Since it was formally
launched by six nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in 1992, the International
Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) has remained focused on its call for a ban on
the use, production, transfer, and stockpiling of antipersonnel mines, and for
increased resources for mine clearance and victim assistance. The ICBL is a
broad-based coalition of over 1,400 organizations in 90 countries worldwide,
coordinated by a committee of thirteen member organizations and a staff of
six.[1]
In 2002 and the first half of 2003, the ICBL continued to contribute
significantly to the strengthening of the rapidly emerging international norm
against the antipersonnel landmine, by working for full universalization and
effective implementation of the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. It did so with the
explicit goal of reducing the impact of landmines on communities worldwide. The
ICBL continued to implement its 2004 Action Plan and undertook an extensive
consultation and review process in the first half of 2003, to discern the
coalition’s objectives, activities and structure for the period following
the December 2004 Review Conference. The ICBL continued to take full advantage
of the implementation mechanisms established by the treaty. It actively
participated in the Fourth Meeting of States Parties, where it released
Landmine Monitor Report 2002, intersessional meetings, and four regional
and one global ICBL/Landmine Monitor meetings. The ICBL Ambassadors, staff,
working group chairs, and members undertook numerous advocacy missions, and
participated in several other regional and thematic meetings.
The ICBL staff engaged in numerous training endeavors, capacity-building and
partnership projects together with the campaign membership, and expanded the
ICBL’s vibrant youth project, in order to develop and enhance the advocacy
skills of ICBL members. ICBL staff disseminated Action Alerts, wrote
decision-makers, published reports, including the quarterly Landmine Update, and
produced other advocacy materials. All these materials and more were
distributed electronically via the campaign’s sophisticated system of
electronic mail groups and its all-inclusive website:
www.icbl.org
Fourth Meeting of States Parties
The most significant landmine event in 2002 was
the Fourth Meeting of States Parties (4MSP) to the Mine Ban Treaty held in
Geneva, Switzerland from 16-20 September 2002. This was the most widely
attended States Parties meeting yet, with participation by 131
countries.[2] In the months
leading up to the meeting, the ICBL called on all remaining treaty signatories
to ratify the treaty by the opening of the meeting, targeting a dozen countries
in particular. The ICBL wrote to the government leader of each country and
issued an Action Alert urging letter-writing, embassy visits and other actions.
Several targets (Afghanistan, Cameroon, Cyprus, The Gambia, São
Tomé e Príncipe, and Timor-Leste) subsequently ratified the
treaty. The ICBL also urged key pro-ban governments to use the opportunity
presented by the 4MSP to speak out against continued use of antipersonnel mines
and follow-up on measures to ensure effective compliance with the treaty. ICBL
members contacted their own government delegations to ensure their full and
active participation in the meeting, and drew media attention to the event.
The ICBL released its fourth annual report, Landmine Monitor Report 2002:
Toward a Mine-Free World, on 13 September 2002, just prior to the opening of
the 4MSP, with release events held in ten countries, including at the United
Nations in Geneva. The ICBL generated considerable local and international
media coverage, including in most major wire services and print, radio and
television services worldwide. ICBL press statements condemned antipersonnel
mine use by India and Pakistan, and warned against possible antipersonnel mine
use in military operations in Iraq. The ICBL held press briefings jointly with
the 3MSP and 4MSP Presidents at the opening and with the 4MSP and 5MSP
Presidents at the conclusion of the meeting.
In total, 143 ICBL campaigners and researchers representing 59 countries
participated in the 4MSP. As in previous years, the ICBL spoke on numerous
occasions during the 4MSP itself. Two landmine survivors spoke during the
opening ceremony, as well as representatives of the Swiss Campaign to Ban
Landmines and Handicap International. ICBL Ambassador and 1997 Nobel Peace Prize
Co-Laureate Jody Williams addressed the opening plenary, and the ICBL’s
Head of Delegation, Steve Goose of Human Rights Watch, delivered a statement on
behalf of the campaign during the general exchange of views. Representatives of
the ICBL Working Groups made numerous interventions throughout the week. The
ICBL held numerous regional and thematic meetings and briefings on the sidelines
of the diplomatic conference, as well as daily campaign briefings. The
ICBL’s Non-State Actor Working Group and the Swiss NGO, Geneva Call,
sponsored a roundtable discussion on engaging non-state actors in the landmine
ban. ICBL representatives met separately with every government
delegation present at the meeting.
