International Women's Day - Mar 15-17: Mine action program directors' meeting in Geneva - Apr. 4: International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action - Apr. 15-20: 124th Assembly of the Interparliamentary Union, Panama Apr: Global Day of Action to Stop Explosive Investments/report launch - May 9-13: UN Programme of Action on Small Arms experts meeting in NY - Jun. 20-24: Mine Ban Treaty intersessional meetings in Geneva - Jun. 27-30: Convention on Cluster Munitions intersessional meetings in Geneva - Jul. 11-15: Arms Trade Treaty 3rd preparatory meeting in NYAug 1: Convention on Cluster Munitions 1st anniversary EIF - Aug. 12: CMC remembrance action and one-month countdown to 2MSP - Sep 7-9: Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities 4th Conference of States Parties, NY - Sep: 12-16: Convention on Cluster Munitions 2nd MSP in Beirut, Lebanon - Sep. 21: International Peace Day - Sep-Oct: ICBL countdown to 11MSPSep or Nov (TBC): 2nd Ministerial Review Conference of the Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development, Geneva - Oct: First Committee (disarmament) of 66th UN General Assembly in NY - Nov. 14-25: Convention on Conventional Weapons 4th Review Conference in Geneva - Nov. 28-Dec. 2: Mine Ban Treaty 11th MSP in Phnom Penh, Cambodia - 29 Nov-Dec. 1, Fourth high-level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (OECD), Busan, Korea - Dec. 3: International Day of Persons with Disabilities - Dec. 10: International Human Rights Day.

2011 National and Regional Dates

First half 2011: Regional meeting on CCM in Guatemala (Marie Eugenia/Hector) - Feb. 17-18: SEHLAC workshop in Buenos Aires, Argentina (Maria Pia) - Feb: Regional ATT meeting in Morocco - Mar/Apr: Inter-Arab Parliamentarian Union annual meeting in Doha, Qatar (Ghassan) - Apr: Pacific regional workshop on CCM and MBT in Fiji - Apr: Caribbean meeting on CCM in Antigua and Barbuda (Folade) - May: Regional meeting on CCM in Nigeria, tentative (Mimidoo) - Jul: African Union meeting - Aug: Iraqi Alliance for Disabilities annual conference in Baghdad (Moaffak) - Dec: International Conference on AIDS in Africa incl. CRPD in Ethiopia (Daniel).