Printed from: www.icbl.org/Treaty/MBT/Annual-Meetings/6MSP/Old/Media/Angles
Here are brief outlines of possible angles for stories on the 6th Meeting of the States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty.
As of November 2005, there were 147 States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty – that’s more than ¾ of the world’s nations. Some encouraging developments have lately been noticed in many of the non-signatory States: for example, with China and Azerbaijan voting for the first time in favour of the latest UN General Assembly resolution on mine ban.
At the 2004 Nairobi Summit, States Parties reaffirmed their commitment to actively promote adherence to the Treaty and to encourage States not Parties to abide by its provisions pending their adherence.
More: The Treaty , Nairobi Action Plan, ICBL Treaty Working Group
Obligations under the Mine Ban Treaty include the clearance of all minefields by a 10-year deadline. Although mine clearance is underway in 37 countries and areas of the globe, it is feared that many States won’t be able to meet their deadlines.
The establishment of a comprehensive national mine action plan and the identification of priorities for clearance are key steps for addressing mine problems within deadlines. Among others, Jordan and Malawi have developed a mine action plan in 2005, and have involved mine-affected communities in doing so.
More: Landmine Monitor Report, ICBL Mine Action Working Group
The number of new casualties in a year is only a small indicator of the landmine problem. More important is the number of mine survivors that need and have the right to assistance – and this number increases each year.
When it comes to planning for addressing the needs of mine survivors, and more generally the needs of people with disabilities, the twin-track approach is encouraged. It is based on mainstreaming disability issues into all levels of society and development, in order to avoid unnecessary segregation of people with disabilities, while not loosing sight of certain of the special needs of the most vulnerable people (such as inhabitants of rural areas, or survivors who can not afford medical care).
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, for example, this approach was used for developing a Landmine Victims Assistance Strategy as a part of the Mine Action Strategy for 2005-2009.
More: Landmine Monitor Report, ICBL Working Group on Victim Assistance
The vision and hard work are paying off: mine use has decreased, production is down, trade is almost non-existent, new casualties go down each year.
The Treaty is a unique accomplishment: membership now includes ¾ of the world, it is one of the few current success stories in International Humanitarian Law and multilateral diplomacy.
More: The Treaty
Despite tremendous progress, some governments (such as Russia) and rebel groups (such as a civilian militia in Nepal) still use mines. In Burma, atrocity demining is practised – civilians are forced to walk in front of troops in mined areas.
And some holdout countries remain outside the Treaty, including China, Cuba, Egypt, India, Pakistan and the USA.
More: Landmine Monitor Report, The Treaty
Since 1999, States, NGOs and observers have gathered each year to officially assess the progress made towards the goal of a mine-free world. This year, the Zagreb Progress Report will provide facts and figures on the application of the Nairobi Action Plan - the ambitious 70-commitment plan adopted by States in 2004 to address some of the most urgent aspects of mine action.
More: Zagreb Progress Report, Nairobi Action Plan
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, FYR Macedonia and Serbia and Montenegro are all Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty, and are all mine-affected. Although mine action is underway in many areas of the Balkans, the First Review Conference in 2004 listed Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Serbia and Montenegro, among the States Parties with the greatest needs and responsibility to provide survivor assistance.
It is significant that the 6th Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty takes place in South Eastern Europe, a region that has done a lot to address its mine problem but still faces important challenges. It illustrates the achievements made possible through sustained political will and international assistance, and highlights the need for long-term commitments if the scourge of landmines is to be eliminated.
More: Landmine Monitor Report
Mines may be synonymous with places like Afghanistan, Angola and Cambodia, but there are other countries where the presence of minefields may come as a surprise, such as Denmark, Greece, Swaziland, Zambia or others in your region.
Good and bad news on the landmine issue in your country and other countries of interest (e.g. Afghanistan, Croatia, Iraq, Sudan). Country experts will be in Zagreb and available for interviews.
Survivors and people with disabilities continue to play an important role in the life of the Mine Ban Treaty, as they did in pushing for the Treaty’ s establishment. This involvement is a unique feature of the Treaty.
Some 15 survivors from all over the world will take part in the 6th Meeting of States Parties, including as members of official delegations. They are available for interviews and each has his/her own story to tell and a first-hand perspective on Treaty successes and challenges.
More: ICBL Working Group on Victim Assistance , Landmine Survivors Network
Despite much press about mine detection dogs, bees and rats that detect mines, most clearance still relies on a combination of manual and mechanical demining, plus mine detection dogs. Often this includes the painstaking process of a deminer in protective gear prodding for mines on his/her hands and knees.
