Author(s):
Sylvie Brigot <brigotSPAMFLTER@SPATMFLTERicbl.org> .
Monday 28 February 2005
Dear all,
The road beyond Nairobi. Photo:Sylvie Brigot
Greetings!
This note is about Tuesday 1 March 2005, the 6th anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention. Thank you very much for all the work you are already doing in following up from Nairobi!
This anniversary, only months after the historic Nairobi Summit, provides a very good opportunity to raise the landmine issue with governments and with the public. This Call to Action focuses on three issues:
1) To urge States Parties to implement the ambitious Action Plan they adopted in Nairobi;
2) To encourage States not Parties to the Convention to build on the steps some of them took in Nairobi to take steps towards the Treaty and,
3) To publicise your message and share your plans.
Let us know what you are doing !
Thanks a lot !
All the best to you all !
ICBL Staff
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Table of contents
1) Call to Action!
2) Planned activities
3) Background information
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1) CALL TO ACTION !
A) MEET WITH YOUR GOVERNMENT!
STATES PARTIES
The Nairobi Action Plan contained 70 actions addressing the universalisation of the Convention, the destruction of stockpiles, the clearance of mined areas, and assistance to victims. In addition, States Parties also committed themselves to take action on the transparency and exchange of information, ways to prevent activities prohibited by the Convention and facilitate compliance.
Click here to read the Nairobi Action Plan. When reading it, you will easily identify which actions are most relevant for your government. Please meet your government officials and ask how they plan to implement the Nairobi Action Plan
NON STATES PARTIES
25 out of the 50 States not yet Parties were present in Nairobi, including 5 Signatories. See our Nairobi lobbying report for the list and comments. Please use the 1 March anniversary to make progress on Treaty universalisation. Raise accession or ratification with your government if it has not yet joined and encourage him to adopt interim measures and to participate in the global effort against landmines !
B) RAISE THE LANDMINE ISSUE AROUND YOU AND SHARE YOUR PLANS!
See below sample of public activities some campaigns are planning around 1 March 2005.
And YOU ? Are you planning a special event ? Let us know !
Use the regional email distribution lists or add your events in the ICBL calendar of events by yourself ! It is easy! Please take this opportunity to share your plans with all of us.
2) PLANNED ACTIVITIES
- Burma: Nonviolence International is conducting a field trip in Burma to try and establish contact with the 13 members of the ruling military junta and government ministers, and to meet with foreign missions, UN Agencies and international organisations. This trip is building on dissemination of Landmine Monitor reports. Click here for more information.
- Burma: Halt Mine Use in Burma will give a presentation to a coordinating body of NGOs, UN agencies and Embassies in Bangkok on the need for marking mine fields in Burma.
- Canada: Mines Action Canada is organising a series of events surrounding Canadian Landmines Awareness Week from 28 February - 5 March. Click here for more information.
- Cambodia: The Cambodian Campaign held a mine awareness day as a lead-in to the week of 1 March. ICBL Ambassador Tun Channareth participated in a round table to be broadcast later. Programmes wil be held in mine affected villages to promote awareness and to deliver the King's message. Some cards and a book by child mine survivors in Khmer will be distributed and letters will be sent to the diplomatic community calling for mine action funding.
- Denmark: Denmark against Landmines is organising "Mine Action after the Nairobi Summit - where to go and what to look for?" a seminar in Copenhaguen, on 1 March.
- India: The Indian Campaign will hold a workshop focusing on beyond the Nairobi Summit and the recent signing by the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland of the Deed of Commitment under Geneva.
- Italy: The coordinator of the Italian Campaign will make an intervention as a panelist on 8 March on the issue of "Women and Landmines".
3) BACKGROUND
At the end of the Nairobi Summit, the ICBL highlighted the challenges ahead.