ICBL members traveled to Washington, DC, not only to participate in the ICBL General Meeting and Landmine Monitor Meetings, but to engage with American activists, the public and each other. From working group meetings to a joint ICBL/ USCBL press conference, our time in the US capital reflected a spirit of true partnership between campaigners from 83 countries, the public, and the many governments and organizations with which we work.
Washington, DC mayor Anthony Williams declared the week of 5-11 March Ban Landmines Week in the District of Columbia. Throughout the week the ICBL partnered with local host the United States Campaign to Ban Landmines (USCBL) to present a series of public events in Washington, DC.
The USCBL brought over 200 activists and students from 46 of 50 states to Washington, DC for an activist conference held 8-10 March. Throughout the event, activists succeeded in holding over 300 meetings with Congressional offices. Gina Coplon-Newfield, USCBL Coordinator, stated that the meetings demonstrated "to members of Congress and the new White House administration that people throughout the country care deeply about the scourge of landmines on the earth and want to see passed the newly introduced Landmines Elimination and Victim Assistance Act of 2001." (See http://www.banminesusa.org for more information.)
Several ICBL members participated in USCBL lobby visits to American politicians, in addition to conducting a series of embassy visits. Notable visits included Susan Walker and Elvis Gbanabom Hallowell’s visit to the Embassy of Sierra Leone, where Sierra Leone’s officials announced that legislation to ratify the treaty had been passed and deposit was imminent. Other embassy visits included the Embassy of the Lao People's Democratic Republic and the Embassy of Lebanon.
Landmine Survivors Network organized a number of events throughout the week, including a congressional hearing, press luncheon and wreath laying. On Wednesday, 7 March, Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan and sixteen landmine survivors testified before the United States Congressional Human Rights Caucus on the global scourge of landmines and urgent need for humanitarian assistance to mine victims. On Thursday, 8 March, Queen Noor was the featured guest speaker at a National Press Club luncheon, where she urged U.S. leadership to join the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. Several American landmine survivors accompanied Queen Noor to the Press Club Luncheon and later participated in a wreath laying ceremony at the future site of the WWII Memorial.
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On Friday 9 March, Queen Noor; Jerry White, LSN; Song Kosal, ICBL Youth Ambassador, and Denise Coghlan, Cambodia Campaign to Ban Landmines, met with US Secretary of State Colin Powell to discuss the landmine issue and encourage the United States to take steps to join the landmine ban. Secretary Powell stated that US landmine policy had not changed, but that he had discussed the issue with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld that morning and the Pentagon would examine the role of landmines in its comprehensive defense policy review that is currently underway. Queen Noor thanked Secretary Powell for US support to demine the Jordan Valley as envisioned by her late husband, His Majesty King Hussein. Song Kosal, speaking on behalf of youth worldwide, presented Powell with a banner to hang in his office that read "Ban Mines Now" and "do one thing everyday to make peace grow like a flower."
The ICBL has five thematic working groups on mine action, victim assistance, non-state actors, ethics and justice and the treaty. Throughout the week these groups conducted meetings. A series of "brown bag lunches" provided an opportunity for ICBL campaigners to share their work with the local NGO community. Brown bag lunches were held from Tuesday 6 March to Friday 9 March on Landmines in Africa, Landmines in the Middle East, Landmine in the Americas and Landmines in ASEAN Countries.
A series of roundtable discussions throughout the week provided a forum to share information about a variety of mine action programs. Bill McDonough spoke on Mine Action by the Organization of American States and Ambassador Donald Steinberg and Pat Patierno participated in the roundtable meeting on Mine Action by the US Department of State. A number of United Nations representatives spoke at the Mine Action by the United Nations roundtable, including Jenni Rauch, UNDP; Jens Schlyter, UNICEF; Noel Mulliner and Steven Feller, UNMAS.
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The ICBL and the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies co-hosted a screening of Korean filmmaker Jeonghoon Jang’s documentary The Land of Iron on Wednesday 7 March. Approximately 100 activists, students and members of the public showed up to view the film and participate in a discussion with the filmmaker, photographer Siwoo Lee, survivor Jun-jin Ko and members of the Korea Campaign to Ban Landmines. (See his photos online at www.siwoo.pe.kr)
On Thursday 8 March the ICBL and USCBL held a joint press conference, demining exhibit and shoe pile on the east lawn of Capitol Hill. USCBL chair Jerry White, Congressman James McGovern, Rev. Robert Edgar of the National Council for Churches, Cambodian youth survivor Song Kosal and 1997 Nobel Laureate Jody Williams spoke at the event.
March 8 Press Conference Speech Transcripts (on USCBL website):
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Adjacent to the press conference a 2.5 meter high shoe pile, composed of thousands of shoes and prosthetic limbs representing the limbs and lives lost to landmines, drew attention throughout Capitol Hill. Norwegian People’s Aid’s Damir Atikovic conducted a mine clearance demonstration on the Capitol Hill lawn to a captivated audience of campaigners, students and members of the public.
On the evening of Thursday 8 March the USCBL hosted a reception at the Organization of American States honoring Queen Noor of Jordan and the ICBL. Reception speakers included Len Rubenstein, Physicians for Human Rights; Ambassador Lombardo Martinez, Permanent Mission of Nicaragua to the OAS; Senator Patrick Leahy; Her Majesty Queen Noor and ICBL Ambassador Jody Williams.
Amputee hockey players (www.hop.spb.ru) demonstrated the new para-Olympic sport on Friday 9 March in Laurel, Maryland. Players from Canada, Russia and the United States conducted a tournament to a crowd of enthusiastic fans. Tournament organizer Mark Pitkin stated "counting scores, one may say that Canadians won, however everyone won including the spectators and the landmine survivors."
Both international and American campaigners spent the morning of Saturday 10 March at ten national monuments in Washington, DC, distributing educational materials and collecting petition signatures to be handed over later in the day.
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Campaigners proceeded from their petitioning stations to Lafayette Park, located opposite the White House, where 263,000 petition signatures from youth in 42 countries were placed on a three legged broken chair, symbolizing American failure to step up and take a stand on the mines issue. Local students spoke about American youth activism and the importance of efforts to encourage the United States to join the Mine Ban Treaty. Youth and campaigners symbolically placed peace symbols and bags of petition signatures around the empty chair. ICBL Ambassador Jody Williams wrapped up the event by pointing out that the empty chair on the stage was another reminder of the United States’ inability to "step up to the plate" in taking responsibility for the scourge of landmines on civilian populations. Petition signatures were later mailed directly to President George W. Bush.
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Following the petition handover, campaigners proceeded to the Church of the Epiphany for an inter-faith prayer service hosted by the USCBL. The very sensitive and moving service included survivor stories, Cambodian dancers, a gospel choir, and the symbolic placement of stones along a pathway to a mine-free world. The service provided important closure to the busy week of events.
Students from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York, USA, performed their awareness-raising play Watch Your Step to a packed house at the Market 5 Gallery on the evening of Saturday 10 March. In addition to this diverse series of events, "pick-me-up" coasters were placed in local bars and photography exhibits were located at several area venues.