Mine action is a big challenge for the coming years, and needs to be accelerated if States are to meet their deadline of clearance by the 10-year Treaty deadline. Clearance is often a catalyst for development, reconstruction and for resettlement of displaced people.
More: ICBL Mine Action Working Group
The majority of mine survivors, as well as other persons with disabilities, are among the poorest in mine-affected countries. On top of physical and psychological care, economic reintegration is identified as a priority by many landmine survivors.
Survivors are entitled to resume their role as active members of their communities and as contributors to the well-being of their families, and they must be provided with tools and assistance for doing so. In some countries like Uganda, programs provide vocational training, revolving loans and other support for income-generating activities.
The use of antipersonnel mines by non-state armed groups is now far more widespread than use by government forces. This is a major obstacle to a global ban and some campaigners are trying to convince those groups to give up the weapon.
There have been some successes: now former combatants clear mines in Cambodia and Sudan. But groups such as the FARC in Colombia remain among the biggest antipersonnel landmine users in the world.
More: ICBL Non-State Actors Working Group , Geneva Call
What’s being done once land is cleared? Initiatives like Mines to Vines, in Croatia, show examples of how the soil can become fruitful short after clearance is completed. Mine clearance is not only about avoiding casualties. It can also be about ensuring communities regain economical capacity or are able to feed themselves again through agriculture on safe land.
A Mines to Vines wine tasting will take place during the 6th Meeting of States Parties.
More: 6MSP schedule of side events, Roots of Peace
Youth from around the world will get together in Zagreb for In Our Lifetime: The 2005 International Youth Symposium on Landmines. A range of capacity-building workshops will address more specifically the challenge of Mine Ban Treaty universalisation in regions where acceptance is generally low. Workshops will be facilitated by members and partners of the ICBL. Youth will gain skills and experience in areas such as lobbying, advocacy, fundraising, media, organising public events, and volunteer management.
More: International Youth Symposium
Group activities such as amputee sports, international competitions and recreational activities help mine survivors and others with disabilities improve their physical condition, build self-confidence and reach to other survivors. As an example among many others: for Angola’s first demonstration of amputee football in 2005, 20 disabled athletes played in Luanda’s national stadium, in front of fans and TV reporters.
And Bosnia and Herzegovina has its very own paralympic champions - the national sitting volleyball team won the gold medal in the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens!
On 30 November 2005, cyclist Armin Köhli will arrive in Zagreb after a 6-day cycling journey of over 1000 Km, from Geneva. Armin is amputated by his both lower limbs. His high-level challenge aims at sensitizing the population to the struggle against landmines and the importance of offering appropriate assistance to the victims.
More: Landmine Survivors Network , Sports for Life , 1000 Km against landmines
On Tuesday, 22 November 2005, photographer John Rodsted unveils a world-premiere exhibition of pictures taken throughout Bosnia in Spring 2005. As Bosnian reconstruction is well underway, Rodsted strives to ensure that the most vulnerable people are not left behind. While some people with disabilities and mine survivors have access to rehabilitation projects that really work, others “have fallen between the cracks and are just struggling to survive”. That’s what his work shows in pictures, strikingly illustrating the role of arts in the fight for the rights of mine survivors.
More: Schedule of side events
Raising awareness and promoting behavioral change within comunities at risk help reducing the risk of injuries and saving lives. In mine-affected areas, the traditional, lecture-type presentation and the use of mass-media messages are gradually being replaced with more targeted mine risk education (MRE) strategies.
That can mean involving community liaison officers to improve cooperation between communities and demining teams, like in Ethiopia. It can also mean reaching children directly at school, through participatory methods, like in Iran where more than 30 000 students have recieved some form of MRE.
More: Landmine Monitor Report, Mine risk education sub-working group
The concerns and experiences of mine-affected people of both sexes should be specifically taken into consideration in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of mine action programmes – although it is often not the case.
In Eritrea, it means holding mine risk education workshops on weekends as it is a best time to access local female villagers. In Cambodia, where many women were left as head of their family because of the war, it means developing income-generating activities such as the Preah Vihear silk-weaving project, where a high percentage of the staff are mine survivors.
More: Gender Guidelines for Mine Action Programmes
Over 77 researchers located in 72 countries, along with a team of 10 research specialists and 14 thematic coordinators, contributed to Landmine Monitor Report 2005. They come from a variety of backgrounds including academia, journalism and advocacy.
Through paper research, field trips and meetings with government officials, local population, military officers, aid organisations, etc., researchers have answered more than 150 thematic questions on the landmine issue, for more than a hundred countries and areas under review. A colossal task, for a worldwide recognised outcome that successfully puts into practice the concept of civil-society based verification. Some contributors will be in Zagreb and are available for interviews.