The annual meetings of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty take place alternately in Geneva, Switzerland and in mine-affected countries in different regions in the world.
- Delegates representing governments, civil society and international organizations from 115 countries converged in Zagreb, Croatia, for the Sixth Meeting of States Parties, from 28 November to 2 December 2005. The ICBL was represented by over 180 delegates from 63 countries. Much of the advocacy work concentrated on the 24 countries self-identified as having the largest number of mine survivors and the greatest need for assistance. The ICBL also urged mine-affected States to take greater responsibiliy for meeting their clearance obligations, as the 10-year treaty-mandated deadline approaches for many of them.
- The Fifth Meeting of States Parties was held in Bangkok, Thailand from 15 to 19 September 2003. It was one of the most productive and successful annual meetings to date. At a time of great turmoil internationally, the Meeting was a welcome reminder that multilateralism, with a meaningful role for civil society, can and does work. A total of 118 countries attended, with more than 200 representatives of non-governmental organizations from 65 countries, the largest ICBL NGO delegation ever. It helped to highlight the enormous progress made in implementing and universalizing the Convention and also the challenges remaining, particularly that “Asia lags behind on the landmine ban” and more work is needed to bring countries in this region on board. In addition, the States Parties designated Ambassador Wolfgang Petritsch, Austria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, as President of the Convention’s First Review Conference and urged participation in the conference at the highest possible level.
- The Fourth Meeting of States Parties was convened at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland from 16 to 20 September 2002. Speaking at the official opening of the Meeting, ICBL ambassador Jody Williams highlighted amongst other issues, the importance of working "even more vigorously to address the significant gap between the hope offered to landmine survivors through the successes of the ban movement and the words of the Mine Ban Treaty – and the realities of too many of their lives in too many countries around the world."
- The Third Meeting of States Partiestook place in Managua, Nicaragua, from 18 to 21 September 2001. Despite the tragic events of 11 September, the meeting went ahead and was indeed a successful one. It highlighted the importance of international humanitarian law and the global landmine crisis. The “Managua Challenge” mobilized countries in the Americas to join the treaty and destroy their landmine stockpiles in the months preceding the event.
- The Second Meeting of States Parties was held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, from 11 to 15 September 2000. The ICBL participated in the meeting with an official delegation of nineteen people. Additionally, 162 ICBL campaigners, researchers, deminers and survivors from fifty-three countries attended.
- The First Meeting of States Parties was held in Maputo, Mozambique, from 3 to 7 May 1999. Holding the meeting in a mine-affected country that is part of a severely mine-affected region was an important significant move and helped keep the world’s attention on the landmines crisis in Africa and beyond.