Campaign News

ICBL Denounces Killing of Chechen Activist

The ICBL strongly denounces the killing of civil society activist Ms Zarema Sadulayeva and her husband, Mr Alik Dzhabrailov. According to reports, the couple was abducted on 10 August 2009 by armed men claiming to be part of security services from the Let's Save the Generation office, a non-governmental organization founded and run by Ms Sadulayeva. Their bodies were found on 11 August 2009.
The ICBL immediately called on the government of Russia to swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice and take immediate action to ensure the protection of humanitarian workers.
Ms Sadulayeva was a tireless activist who was committed to creating public awareness about the landmine problem in the region and advocating for the rights of landmine survivors and other people with disabilities. Her death is a huge loss to the mine action community.

Roundtable on Mine Action

On 11 August 2009, the Australian Network to Ban Landmines (ANBL) hosted a roundtable on mine action in Asia at the Asia-Pacific College of Diplomacy (Australian National University). Government delegates from Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam joined the event, as well as representatives of several Australian mine action organizations. Much technical information was provided and discussed, with an emphasis on regional cooperation and the sharing of both knowledge and resources. The program included: legal issues, mine clearance, victim assistance, non-state armed groups, and financial assistance. Lorel Thomas, ANBL secretary, said "Australia has a pivotal role to play in mine action in the region. The roundtable was an important part of the lead up to the Cartagena Summit and a helpful additional step in regional dialogue."

Japan: One Flap, Global Impact

As part of its gbutterfly campaignh conducted since 2005 under the theme One Flap, Global Impact, the Japan Campaign to Ban Landmines (JCBL) asks ordinary citizens to write messages on small butterfly-shaped pieces of paper aimed at states that have yet to join the Mine Ban Treaty.
In the last year alone, more than 19,000 messages were collected! Some of them were delivered by the JCBL during a meeting with the First Secretary of the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo in July 2009, and the others were mailed to other states not party.

New Map Reveals Extent of Antipersonnel Landmine Contamination in Myanmar/Burma

The first map documenting the hazard posed by antipersonnel landmine contamination in Myanmar/Burma was issued by the UN in July 2009, based on data provided by Landmine Monitor. It represents a first small step by illustrating the extent of the country's landmine problem in order to be able to address it more effectively. The map was produced by the Myanmar Information Management Unit of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Yangon. It reveals that 26 townships, in seven states and divisions, are mine-affected.
Myanmar/Burma is not party to the Mine Ban Treaty and is one of a handful of states still actively producing antipersonnel mines.
It is one of only two states in the world to have used antipersonnel mines in recent years (the other one being Russia). Non-state armed groups in the country also use antipersonnel landmines. No humanitarian mine clearance programs exist in the country. Click here to access the map.

Young Leaders Discuss Landmines, Cluster Munitions

The International Summit of Religious Youth Leaders on Disarmament for Shared Security was held in Kathmandu, Nepal, on 10 and
11 July 2009. The event brought together young people from around the world and covered many facets of disarmament and humanitarian issues, including the elimination of landmines and cluster munitions. The President of Nepal joined the opening ceremony, along with several other VIPs. With support from Raza Shah Khan of SPADO, the Pakistan arm of the ICBL, and Purna Shova Chitrakar of the Nepal Campaign to Ban Landmines, the Religions for Peace Global Youth Network had a fruitful meeting and will now move into a disarmament campaign to commence in November 2009.

Thirsty Festival-Goers Support Mine Action

As one of the top five annual European rock events, the Danish Roskilde Festival brings together thousands of music enthusiasts and donates all its profits to humanitarian and cultural causes. During the 2009 edition, Denmark Against Landmines (DAL) organized a highly successful fund and awareness-raising campaign. The anti-landmine “UXO Bar”, where festival-goers can relieve their sore throats with fresh-made organic cocktails, generated a turnaround of 1 million Danish Kroner, which will allow DAL to donate over 50,000 euros
to mine clearance in Angola and mine risk education in Sri Lanka.
The anti-landmine bar, now in its 4th year and scheduled to continue next year, was so popular that more than 500 festival-goers signed up for DAL membership. Gathering public support, according to chairman of DAL Rune Saugmann, is just as important as collecting funds, since it gives the organization weight and credibility to push the Danish government for ambitious mine action.

ICBL Ambassador Addresses Religious Leaders in Nairobi

As an Ambassador for the ICBL, Margaret advocates for the rights of landmine survivors with the international community. Photo: Mary Wareham

On 16-18 June 2009, ICBL Ambassador Margaret Arach Orech joined the Conference of Religious Leaders on Conventional Weapons: Small Arms and Landmines, in Nairobi, Kenya. She provided examples of specific actions religious leaders can take to facilitate the rehabilitation and inclusion of mine survivors and other persons with disabilities into their communities. She facilitated a discussion where action points were identified by all participants.

Religious leaders could:

• Make their places of worship accessible to persons with disabilities, which is often not the case;
• Advocate for accessibility with the relevant government ministries;
• Provide counseling services to persons with disabilities;
• Provide educational, health and housing support to very vulnerable persons with disabilities;
• Encourage their government to join the Convention on Cluster Munitions and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Religious leaders from Burundi, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda came together with government officials and civil society organizations at the conference organized by Religions for Peace, with the goal of strengthening disarmament projects conducted by faith communities, initiating new projects and building partnerships. ICBL campaigners Mereso Agina (Kenya Campaign to Ban Landmines) and Daniel Aghan (Handicap International Kenya) also addressed the conference.

Vietnam: Survivors and Government Discuss Assistance for the First Time

The first ever national workshop on victim assistance bringing together government representatives, NGOs and survivors, was hosted by Landmine Survivors Network Vietnam in Hanoi on 7 July 2009. It aimed at promoting effective victim assistance and international cooperation for socio-economic development. Discussions emphasized the need to structure assistance through the rights-based framework laid out in the Mine Ban Treaty (MBT), the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
Organized with support from the ICBL and Ireland, the workshop was co-hosted by the Committee for Foreign Non-governmental Organization Affairs and the Quang Binh Peoplefs Committee. It brought together 150 participants from government ministries and agencies, embassies, NGOs, the media, as well as many landmine and cluster munitions survivors. Vietnam has yet to join the MBT and CCM but it has signed the CRPD and plans to ratify it in 2010.

NATO/EAPC Briefed on Global Landmine Situation

On 19 June 2009, ICBL Executive Director Sylvie Brigot and Handicap International Belgium Head of Policy Unit Stan Brabant addressed the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) in Brussels, Belgium. The EAPC, a NATO institution, is comprised of all NATO members plus 22 partner countries. Participants from the EAPCfs Ad Hoc Working Group on Small Arms and Light Weapons and Mine Action were briefed on the global landmine situation.
In addition, Kerry Brinkert, Director of the Implementation Support Unit of the Anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention (GICHD), gave an overview of the status of the treaty and preparations for the Cartagena Summit. Dennis Barlow presented the activities of the Mine Action Information Center at James Madison University.

Thai Campaigners Meet with Foreign Minister

On 9 June 2009, campaigners from the Thailand Campaign to Ban Landmines were invited to a working lunch by Mr. Kasit Piromya, Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs. The meeting provided an opportunity to exchange views on demining operations, particularly along the Thai-Cambodian border. Progress on victim assistance, as well as cooperation between the government and NGOs on the matter, were also discussed.
Thailand is one of the 26 States Parties self-identified as having the largest number of mine survivors and the greatest responsibility to act on victim assistance. The country was also granted an extension to its initial 2009 mine clearance deadline at the 9th Meeting of the States Parties: all clearance operations must now be completed by 2018.