| Mine Ban Treaty Review Conference Takes Place in Nairobi, Kenya, USCBL Distributes New Recommendations Regarding US Landmine Policy The tremendous progress in banning antipersonnel mines must not mask the reality that governments are not doing nearly enough to help landmine survivors and get mines out of the ground quickly, campaigners said on the eve of the Nairobi Summit on a Mine-Free World. Hundreds of representatives from NGOs and governments are meeting the week of November 29-December 5, 2004 in Nairobi, Kenya for this historic conference. “Failure to fully address the needs and rights of the ever-growing number of landmine survivors could undercut the remarkable achievements of decreased landmine use, production, trade and stockpiling of the weapon,” said Ms. Jody Williams, co-laureate with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize. The Summit is the first review conference of the Mine Ban Treaty, or Ottawa Convention. More than 25 individuals from the United States have traveled to Nairobi, Kenya for the conference representing the Landmine Survivors Network, Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation, Human Rights Watch, the United Nations Association’s Adopt a Minefield Campaign, Landmines Blow!, Roots of Peace, the International Eye Foundation, St. Francis School Students Against Landmines, Survey Action Center, and the University of Wisconsin. They are advocating around issues pertaining to landmine victim assistance, demining, risk assessment, and the Mine Ban Treaty. Scott Stedjan from the Friends Committee on National Legislation is in Nairobi representing the US Campaign to Ban Landmines. USCBL Urges Foreign Governments to Continue to Put Pressure on US Government – Read New Policy Memo Representatives from the US Campaign to Ban Landmines are meeting in Nairobi with government officials from foreign governments allied with the US government regarding US landmine policy. Urging these governments to continue to engage the US on the treaty and, outside of US involvement in the treaty, other issues such as antipersonnel landmine use, production, and stockpiling, USCBL representatives are presenting a new policy memo with concrete recommendations. We encourage you to read the memo (Microsoft Word - 44k) to better understand the current campaign messages. The USCBL is also holding briefing in Nairobi for government officials and representatives from NGOs and the media on US landmine policy and what messages we are encouraging the global community to join us in raising with the US government. The featured speaker at the briefing is Steve Goose, Director of the Arms Control Division at Human Rights Watch and head of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines delegation at the Nairobi conference. We also invited a member of the US government to speak at the briefing, either from the State Department or from the US Ambassador’s office in Kenya, but the offer was declined. There will be no official US government participation during the week of the Summit. See the comments of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) regarding the Nairobi Summit |
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