During the week of the 4MSP, the Swiss Campaign to Ban Landmines welcomed
participants to Geneva with landmines-themed flags on buses, posters and
postcards, and a unique advocacy activity called Tapis Roulant, in which
ban supporters could “step toward a mine-free future” on treadmills
located throughout the city. Handicap International opened its Mine
Toons exhibition during the 4MSP, which featured a collection of 69
landmine-related political cartoons and drawings from around the world.
Long-time landmines photographer John Rodsted unveiled his new exhibition on
landmines and UXO in Afghanistan, Clearing the Path to Peace, at the
United Nations during the 4MSP. The ICBL has published a separate report on its
activities during the 4MSP and all documents are on the website at
www.icbl.org/4msp
Intersessional Work Program
The architects of the Ottawa Process have ensured
that significant progress is made in implementing the Mine Ban Treaty through
the establishment of various structures including: the intersessional work
program and Universalization Contact Group (established in 1999); the States
Parties Coordinating Committee, the Sponsorship Program, and theArticles 7 & 9 Contact Group (in 2000); the Implementation Support Unit
(in 2001); and the Resource Mobilization Contact Group (in 2002).
The ICBL continued its key role in the intersessional work program
established in May 1999 at the First Meeting of States Parties to carry the work
of the Mine Ban Treaty forward between the annual Meetings of State Parties.
The regular intersessional Standing Committees (SC) meetings have become one of
the most exciting activities in the Geneva-based diplomatic scene. The meetings
are widely respected for their unique, informal and practical organization that
encourages continuity, transparency, inclusiveness and a cooperative spirit; all
key elements in the success of global mine ban movement.
The President of the Fourth Meeting of States Parties, Ambassador Jean Lint
of Belgium, issued an Action Program, which has served as the basis for planning
for the fourth year of intersessional work.The 2003 intersessional
Standing Committee meetings focused more than ever before on the needs, gaps and
resources available for the implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty, especially
its mine action components, in the period leading-up to the first Review
Conference in November 2004.
The four Standing Committees -- Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic
Reintegration; Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies;
Stockpile Destruction; and General Status and Operation of the Convention --
each met during one-week long periods in February and May 2003 at the Geneva
International Center for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD). Participation in the
intersessional Standing Committees in February and May 2003 again reached record
levels. More than 500 persons representing 126 countries (96 States Parties and
30 non-States Parties), ICBL members, and international, UN and regional
organizations attended both sets of meetings. More than 70 ICBL members from 44
countries attended the January 2002 meetings, while over 60 members from 26
countries participated in the May meetings. During the intersessional weeks,
the ICBL held daily meetings for NGOs attending the official meetings, as well
as several midday briefings and other sessions. Campaigners met individually
with nearly every government attending the intersessional meetings, as well as
with the international organizations.
SC on General Status and Operation of the Convention (Co-Chairs:
Austria & Peru; Co-Rapporteurs: Mexico & the Netherlands). The ICBL,
under the leadership of its Treaty Working Group (TWG), highlighted the
following issues, all of which were included on the agendas during the February
and May meetings: possible antipersonnel mine use by non-signatories in joint
military operations with States Parties, as well as foreign stockpiles and
transit of mines (Article 1 – interpretation of “assist”);
antivehicle mines with antihandling devices (Article 2 - definitions); mines
retained for training and development (Article 3); timely destruction of
stockpiled antipersonnel mines (Article 4); the need for comprehensive and
timely transparency reporting (Article 7); compliance issues (Article 8); and
the obligation to enact national implementation measures (Article 9). The ICBL
continued to participate in the Universalization Contact Group chaired by
Canada, which coordinates efforts to promote universalization by governments,
ICBL, ICRC, and other international organizations. The ICBL was also an active
participant in the Article 7 Contact Group chaired by Belgium, which expanded in
2002 to include Article 9, and the new Resource Mobilization Contact Group
chaired by Norway.
