International Campaign to Ban Landmines, 2008 Annual Report

Please click on the PDF icon above to download the full 2008 annual report.

The ICBL is a coalition of more than 1000 NGOs active in 70 countries working for a world free of antipersonnel landmines and cluster munitions, where survivors can live in dignity.

Therefore the ICBL has committed to work to ensure the Convention banning antipersonnel mines is fully implemented and universalised; and to ensure a broad support to the new Convention on Cluster Munitions.

These activities were aiming at preparing for the success of the Second Review Conference on the Mine Ban Treaty, which will take place in November 2009, particularly by laying the roundwork on a number of key policy issues at the 9MSP in November 2008, as well as through regular country-specific advocacy. There were also aiming at securing the success of Oslo Process to bring about a convention banning cluster munitions.

We believe the work of the ICBL in 2008 strengthened the Ottawa Convention particularly through strong and substantial input from civil society in creating a meaningful extension request process, as well as our call for States Parties to deal with violations of the convention, essentially the missed deadlines on stockpile destruction. Although strong follow up remains essential, the ICBL was pleased with the outcomes of the 9MSP related to both issues, which demonstrated the seriousness with which States Parties consider their obligation under the Convention.

At the 9MSP, we had the strongest and more structured presence of survivors in many years, through the “Progress on the ground” initiative led to better advocacy on victim assistance globally, and improved input into the parallel meetings of VA expertsdeveloped developed organized by the VA cochairs and supported by the Implementation Support Unit.

Although 2008 did not see any new state joining the convention, continuous engagement with States not Parties by the ICBL and its members did yield a few incremental results. These included the submission of a transparency report by Azerbaijan (the first from a South Caucasus country) in November 2008; the announcement by the Federated States of Micronesia that accession legislation was to be discussed in Congress; and the announcement that Poland had brought the deadline for ratification forward from 2015 to 2012.

Ensuring the momentum around the Ottawa Convention does not decrease until the treaty has fulfilled all its promises, is one of our core objectives. 2008 saw increased activity by national campaigns to simultaneously work on the implementation of the convention banning antipersonnel landmines, and bring about a convention banning cluster munitions. The hope that the formidable achievements of the Mine Ban Treaty could be used again to stop the use of a weapon with similar consequences on civilian populations was certainly a strong incentive for national campaigns to appropriately combine advocacy on both conventions and keep it up, as shown by the many initiatives undertaken during that period.

The end of 2008, and first quarter of 2009 were crucial times to also properly launch the road to Cartagena, get ready for the 2nd Review Conference of the Mine Ban Treaty, and prepare for 2010-2014. “A Mine-Free World: Mission Possible” is the slogan that the ICBL adopted for the Review Conference, and proposed to all its members early 2009 to reaffirm that the mission accepted in 1999, reaching a mine-free world, was actually not only necessary but certainly possible in our lifetime. Through an ambitious programme the ICBL organised, or participated in, events in 65 countries around the world to celebrate the anniversary of the entry into force of the convention, but most importantly highlight its achievements and challenges still ahead that will be at the core of the work of the Review Conference in November. In addition, the campaign obviously seized all occasions to reach out to the general public through online communication and media work, in as many languages as possible.

To some extent unfortunately, 2008 brought many opportunities to move forward the work of the convention, particularly the extension request process, as well violations of the Convention by states which have not met the deadline for the destruction of their stockpile. All issues broadly and intensively discussed during the 9MSP in November which globally ended with a strengthened convention.

Since joining the Steering Committee of the Cluster Munitions Coalition (CMC) in February 2007 the ICBL has been extensively engaged in the global effort to stigmatise cluster munitions and to achieve an international ban on cluster munitions. On 3 December, 94 countries signed the new Convention on Cluster Munitions, and four ratified it simultaneously.

As Jody Williams stated in our press release that day “The Mine Ban Treaty and Convention on Cluster Munitions were both inspired by the need to put people’s lives before any dubious political or military considerations. Together, the two conventions create an ever stronger framework to protect civilians from further suffering and to address the effects of past use of indiscriminate weapons such as antipersonnel mines and cluster munitions”. Once again the model of partnership between governments and civil society brought about much needed change, and we believe we now need to see this partnership ensuring that the new Convention quickly enters into force and its provisions start to be implemented.

In 2008, we believe the ICBL reached the objectives set in the proposal, while recognising that we can certainly improve our impact to ensure the positive change we are calling for, actually happens. We will build on these past months to continue the preparation of the Review Conference of the Mine Ban Convention, while working to gather more signatories to the Cluster Munition Convention and to ensure its swift entry into force. We will do so by consolidating the voice of civil society in country to ensure we reach our long term objectives, which are the full implementation of both conventions, and their universalisation.