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Site Admin <webmaster2SPAMFLTER@SPATMFLTERicbl.org> .
Thursday 20 July 2006
In two months’ time, States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty, international agencies, campaigners and operators will be gathering in Geneva for the 7th Meeting of States Parties.
Nine years after the MBT was signed, we have all the right words: the words of the Treaty, which set the goal of “ending the suffering caused by landmines” and charted the road to reach that goal; the Nairobi Action Plan, which put forward detailed recommendations on implementing and universalizing the Treaty; and the words of States Parties, which have shown their continuing commitment to the goals and obligations of the Treaty.
Still, reality on the ground tells a different story:
- Too few of the mine-affected countries with upcoming clearance deadlines appear to be in a condition to respect them;
- Survivors in many of the worst-affected countries lack the immediate and long-term assistance they need and have a right to;
- Some countries are keeping large numbers of mines under the limited exception allowed by the Treaty, and others are not doing all that is in their power to find and destroy all stockpiles on time;
- There are a number of states still outside the Treaty, a handful of which (plus several non-state armed groups) are still using landmines, meaning that more mines are being planted, more people are being victimised, and we are still far from the day when the Treaty’s aim of “ending the suffering” can be met.
So, it is time to go FROM WORDS TO REALITY!
Find below some actions you can take before and during the MSP to make this happen.
BEFORE MSP
1) Meet your government – hold them to their words!
- Make sure they attend the 7MSP with the right level and composition of delegation. Please let us know who is coming, so that we can better plan our lobbying during the 7MSP. Ask them to come prepared to provide updates and participate in substantive discussions on the relevant aspects of the Treaty’s implementation.
- Remind them of their Treaty obligations and other commitments they have made.
- Remind them of the ICBL’s messages:
FOR STATES PARTIES
Mine Action - Is your country mine affected? Ask your government if it has a plan to destroy all AP mines in all mined areas as soon as possible and within 10 years.Is your country a donor? Ask your government if it is providing financial or technical assistance as required by Article 6 of the Treaty. Read more about the ICBL’s messages on Article 5 implementation here.
Victim Assistance - The VA24 are making promises on paper (the VA24 questionnaire) – but this needs to translate into progress on the ground. Ask your government what they are doing to make sure their goals are realized. Ask donors what they are doing to support VA. Read more about the ICBL’s messages on VA here .
Universalization - Only when all states and non-state armed groups have forsaken the use of anti-personnel mines can the suffering caused by these weapons really be ended. So, all States Parties should be asked to actively engage in efforts to universalize the Treaty. Look at the list of countries that have not joined the Treaty yet, pick states that are regionally or strategically relevant to your country, and ask your government to approach them. Read more about the ICBL’s universalization priorities and messages here.
Disarmament provisions -To achieve the goals of the Treaty, it is essential that stockpiled anti-personnel mines are destroyed (Art. 4); that only the absolutely minimum number of mines are kept for research and training purposes (Art. 3); that national legislation is in place to punish breaches of the Treaty (Art. 9); and that States Parties provide accurate and timely transparency reports on their situation (Art. 7). Has your country turned in a complete Article 7 report for calendar year 2005? If it is keeping mines under Article 3, has it used the newly revised Form D to tell how it used and is planning to use these mines? Does your country have national implementing legislation in place with penal sanctions for violations? If your country still has stockpiles to destroy, is it on its way to destroying them as soon as possible, and within the 4-year deadline?
FOR STATES NOT PARTIES
Encourage your government to participate in the MSP to benefit from the exchange of views and experiences with states that have already banned anti-personnel mines.
If your government has made statements in support of the landmine ban, remind them of their words and encourage them to join the Treaty or take positive steps in that direction.