SC on Stockpile Destruction (Co-Chairs: Romania & Switzerland;
Co-Rapporteurs: Guatemala & Italy). The Treaty Working Group also led
ICBL’s participation in this SC and the TWG Chair provided a global
overview in the opening sessions of both meetings. The TWG emphasized the need
for States Parties to provide regular progress reports (in addition to timely
and comprehensive Article 7 transparency reporting), identified problem areas
including resource constraints for stockpile destruction, and warned States
Parties to take the rapidly approaching four-year deadline for destruction of
stockpiles seriously as this constitutes one of the visible and essential
aspects of treaty implementation. The ICBL also urged countries to provide more
information on existence, numbers and types of antipersonnel mine stockpiles
worldwide.
SC on Mine Clearance, Mine Awareness and Related Technologies
(Co-Chairs: Belgium & Kenya; Co-Rapporteurs: Cambodia & Japan). The
Co-Chairs introduced the “4P” framework to encourage mine-affected
States Parties to report on their “Plans, Priorities, Progress and
Problems.” This proved to be successful with 28 mine-affected countries
(24 States Parties and 4 States not Party) reporting on the situation in their
respective countries, which will contribute to determining the extent of
progress, what remains to be done and what will be required to accomplish the
clearance obligation. The ICBL’s Mine Action Working Group (MAWG) provided
overview presentations drawing attention the ten-year clearance deadline
established by Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, which is approaching for many
States Parties in 2009.
SC on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration (Co-Chairs:
Colombia & France; Co-Rapporteurs: Australia and Croatia). The 2003
Standing Committee concentrated on strategies to assist States Parties in
meeting their obligations under Article 6.3 of the Convention; with a focus on
measuring progress, over the next 18 months, prior to the 2004 Review
Conference. The Co-Chairs encouraged States Parties to report on national
implementation plans using the “4P” framework and requested all
States Parties that may require assistance to report during Standing Committee
meetings. Topics discussed in the 2003 meetings included an overview of the
status of implementation, national updates on implementation (15 States Parties
and one State not Party intervened), regional efforts, updates on assistance and
cooperation, and the initial negotiations on a disability rights convention.
Raising the Voices, a leadership training for landmine survivor
advocates, continued into its third year; sixteen landmine/UXO survivors from
Asia (Afghanistan, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand)
participated in the intersessional meetings in February and May 2003.
The presence of the ICBL Intersessional Program Officer in Geneva, Susan
Walker, contributed to the ICBL’s impact in, and the overall success of,
the intersessional work program. Walker continued to promote the intersessional
work, bringing together present and past SC co-chairs and co-rapporteurs, as
well as the Presidents of the annual meetings of States Parties, together with
the ICRC, the ISU and ICBL Coordinator and working group chairs for meetings of
the ICBL’s Intersessional Contact Group (IICG, formerly known as “20
+ 2”) in February and May 2003. This series of meetings has proven
invaluable in preparing substantively for the ISC meetings, as well as in
serving as a forum for strategic planning with government partners. The ICBL
also actively participated in the 4MSP President’s Consultations held on
31 January and 12 May 2003 to discuss the preparatory process leading up to the
2004 Review Conference.
The Coordinating Committee (CC) made up of States Parties also met monthly in
2002 and 2003, with the 4MSP President as its chair. The CC consists of the
Co-Chairs and Co-Rapporteurs of the four intersessional Standing Committees.
The chairs of the Universalization, Articles 7 & 9, and Resource
Mobilization Contact Groups, and the Sponsorship Group (UK), also participated,
as did the incoming President of the Fifth Meeting of States Parties (Thailand).
