Action alert for 1 March anniversary

Author/Origin: Sue Wixley wixleySPAMFLTER@SPATMFLTERicbl.org

(Monday 23 February 2004 )

1. INTRODUCTION 2. TAKE ACTION 3. ACTION TOOLS 4. BACKGROUND

1. INTRODUCTION

Monday 1 March is the fifth anniversary of the Mine Ban Treaty’s entry into force - the day in 1999 when the treaty became binding under international law. Please help honour this day by: getting publicity and lobbying countries that have not joined the Mine Ban Treaty to come on board.

Today, the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (as the agreement is known officially) is one of the most successful treaties of its kind. The agreement has been embraced by three quarters of the world and implementation is fully underway. Much has been achieved and still more is expected, especially this year as momentum gathers for the Nairobi Summit on a Mine Free World (29 November – 3 December 2004). Also see Action Alert on USA new stance on landmines

2. TAKE ACTION

2.1. Publicise this day!

Write an opinion editorial article and submit it to a newspaper or website for publishing on 1 March or that week or month. Or find other ways to publicise the anniversary, the upcoming Nairobi Summit and our general message about the landmine issue. Examples and tips.

2.3. Lobby a country to join the Mine Ban Treaty!

Write to or visit the embassy of at least one of our target countries. Urge them to join the Mine Ban Treaty right away!

• Estonia and Latvia (the Baltic’s): http://www.icbl.org/country/baltics/
• Poland: http://www.icbl.org/country/poland/
• The Gulf States - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates: http://www.icbl.org/country/gulf/

Click the links for information on each situation, contact details and sample letters. Other ideas and message. To choose which country to focus on, pick a nearby country or one with which you have economic, cultural or political ties.

Panelists at a discussion on landmines and the Gulf in September 2003: Habbouba Aoun, Erik Tollefson, Ghassan Shahrour and Haji Khalil Dokhanchi. These five Gulf States are targetted in this action alert: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Credit: Kjell Knudsen.

3. ACTION TOOLS

3.1. Opinion articles: examples, message, tips

Examples

See these articles for ideas on different approaches and angles: medical, victim assistance, domestic and international politics.

• “Ban this horrific weapon”, by Newton C McCollough III and Pedro Jose Greer, published in Miami Herald http://www.banminesusa.org/news/930_news.htm
• “An Invisible Enemy” by Mary Wareham, published in The Globe and Mail: http://www.icbl.org/news/2003/413.php
• “Ridding the world of landmines, one backyard at a time” by Angelina Jolie, published in the Bangkok Post: http://www.icbl.org/news/2004/453.php
• “Banning Landmines Fights Terrorism”, by Don Lieber and Gina Coplon-Newfield, published in online edition of The Oregonian http://www.banminesusa.org/news/965_news.htm#terrorism
• An Interview with Jody Williams, published by the Georgian News Agency in December 2003: http://www.icbl.org/news/2004/454.php
• “Mine-free future for Afghanistan will not be easy”, by Sue Wixley published on Reuters’ Alertnet site: http://www.alertnet.org/thefacts/reliefresources/547465.htm
• Other articles: http://www.banminesusa.org/news/965_news.htm

Message/angle

Use the March 1 anniversary as a ‘peg’ for your article. Begin with a point such as: “Five years ago the Mine Ban Treaty entered into force, and did so faster than any treaty of its kind. Today the agreement is no less extraordinary, showing us that multilateral agreements and partnerships between governments and civil society work...” If relevant, draw a link between a topical event and the landmine issue, eg. note the talks about talks between India and Pakistan at the moment and argue that an end to landmine use by both sides should be part of the discussions.

In the body of the article give statistics on the number of State Parties and the progress in terms of clearing mines, destroying stockpiles, wiping out trade of landmines. Focus on your country or region: what has been achieved and what is yet to be done.

Note that this year will conclude with a major milestone in the life of the treaty: “The 2004 Nairobi Summit on a Mine Free World, or the First Review Conference of the treaty, takes place from 29 November to 3 December, and will be one of the highlights in the life of the treaty. World leaders will gather together in the Kenyan capital to mark progress since the birth of the Convention and chart the way forward for its full implementation and universalisation.”

Tips on opinion pieces

More hints here: http://www.icbl.org/news/2004/461.php.

3.2. Other publicity ideas and tips

For other ideas see the Campaign Kit booklet: So you want to publicise your campaign? http://www.icbl.org/resources/campaignkit/publicise/index.html and: http://www.icbl.org/news/2003/374.php

3.3. Lobbying message

See the country pages on our target countries for specific messages to each government. Our general message to non State Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty is summarised here:

• Most of the world’s governments have already banned antipersonnel mines and joined the Mine Ban Treaty (Gve examples of recent or significant accessions and ratifications from their region, check here: http://www.icbl.org/ratification/. Also give examples of positive steps in the region such as moratoria on export of antipersonnel mines or use.

• 150 plus State Parties and signatory countries, Nobel laureates and other world leaders will be participating in the 2004 Nairobi Summit on a Mine Free World (29 November – 3 December), a key milestone in the life of the Mine Ban Treaty. The event will mark the incredible progress since the birth of the convention and chart the way forward towards a mine-free world. The summit will also highlight those countries that remain outside the international norm that rejects antipersonnel mines.

• Join the Mine Ban Treaty by the Nairobi Summit or, at a minimum, take positive steps that show commitment to the principles of the Mine Ban Treaty and willingness to join the convention at some point. Mine-affected countries should be urged to do as much as possible to protect civilians from antipersonnel landmines, including through mine action and victim assistance. Other positive steps to be encouraged are listed here: http://www.icbl.org/news/2003/430.php

3.4. Other action ideas and tips

Feel free to devise your own action and/or target other non States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty. The full list of non State Parties is here: http://www.icbl.org/treaty/nonsign.php3 .

Other action ideas are also listed here: http://www.icbl.org/action/

4. BACKGROUND

In December 1997 a total of 122 governments signed the treaty in Ottawa, Canada. In September the following year, Burkina Faso was the 40^th country to ratify, triggering entry into force six months later on 1 March 1999.

Today 141 states have joined the treaty and a further 9 countries have signed but not yet ratified. A total of 44 countries remain outside of the treaty entirely and these include China, Egypt, Finland, India, Israel, Pakistan, Russia and the United States.