Author(s):
Tamar Gabelnick <tamar@icbl.org> .
Oslo, Norway,
Wednesday 26 September 2007
Long-time advocates for the mine ban treaty listen to speakers at the Civil Society Conference.
On 17 and 18 September, celebrations were held in Norway to mark the 10th anniversary of the negotiation of the Mine Ban Treaty, which was agreed on 18 September 1997 in Oslo. An all-day civil society event was held on 17 September, and a morning panel discussion was hosted by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 18 September, followed by an evening ceremony. All events involved the active participation of ICBL ambassadors, staff, and member organizations.
On 17 September, the Norwegian Forum for Environment and Development hosted the “Civil Society Conference at the 10th Anniversary of the Mine Ban Treaty - Towards Human Security.” The series of panel discussions commemorated civil society’s critical contribution to the creation of the mine ban treaty and examined how the close civil society-government partnership the worked so well on landmines has been or could be repeated in other areas, including the International Criminal Court, small arms, child soldiers, nuclear weapons and conflict diamonds.
The emphasis of the civil society conference was on human security - or a security framework that puts the safety of the individual and community first. The conference produced a civil society statement calling on governments to take urgent action on cluster munitions, small arms, and nuclear weapons, all of which pose great risks to human security. Among the speakers were representatives of ICBL member organizations Handicap International, Landmine Survivors Network, and Norwegian Peoples Aid. The documentary Disarm was shown at an evening event.
The Norwegian government’s event on 18 September was called “Clearing the path for a better future.” It focused not just on the accomplishments and challenges of the Mine Ban Treaty, but also on the urgent need to take action on cluster munitions and other threats to human security. Speakers included Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Raymond Johansen, Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General Jan Egeland, and Nobel Laureates Jody Williams and Shirin Ebadi. The evening ceremony featured a band singing indigenous music, young musicians, a children’s chorus, and a series of short speeches, including by Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
Jody Williams speaking at the 10th Anniversary celebrations
As one of the critical actors in the creation of the Mine Ban Treaty, the ICBL had a central role during the anniversary celebrations. Jody Williams, ICBL ambassador and co-laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize for her work on the treaty, gave three statements, each time imploring states to be more proactive on human security instead of creating and selling increasingly powerful weapons. ICBL Executive Director Sylvie Brigot’s reminder that “it was not time to rest” on implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty was highlighted by several other speakers, as was the ICBL’s description of the treaty as “a success in progress.”
Survivors Margaret, Kosal, and Firoz speaking at the 18 Sept. Event
ICBL ambassadors and landmine survivors Margaret Arach Orech from Uganda, Tun Channareth and Song Kosal, both from Cambodia, reminded participants that much more needs to be done to implement the mine ban treaty, especially its requirement to provide assistance to survivors. These three, along with Firoz Ali Alizada, a survivor working for Handicap International in Afghanistan, also read the civil society statement from the 17 September event to government representatives during the 18 September morning conference. Song Kosal gave a poignant speech at the final ceremony asking states to “stop the misery caused when cluster munitions drop their deadly little bomblets.” She spoke for many in the room when she said, “I want to come back in 2008 and say: you were brave and clever and good enough to gain a cluster bomb ban.”
While the days were mostly spent looking toward future challenges, there was also much celebration and reminiscing about the Oslo negotiations and their successful conclusion. In private conversations and public speeches, participants recalled how difficult the final days were, and how the treaty was saved by the strength and determination of those that would not accept “loopholes, reservations or exceptions.”
