Author(s):
Alessandro Palmoso <alessandroSPAMFLTER@SPATMFLTERicbl.org> .
Tuesday 22 April 2008
As the 10th anniversary of the year the Mine Ban Treaty (MBT) was adopted and signed, 2007
provided several key opportunities for renewing energy around and interest in the treaty and
the issue. Throughout the year, the ICBL created and distributed 10th anniversary-related
materials, encouraged campaigners to organize special media or advocacy events, and
participated in 10th anniversary celebrations in Austria, Belgium, Norway, and Canada. The
ICBL’s slogan for marking this milestone was “The Mine Ban Treaty: A Success in
Progress”, a message that resonated with all the stakeholders in this journey to a mine-free
world.
As usual, the ICBL took part in the major international conferences on landmines, including a
large and active delegation at the intersessional Standing Committee (ISC) meetings, which
took place from 23-27 April 2007 in Geneva, Switzerland. The 8th Meeting of States Parties
(8MSP) from 18 to 22 November 2007 at the Dead Sea in Jordan, provided a useful hook for
the ICBL to organize and participate in advocacy activities in the Gulf region in the lead up to
the meeting, as well as to organize many side events, and undertake regional and international
press work during the MSP itself.
Work on universalisation remained a priority for the ICBL, as evidenced by a solid number of
missions to targeted countries by the ICBL Advocacy Director, Diplomatic Advisor, and other
staff members and campaigners. A series of advocacy missions were conducted in 2007 to
reach out to new audiences and to reinforce ICBL's messages to governments,
Parliamentarians, journalists and the general public. These missions, workshops and
conferences, mainly focused on Central Asia and Middle East, provided an opportunity for
ICBL staff to work with national campaigns on their planning and development of advocacy
goals. The Treaty gained new members with the ratification of Indonesia and accession by
Kuwait, Iraq and Palau.
The ICBL was also an active participant in the ‘Oslo Process’ to develop a cluster munitions
treaty, using its experience from the Mine Ban Treaty to provide key support and
accompaniment to the Cluster Munitions Coalition during the four major international
conferences (Oslo, Lima, Vienna and Wellington) that took place during 2007 and the first
quarter of 2008.
Capacity building for ICBL members continued to be emphasized as the best way to influence
policies in mine-affected states and States not Party to the treaty. As such, in 2007 the ICBL
continued focusing on enhancing the skills of national campaigns and assessing their needs
through individual communications and consultations, as well as group training.
The ICBL’s Treaty Implementation Director was actively engaged in advocacy with States
Parties, through her work with Geneva-based diplomats, the Coordinating Committee,
Implementation Support Unit (ISU), ICRC and other partners based in Geneva, plus directly
with State Party governments in international and regional meetings, implementation
workshops and missions.
In 2007, the ICBL continued to use and develop communication tools to facilitate information
exchanges within the campaign, including the improvement of its newsletter, a factsheet, an
updated ‘Messages Booklet to Campaigners’, and finally, the production of a 10th Anniversary
special brochure and photo exhibition.
During the reporting period, the Landmine Monitor team worked on the 2007 report, with the
ICBL staff providing input in accordance with their areas of expertise. The ICBL also
continued to support, when possible, member campaigns to design programs to increase youth
involvement in the activities of the ICBL.
Strategically, 2007 was a year for the ICBL to assess its resources, in preparation for the
Second Review Conference in 2009. At the beginning of 2008, supplementary staff resources
began to be hired in anticipation of increased demands in the lead up to the conference. The
website is also being redesigned to make it more useful and accessible to ICBL members,
other campaigners and stakeholders.
