International Campaign to Ban Landmines, 2007 Annual Report

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As the 10th anniversary of the year the Mine Ban Treaty (MBT) was adopted and signed, 2007 provided several key opportunities for renewing energy around and interest in the treaty and the issue. Throughout the year, the ICBL created and distributed 10th anniversary-related materials, encouraged campaigners to organize special media or advocacy events, and participated in 10th anniversary celebrations in Austria, Belgium, Norway, and Canada. The ICBL’s slogan for marking this milestone was “The Mine Ban Treaty: A Success in Progress”, a message that resonated with all the stakeholders in this journey to a mine-free world.

As usual, the ICBL took part in the major international conferences on landmines, including a large and active delegation at the intersessional Standing Committee (ISC) meetings, which took place from 23-27 April 2007 in Geneva, Switzerland. The 8th Meeting of States Parties (8MSP) from 18 to 22 November 2007 at the Dead Sea in Jordan, provided a useful hook for the ICBL to organize and participate in advocacy activities in the Gulf region in the lead up to the meeting, as well as to organize many side events, and undertake regional and international press work during the MSP itself.

Work on universalization remained a priority for the ICBL, as evidenced by a solid number of missions to targeted countries by the ICBL Advocacy Director, Diplomatic Advisor, and other staff members and campaigners. A series of advocacy missions were conducted in 2007 to reach out to new audiences and to reinforce ICBL's messages to governments, parliamentarians, journalists and the general public. These missions, workshops and conferences, mainly focused on Central Asia and Middle East, provided an opportunity for ICBL staff to work with national campaigns on their planning and development of advocacy goals. The Treaty gained new members with the ratification of Indonesia and accession by Kuwait, Iraq and Palau.

The ICBL was also an active participant in the ‘Oslo Process’ to develop a cluster munitions treaty, using its experience from the Mine Ban Treaty to provide key support and accompaniment to the Cluster Munitions Coalition during the four major international conferences (Oslo, Lima, Vienna and Wellington) that took place during 2007 and the first quarter of 2008.

Capacity building for ICBL members continued to be emphasized as the best way to influence policies in mine-affected states and States not Party to the treaty. As such, in 2007 the ICBL continued focusing on enhancing the skills of national campaigns and assessing their needs through individual communications and consultations, as well as group training.

The ICBL’s Treaty Implementation Director was actively engaged in advocacy with States Parties, through her work with Geneva-based diplomats, the Coordinating Committee, Implementation Support Unit (ISU), ICRC and other partners based in Geneva, plus directly with State Party governments in international and regional meetings, implementation workshops and missions.

In 2007, the ICBL continued to use and develop communication tools to facilitate information exchanges within the campaign, including the improvement of its newsletter, a factsheet, an updated ‘Messages Booklet to Campaigners’, and finally, the production of a 10th Anniversary special brochure and photo exhibition.

During the reporting period, the Landmine Monitor team worked on the 2007 report, with the ICBL staff providing input in accordance with their areas of expertise. The ICBL also continued to support, when possible, member campaigns to design programs to increase youth involvement in the activities of the ICBL.

Strategically, 2007 was a year for the ICBL to assess its resources, in preparation for the Second Review Conference in 2009. At the beginning of 2008, supplementary staff resources began to be hired in anticipation of increased demands in the lead up to the conference. The website is also being redesigned to make it more useful and accessible to ICBL members, other campaigners and stakeholders.