The ICBL and ICRC continued to participate on a regular basis. The meetings
discussed practical coordination matters relating to the intersessional work
program and preparations for the annual Meetings of State Parties.
The Mine Ban Treaty’s Implementation Support Unit (ISU), established in
September 2001 by the Third Meeting of States Parties, is intended to provide a
value-added service, not replace the important efforts of States Parties. Since
it became operational in January 2002, the ISU has more than proven its worth in
ensuring better preparations for the intersessional meetings, in providing
valuable and needed support to all interested States, in serving as an
information source, and in contributing to strategic thinking on how to achieve
the overall goals of the treaty. The ICBL works very closely with the ISU.
The Sponsorship Program, establishedin 2000 to ensure full
participation of mine-affected countries with limited resources, continued to
bring an average of 70 representatives from mine-affected and less developed
countries to the intersessional meetings in 2003.
Updated information and background on the intersessional work program is
available on the ICBL website at www.icbl.org/sc and on the GICHD website at
www.gichd.ch
Other Campaign Activities
ICBL/Landmine Monitor meetings
Campaign training, strategy discussions, and
advocacy activities were more integrated than ever before into the 2002-2003
meetings held to prepare Landmine Monitor Report 2003.
The Azerbaijan Campaign to Ban Landmines hosted the first regional meeting in
Baku, Azerbaijan from 7-9 November 2002. ICBL members from the Commonwealth of
Independent States (CIS) region of the former Soviet Union engaged in internal
discussions on advocacy strategies and research challenges. They traveled
overnight to Fizuli region in the far west of the country, where they discussed
the socio-economic impact of the landmines on local communities and visited a
mine clearance operation conducted by a national NGO, Relief Azerbaijan, and the
Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action. The group also had a two-hour
meeting with the deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, Araz Azimov.
The regional meeting received good media coverage, including on national and
regional television.
African campaigners and researchers from twenty-one countries met in Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia from 11-14 December 2002. Representatives of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and the Africa Union (formerly the Organization of African
Unity) addressed the meeting’s opening plenary, which was attended by over
two dozen diplomatic representatives, as well as members of Ethiopia’s
mine action community The group, which included several newcomers from
Francophone African countries, deliberated on research problems and advocacy
challenges. Rehabilitation and Development Organization, a national NGO hosting
the meeting, then took the group to view its mine risk education efforts in the
heavily mine-affected Tigray region in the north of the country, using funds
provided by the British Embassy and African Union. In Tigray, the participants
visited a mine clearance project conducted by the Ethiopian Mine Action Office.
The Sri Lanka Campaign to Ban Landmines hosted the third regional meeting
Colombo, Sri Lanka from 27- 31 January 2003. Prime Minister, Hon. Ranil
Wickremasinghe welcomed the ICBL in a statement provided to the opening plenary
on the meeting, which included speakers from the government, UNDP, UNICEF, mine
action NGOs, diplomatic representatives and religious dignitaries from the
Inter-Religious Peace Foundation, coordinator of the campaign. After two days of
closed meetings, the participants traveled to the mine-affected Vanni region in
the north of the country. At the town of Killinochi, which is under the control
of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the group viewed a demining training by
the Humanitarian Demining Unit of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization. The
regional meeting received widespread media coverage on national television, as
well as print and radio.
European campaigners and researchers met in Geneva during the intersessional
meetings from 3-7 February 2003. They discussed their 2003 research, as well as
advocacy plans for the coming year. The participants also attended Standing
Committee meetings and met with their government representatives present in the
meetings. Several Landmine Monitor researchers from the Middle East also
participated.
The Italian Campaign to Ban Landmines hosted the global meeting needed to
prepare Landmine Monitor Report 2003 in Rome from 7-9 April 2003, with
support provided by the Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Arms Control division
of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Over 70 researchers from 65
countries and another 40 campaigners and guests came together for the meeting,
which was split into two main areas: discussions and review of final country
updates for the 2003 report and ICBL skill-building workshops. Participants
also met twice in regional groups to discuss and to plan actions for the coming
year.