** The ICBL has written to all States Parties and not Parties following the May 2006 Intersessionals, raising the issues above. For copies of the letters please contact tamarSPAMFLTER@SPATMFLTERicbl.org (States Parties) and simonaSPAMFLTER@SPATMFLTERicbl.org (States not Parties)
2) Try to generate some media coverage in your country – Admittedly, a MSP is not “hot news”, yet there are things you can do to attract media attention:
- Use the LM launch on 13 September as a “peg” to generate news stories on the mine issue: organise a press conference, or send out a press release with the LM main findings and organise interviews with key media in your country;
- Target “soft news” media such as magazines and “feature” TV and radio programmes which could be interested in more in-depth stories featuring a country/issue or profiling mine action operators, survivors, campaigners etc.
Please contact Simona (simonaSPAMFLTER@SPATMFLTERicbl.org) should you need assistance for organising a media event.
DURING MSP
1) Lobbying - Let’s work together to get our messages across to as many governments as possible. Please sign up to join the advocacy team which will be working together to meet all the delegations on our priority list. We want our advocacy to be as effective as possible and we want to achieve this through maximum coordination of our efforts and optimization of the many assets of the ICBL.
- We will be producing supporting documents for lobbying key countries and advocacy messages for the main issues of concern for the ICBL (universalization; Article 5 implementation; victim assistance; stockpile destruction; disarmament provisions).
- We will also hold a meeting on the Sunday before the MSP ( 17 September from 10 to 12) to discuss how we can work as a team on the key issues.
Please contact Simona (simonaSPAMFLTER@SPATMFLTERicbl.org) and Tamar (tamarSPAMFLTER@SPATMFLTERicbl.org) if you are interested in joining this group.
2) Media - Together we can also take advantage of the large contingent of UN-accredited journalists based in Geneva, which spans most of the world’s regions and languages. We aim to generate stories in all the UN languages, covering all regions – with special focus on our priority areas (the Middle East, Asia and the CIS for universalization; countries with 2009 deadlines for clearance; the VA 24) but trying also to bring attention to areas and issues that are normally outside the international spotlight. We plan to do this by targeting correspondents with specific stories which can be of interest to them from a geographical, thematic, political or cultural point of view.
For this we need your help! Please sign up to be part of the media team and specify what languages you can do interviews in, what are your areas of expertise and any interesting angles and stories we could “sell” the media! Contact: simonaSPAMFLTER@SPATMFLTERicbl.org
Thank you for your hard work on this, and we look forward to hear from you soon!
We will be in touch with you personally in the coming weeks. Meanwhile please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us should you have any questions on this call to action!
The ICBL team
Some campaign plans
Let us know about your advocacy activities related to the 7MSP. Your ideas and activities can inspire others!
COLOMBIA
In collaboration with Moviment per la Pau, the Campaign is planning to meet with mine actors at the national level to evaluate the work of organizations involved in survivor assistance. On 20 September, along with UNICEF, UNDP and the Vice-Presidency, the Campaign will brief donors about the Colombian mine situation to highlight needs and successes.
GERMANY
The German Campaign organises a roundtable with members of Parliament, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry for Economical Cooperation and Development, as well as operators and other NGOs to discuss the funding of humanitarian mine action (demining and victim assistance) in the German budget 2006 and 2007. Press releases will also be sent and interviews organized regarding the proceedings of the 7MSP.
INDIA
The Indian Campaign is planning to meet in mid-September with some high-level representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and with the officials of the Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses in New Delhi. A press briefing will follow the meetings.
NEPAL
On 14 September, the Nepal Campaign to Ban Landmines is holding a meeting on The Commitment of Political Parties to a Complete Ban on Landmines. A hundred participants wil attend.
TAJIKISTAN
The Campaign has had contacts with representatives of many ministries and organizations whose input and cooperation are needed to address the mine problem: Foreign Affairs, Defence, Labour, Health, as well as the Tajik Mine Action Cell. Contents of the Government of Tajikistan's victim assistance plan of action for the period 2005-2009 was especially discussed. A national launch of the Landmine Monitor Report 2006 is also planned.
YEMEN
The Campaign is planning to send letters to the ministries concerned by mine action in Aden. They will contact the media to inform them about the 7MSP and about the progress accomplished and still needed in Yemen. A national launch of the Landmine Monitor Report 2006 is also planned.