14 October 2009

Releasing Landmine Monitor Report 2009

Landmine Monitor Report 2009, our 11th annual report, includes information on every country in the world with respect to ban policy, mine action, casualties, risk education, victim assistance, and international support for mine action. It also includes an overview of ten years of implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty.

How will Landmine Monitor be released?

Landmine Monitor Report 2009 will be released:

  1. On Thursday 12 November at 11:30 local time (10:30 GMT) during a press conference at the UN in Geneva, Switzerland;
  2. On Thursday 12 November at 14:30 local time (13:30 GMT) during an online press briefing from Geneva for journalists who could not participate in the press conference;
  3. At activities organized on or after 12 November that campaigners have organized around the world; and
  4. During a briefing for Second Review Conference delegates on 30 November in Cartagena, Colombia.

Who should organize a release event?

Any ICBL or CMC campaigner or Landmine Monitor researcher can organize an activity to launch this year’s Landmine Monitor report.When should release events be organized?Release activities must be held on 12 November or afterwards. Events cannot be held before 12 November.Why should I organize a release event?

  • Affected countries: To draw media attention to the mine/ERW/cluster munitions problem;To raise public awareness of the impact of mines/ERW/cluster munitions in your country;To commend your government for progress made in the last 10 years to eliminate mines/ERW/cluster munitions and to talk about what work still needs to be done;To encourage your government to participate in the Second Review Conference of the Mine Ban Treaty being held 30 November to 4 December in Cartagena, Colombia, at the highest possible level; andTo encourage your government to re-commit in the long-term to creating a mine/ERW/cluster munitions-free country, region, and world.
  • States not party to the Mine Ban Treaty:To draw media, public, and government attention to the impact of mines/ERW/cluster munitions in your country or in other countries in your region;To promote the successes of the Mine Ban Treaty;To spotlight the efforts your country has taken to harmonize its behavior with Mine Ban Treaty provisions; andTo use this opportunity to constructively engage with your government on report findings, and encourage your government to participate as an observer in the Second Review Conference in Colombia.
  • Non-affected States Parties:To draw media, public, and government attention to the global successes and remaining challenges in removing the threat of mines/ERW/cluster munitions to communities around the world;To encourage your government to renew its political and financial commitment to eliminating these weapons; andTo encourage your government to participate at the highest level possible in the Second Review Conference in Colombia.

How is holding an event to launch a book related to the Second Review Conference of the Mine Ban Treaty?

You could organize an event that only launches the report’s major findings…OR, you could organize an activity to:

  • Present report findings;
  • Present the ICBL’s expectations of the Second Review Conference; and
  • Present your expectations vis a vis your government.

In English we call this “killing two birds with one stone,” meaning holding one event to accomplish more than one goal.

The Second Review Conference of the Mine Ban Treaty is being held from 30 November to 4 December in Cartagena, Colombia. Be part of the “Road to Cartagena” by organizing a release of the Landmine Monitor report where you can also encourage your government to participate in the Second Review Conference and convey other key messages related to the conference.

Please see the email circulated by the ICBL’s Kasia Derlicka last week for more information about actions you can take on the “Road to Cartagena.” 

Is it up to me to organize an event on my own or can I partner with others?

One of the successes of the Mine Ban Treaty has been the continued partnership between civil society, international organizations, and governments. You can demonstrate this partnership by organizing an activity to release the report that includes some of the key partners in your country.

You might want to invite key partners to speak at your activity or invite them to be full partners and co-organize or sponsor an event.You may wish to engage other NGOs or NGO coalitions, UN agencies, the Red Cross, your government, and key partner governments such as Norway and Switzerland.

Switzerland is President of the Ninth Meeting of States Parties and Norway is President-Designate of the Second Review Conference. The embassies of both countries may be open to working with you to organize an activity to release the report and promote the upcoming Second Review Conference.

I need some inspiration – what types of activities I could organize?

You might be working alone or with a group, with plenty of time to organize a release event or not much time, and with plenty of financial and other resources or none at all. Regardless of your situation we are sure you can find an activity that will meet your needs:

  • Write an article about the report’s findings for your country and post it on your website with a link to the Landmine Monitor webpage;
  • Write a “blog” article;
  • Send out a press release to local, national, and regional media announcing the report’s release and major findings;
  • Join the ICBL’s Facebook fan and causes pages and post information about the report release (including the press release) on your news feed to share with your friends;
  • Change your Facebook status to a key message from the report and include a link to the Landmine Monitor website;
  • “Tweet” your followers via Twitter to share key from the report for your country;
  • Submit a letter to the editor of a newspaper reporting on the successes in eliminating mines/ERW/cluster munitions and the remaining challenges;
  • Schedule a meeting with government officials to brief them on report findings;
  • Convene a roundtable discussion with government officials, international organizations, NGOs, and other key supporters to discuss the progress made in your country or region over the last decade and the remaining challenges;
  • Hold a press conference to release the report;
  • Organize a release party or host a reception and invite NGOs, international organizations, governments, etc;
  • Translate the report for your country into your local language and print copies locally—then hold a book signing event and invite key partners to meet and discuss the report (and for key campaigners to sign copies of the report);
  • Print copies of the report for your country (and translate into your local language if possible) and hand deliver them to key partners and talk to them about the report’s findings;
  • Take media on a tour of a mine-affected area, an area recently cleared of mines/ERW/cluster munitions, a socio-economic re-integration project, etc. and as part of the media tour release the report’s key findings;
  • Organize a discussion in a mine-affected community to discuss the report with community members and receive their feedback—invite decision-makers to participate;
  • Organize a “town hall” meeting to present and discuss report findings and receive community feedback on what they feel needs to be done and what they can do to be part of the solution in creating a mine-free world;
  • Organize an exhibition of art or photographs related to mines/ERW/cluster munitions and release report findings at the exhibition opening;
  • Deliver a presentation to students on the report’s findings and how young people can get involved with the campaign;
  • Speak to university students (journalism, human rights, law, etc.) about Landmine Monitor, how it empowers civil society researchers to monitor the situation in their country, and while releasing report findings, encourage researchers to get involved in Landmine Monitor research;
  • Organize a scavenger hunt where clues release the report’s findings and take participants from place to place across a city;
  • Set up a table at a community event to raise awareness of the mines/ERW/cluster munitions issue and include key messages from the Landmine Monitor report; or
  • Organize a screening of a film related to mines/ERW/cluster munitions and talk about the report’s findings at the end of the film.