Other seminars, awareness-building missions and advocacy efforts
The
ICBL participated in numerous regional and international seminars and
conferences during 2002 and the first half of 2003. A few of them are cited
here. Two events commemorated treaty anniversaries. ICBL members participated
in the international conferenceon the future of humanitarian mine action
in Oslo, Norway in September 2002, which also marked five years since the Mine
Ban Treaty was successfully negotiated in Oslo in 1997. The conference was
organized by Norwegian People’s Aid, Norwegian Red Cross, and the
International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO), with funding from the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. ICBL representatives also spoke at events held in
Ottawa, Canada in late November to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Mine
Ban Treaty’s opening for signature, including an international symposium
hosted by Mines Action Canada addressing the challenges of achieving a mine-free
world.
ICBL campaigners attended a Mine Ban Treaty seminar in Yerevan, Armenia in
October, organized by Armenia, Canada and the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Also in October, ICBL members observed the
completion of Croatia’s stockpile destruction and spoke at a regional
seminar on Mine Ban Treaty implementation in Dubrovnik, Croatia. In November,
ICBL representatives from Armenia, Russia and the United States attended a
regional conference on landmines and explosives remnants of war organized by the
ICRC in Moscow, Russia. Also in November, the Chilean NGO, Instituta de
Ecología Politica, and Landmine Monitor’s Americas region research
coordinator accepted an invitation to participate in the Fifth Conference of the
Ministers of Defense of the Americas. From 12-13 November, the ICBL
participated in a seminar held in Brussels, Belgium on Article 7 transparency
reporting by Central African countries.
The ICBL attended a Mine Ban Treaty seminar in Kiev, Ukraine from 11-12
February 2003. The Cambodia Campaign to Ban Landmines and other ICBL members
participated in a seminar on the future of mine action in South-East Asia, held
in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from 26-28 March. On 26 April, the ICBL participated in
the first landmines conference event held in Istanbul, Turkey. The Sri Lankan
and Japan country campaigns participated in a donor conference on reconstruction
and development of Sri Lanka held in Tokyo, Japan from 9-10 June.
The ICBL Ambassadors undertook a number of advocacy and awareness-building
missions. In February 2003, ICBL Ambassador Jody Williams became the first
Nobel Peace laureate to meet with 1991 Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi at
her home in Rangoon, Burma. ICBL Ambassador Tun Channareth and Canada’s
Mine Action Ambassador, Ross Hynes, undertook a visit to Jakarta, Indonesia in
May to urge for swift ratification of the Mine Ban Treaty. ICBL representatives
participated in advocacy events in Poland in September 2002 and March 2003. A
New Zealand ICBL representative joined a government-NGO visit to Papua New
Guinea in April 2003. Also in April, ICBL staff undertook media and lobbying
activities in Helsinki, Finland. Members of the ICBL’s Non-State Actors
Working Group visited Kathmandu, Nepal in June 2003. ICBL members also
witnessed several stockpile destruction events in countries including Chile,
Colombia, Croatia, Djibouti, Japan, Jordan, Somaliland, Tanzania, Thailand and
Uganda.
In 2002 and the first half of 2003, awareness-raising activities were held in
countries including: Afghanistan, Angola, Argentina, Australia, Austria,
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Burma/Myanmar,
Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Democratic Republic of
Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Finland,
France, Georgia, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Korea,
Kyrgyzstan, Lao PDR, Latvia, Lebanon, Malawi, Malaysia, Namibia, Nepal, New
Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia
and Montenegro, Singapore, Somaliland, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan,
Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine,
United Arab Emirates, United States, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vietnam, Yemen,
Zambia, Zimbabwe.
