In preparation for the Second Review Conference of the CCM taking place November 2020 in Switzerland, the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) continues to promote universal adherence to the treaty.
August 2020 marked ten years since the CCM became international law and network members took the opportunity to call on all countries worldwide to accede to or ratify the convention and call for an immediate end to all use of the banned weapon and for clear condemnation of any use, including in Syria.
Below are some examples of recent global campaign actions:
Proud Students Against Landmines and Cluster Munitions (West Virginia Campaign to Ban Landmines) – undertook a letter and video message campaign on why the United States and all countries should join the CCM immediately;
Uganda Landmine Survivors Association – organized a stakeholder meeting supporting awareness on cluster munitions and advocacy efforts for the Government of Uganda to ratify the CCM;
Access, Assistance, Advocacy - held events in Serbia featuring a local Wheelchair Basketball Association and produced a video message, calling on the Serbian Government to join the CCM and demonstrate solidarity with other affected countries;
The Afghan Landmine Survivors Organization – used the 10-year anniversary of the CCM to promote universalization of the convention and survivor involvement in convention implementation via television interviews, public events and public art messages.
Video message from Mines Action Canada with Mine Action Fellows and the Association for Public Policy in Argentina (Associación Para Politicas Públicas), explains the importance of the Convention on Cluster Munitions and calls on Brazil and Argentina to join without delay.
Thanks to all those who have carried out campaign actions in support of CCM universalization in recent months.
For more on Cluster Munition Coalition member actions, see our webpage social media channels:
On 4 September the CM joined States for the second preparatory meeting for the Second Review Conference of the CCM taking place November 23 to 27 in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Discussion focused on the draft Lausanne Action Plan and the Political Declaration. The CMC contributed to strengthening language and actions for universalization,andnoted the alarming ongoing use of cluster munitions by state-not party Syria as the biggest challenge facing the convention.
The CMC welcomes the creation of an early warning mechanism for convention reporting, announced at the meeting, as well as a proposal to reinstate intersessional meetings.
See the full meeting proceedings and relevant documents here.
According to the information provided by the Swiss Presidency to date, plans for the Second Review Conference in Lausanne are going ahead. However, in keeping with public health precautions at local, national and international level, the meeting will almost certainly take a hybrid format, with limited in-person delegations, and an online platform that will support the effective participation of States Parties and civil society stakeholders unable to be present physically.
The ICBL-CMC is coordinating with global network members and partners to find creative solutions to the challenge of meaningful participation in the context of online fora for convention meetings, and will be sharing information on this as it is available.
Congratulations Niue on becoming CCM State Party #109! Read more here.
Congratulations Saint Lucia on becoming CCM State Party #110! Read more here.
ICBL joined MBT States Parties and stakeholders for the 2020 Intersessional Meeting held June 30 to 2 July. The event was the first such MBT virtual meeting following COVID-19 restrictions, and presented new challenges for civil society and state participants alike.
You can see the full Intersessional programme here.
See ICBL and State Party statements here.
View Landmine Monitor products shared at the meeting, here.
Progress on Oslo Action Plan and 18 MSP
The 18th Meeting of States Parties to the MBT will take place 16 to 20 November in Geneva and will be held in a hybrid – online/in-person format (as above for the CCM) – with provisions for one member per delegation at the Palais des Nations. Sessions related to presentation of extension requests, clearance, mine risk education, and victim assistance will be held via a virtual platform. The entire meeting will be broadcast via UN-Web TV with interpretation in all UN languages.
The ICBL expects to hear updates from States Parties with outstanding obligations on their implementation of the treaty and progress on the Oslo Action Plan and its 50 concrete actions adopted at the 4th Review Conference and aimed at achieving full universalization and implementation of the treaty by 2025.
During the meeting, States will also consider and decide on requests for extension to clearance deadlines that are expected to be presented by some ten States Parties: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Sudan, and Ukraine. Requests from Eritrea and Nigeria are still pending. ICBL expects all requests to be clear, realistic and evidence-based, as well as ambitious, for the minimum amount of additional time absolutely necessary.
For more information on the November meeting please visit the ISU’s website here.
The Monitor team is currently busy putting together its two annual reports: Cluster Munition Monitor 2020 (a 10-year review edition to mark the Second Review Conference) and Landmine Monitor 2020 to be launched November 2020. Updates of country profiles are available now on the Monitor website.
For any questions regarding the upcoming Monitor products or national launches for the annual reports, please contact monitor2@icblcmc.org.
Support for national networks is more crucial than ever in 2020 in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic and responses. Organizations carrying out mine risk education, victim assistance, and advocacy activities – among others – at local level are facing particular challenges, while the situation for many cluster munition and landmine survivors and their organizations is extremely precarious.
ICBL-CMC's Investing in Action small grants programme seeks to encourage and enable national campaign efforts supporting universalization and implementation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) and the Mine Ban Treaty (MBT). This year, ICBL-CMC has provided additional support for national survivor network organizations, through supplementary Together in Action grants.
The programme builds on the legacy of the previous ICBL-CMC funded Survivor Network Project and helps to ensure the continued inclusion and participation of survivors in advocating for their rights at the national and international level.
Below are some examples of the critical work being carried out national campaigns, including survivors networks, under the 2020 Investing in Action programme:
Alb-Aid, Albania – Public workshop conducted with local NGOs and cluster munition and mine survivors, assessing national implementation of CCM victim assistance provisions; 1 August photo exhibit and press conference highlighting survivors rights and state obligations under the CCM, and the need for social inclusion.
Survivor Network, (Red de Sobrevivientes) El Salvador – Survey and data collection on situation of survivors in context of COVID-19 and recent natural disasters.
Survivors Recovery and Rehabilitation Organization (SRaRO), Ethiopia – Advocacy w/government authorities for compliance with treaty reporting obligations, and capacity building of former Ban Advocate national survivor network.
Iraqi Alliance for Disability – Held a participatory dialogue w/survivor activists, health representatives, and national Mine Action authorities, on MBT obligations and support for rehabilitation and empowerment programmes; meetings with national authorities for Rehabilitation, on importance of including survivor networks in development policy planning fora.
Key 2020 Dates
UN General Assembly First Committee on Disarmament and International Security – 5 October-5 November;
Launch of the Landmine Monitor 2020 Report –12 November;