Are you inspired yet? If you have other creative ideas please share them with us!

How can I cover the costs of organizing a release event?

  • See if funds are available in your organizational budget to cover the cost of organizing a release event;
  • Seek sponsorship and in kind contributions from local businesses (ie. venue rental, document printing);
  • Seek funding from the local UNDP office;
  • Seek funding from local embassies (Norway, Switzerland, Canada, etc. etc.);
  • Apply for an ICBL campaigning grant to cover the translation/publication of the Landmine Monitor report for your country in your local language and/or to organize a release event (see the email circulated last week by Kasia or contact her at kasia@icbl.org); or
  • Be creative and look at how you can involve more supporters in your release event by seeking their assistance with contributing their time or resources.

How can I order a copy of the report?

  • The report will be online starting 12 November. PDF versions of the Annual Report and Executive Summary will be available for you to download and print out locally.
  • We encourage you to use the electronic version of the report—it is much lighter to carry around than the “big book” and using the electronic version is better for the environment.
  • If you are organizing a release event we suggest that you print and photocopy the report for your country along with the report’s major findings, and direct people to the website. Most people participating in release events do not need the hard copy of the “big book” (Annual Report).
  • If you do need a hardcopy of the report please complete the online order form at: https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dDdzRGdzU2JBdUtILVNXcHJPZGVXaVE6MA.
  • This year we printed the Annual Report but we did not print the Executive Summary.
  • Due to rising shipping costs and our limited shipping budget we can only send a very limited number of copies of the report to people who request them. Priority is given to those organizing report release events. If possible we ask that you cover the cost of shipping, or pick up copies of the report at the Second Review Conference in Colombia.
  • If you do not request a copy of the report you will not receive one.
  • For questions about shipping please contact Tatiana Stephens at t.stephens@icbl.org.

Will the report for my country/area be available in my local language?

The Annual Report will be available in English. The Executive Summary, which provides an overview of trends and developments over the past decade, will be available in Arabic, English, French, and Spanish. The media kit will be available in English, French, and Spanish.

We need your help to make sure that report findings are available in your local language.We do not have funds to translate and publish reports in other languages, but, you can apply for ICBL campaigning grants to cover translation costs (email Kasia atkasia@icbl.org for more information). You can also ask local donor agencies if they can cover the cost of translation. Ask translation schools if their students can volunteer their time to translate reports. Translated reports will be published on the Landmine Monitor website, including an acknowledgement of the translator.

We are looking for volunteers to translate:

  • Sections of the Executive Summary, media kit, and country reports into Arabic;
  • Relevant country reports into: Abkhaz, Azeri, Bosnian, Croatian, Dari, Farsi, Greek, Lao, Nepali, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Tajik, Thai, Turkish, Urdu, and Vietnamese; and
  • The media kit into as many languages as possible.

We are also looking for proofreaders to review Arabic, French, and Spanish translations.If you are able to translate or proofread reports please contact Tatiana Stephens att.stephens@icbl.org.

How can Landmine Monitor support my activities?

We will provide campaigners organizing release events with access to the following resources, provided that they agree to abide by our strict embargo of all report contents until 12 November:

  • Advance access to report findings –Advance access to the report findings for your country and the report’s major findings to help you prepare for your release event (all report contents are under strict embargo until 12 November).
  • Campaign Q&A – A campaigner question and answer session has been organized for 10 November. Campaigners will be invited to participate in a “webinar,” a workshop conducted on the internet, where they can ask the Landmine Monitor Editorial Board questions about report contents. We want to make sure that you have all the information you need before your report launches so this will provide you with a chance to ask the editors questions and have them answer you directly via an online video and text link.
  • Media kit – A press release, sample article, and quick facts sheet in English, French, and Spanish. You can adapt and use these in your media outreach.
  • PowerPoint presentation – A PowerPoint presentation (in English) covering major report findings.
  • Video – An audiovisual slideshow covering the report’s major findings which we will post to YouTube, Facebook, etc. on 12 November.
  • Photos – A slideshow of photos taken in the past year covering all regions and areas of mine action will be available to download and use.
  • Translations – the Executive Summary will be available in Arabic, French, and Spanish.

We can only support events that we know about. If you decide to organize a release event please send the following information as soon as possible tolm@icbl.org:

  • Name and contact details, including mobile phone;
  • Release activity date, time (let us know your time zone), and location (venue, city, country);
  • Overview of release activity; and
  • Activity goals and expected outcomes.

Once we have more information about your release event we will follow-up with resources and other information to support your release event. Please contact Jackie Hansen at monitor@icblcmc.org if you have any questions. We hope that you will consider holding an event to release this year’s Landmine Monitor report.

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