The ICBL and member campaigns sent letters to heads of state, issued media
releases and engaged in other advocacy activities to highlight the landmines
crisis and remaining work to be done at international events and fora including
the: African Union, Assembly of African Francophone Parliamentarians,
Association of Southeast Asian Nations, European Union, Euro-Atlantic
Partnership Council, Francophonie, G8, Inter-Parliamentary Union, MERCOSUR,
North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Non-Aligned Movement, Organization for
Security and Cooperatoin in Europe, Organization of American States, Third World
Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil and the Sixth Disabled Peoples'
International World Assembly in Sapporo, Japan. ICBL staff, Ambassadors and
leaders responded to numerous requests to speak on the landmine issue and
lessons learned from the movement to ban them.
Coordinated campaign actions
In November 2002, the ICBL issued an Action Alert on banning landmines in
Asia-Pacific, as part of its Asia Appeal build-up to the Fifth Meeting of States
Parties, which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand in September 2003. In March
2003, the ICBL issued an Action Alert against antipersonnel mine use in Iraq and
created a webpage
www.icbl.org/country/iraq to
disseminate information on Iraq. On 3 December 2002, events around the world
commemorated the fifth anniversary of the opening for signature of the Mine Ban
Treaty. The ICBL wrote to every head of government on the eve of the
anniversary, enclosing the ICBL’s Report on Activities at the
Fourth Meeting of States Parties. Similar events were held in numerous
countries on 1 March 2003, the fourth anniversary of the entry into force of the
treaty. The ICBL also engaged in a capacity-building project, together with
Landmine Action UK, to strengthen campaigning efforts in South Asia. The ICBL
organized two information sessions on national implementation legislation for
governments and campaigners in Africa and the Americas, in cooperation with the
International Committee of the Red Cross.
Young people around the world continued to collect signatures for the Youth
Against War Treaty, which in 2002 and 2003 focused on urging India and Pakistan
to renounce antipersonnel mine use and join the Mine Ban Treaty. On Sunday, 6
April 2003, international and Italian campaigners distributed hundreds of Youth
Against War balloons to children during an event outside Saint Peter’s
Square at the Vatican. The ICBL organized a one-week youth campaigning seminar
in Santiago, Chile in November 2002. In January 2003, members of the Brazilian
Campaign to Ban Landmines and a youth campaigner from Uruguay participated in
events at the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil. They hosted daily
workshops and an information stand at the youth campground and distributed
postcards urging Cuban President Fidel Castro to support the Mine Ban Treaty.
The ICBL youth campaigners share news about upcoming events and activities on
the Youth Action Forum website at
www.icbl.org/youth
In 2002 and the first half of 2003, the ICBL issued quarterly “Landmine
Updates,” the Report on Activities at the Fourth Meeting of States
Parties, updated brochures, campaign kits and a CD Rom of visual images. It
produced a brochure and webpages for its “Sponsor a Mine-Detection
Dog” initiative. In December 2002, the ICBL Resource Center in
Sana’a, Yemen closed and ICBL resources are now distributed by regional
and thematic focal points. More information on the ICBL’s activities is
available at www.icbl.org
[1] The CC membership has not changed since
it was approved by the last General Meeting of the ICBL network in March 2001:
Afghan Campaign to Ban Landmines, Association for Aid and Relief/Japan, Cambodia
Campaign to Ban Landmines, Colombia Campaign Against Mines, German Initiative to
Ban Landmines, Kenya Coalition Against Landmines, Handicap International, Human
Rights Watch, Landmine Survivors Network, Lutheran World Federation, Mines
Action Canada, Norwegian People’s Aid, and South African Campaign to Ban
Landmines. The ICBL staff are: Elizabeth Bernstein, Coordinator; Sylvie Brigot,
Government Relations Officer; Kjell Knudsen, Webmaster; Jackie Hansen, Project
Officer; Susan B. Walker, Intersessional Program Officer; Sue Wixley, Advocacy
and Communications Officer. Contact
icbl@icbl.org. [2] This included 94
States Parties and 37 non-States Parties. The non-States Parties attending
included 11 signatories and 26 non-signatories.