Cluster munition coalition

14 April 2009

Global Week of Action against Cluster Bombs, 29 May - 4 June 2009

BAN CLUSTER BOMBS - JOIN THE TREATY! The Global Week of Action against Cluster Bombs is an opportunity for campaigners across the world to call on all governments to join the Convention on Cluster Munitions by signing and ratifying it as soon as possible.The Week of Action takes place exactly one year after the historic negotiations and formal adoption of the Convention in Dublin, Ireland on 30 May 2008.Whilst the negotiation and adoption of this Convention is a great achievement, much of the real work remains. For it to have a meaningful impact, governments must sign, ratify and implement the treaty. We need 30 ratifications as soon as possible for the treaty to enter into force. Only when this happens will there be full legal obligations on governments to assist victims, clear contaminated land, destroy stockpiles of cluster bombs and ensure there is no more use of these weapons. So far 96 governments have signed the treaty and six countries have ratified it. Which government will be the 100th signatory? Which 30 countries will bring the treaty into force? Make sure your government signs and ratifies the Convention on Cluster Munitions!TAKE ACTION!? Mass lobby action: tell the world to join the treaty and ban cluster bombs! How many countries can the Cluster Munition Coalition contact during the Global Week of Action? Half of the worlds' governments still need to sign the treaty and more ratifications are needed to bring it into force. Take part in the mass lobby action and contact as many countries as you can (including your own!) and tell the world to join the treaty and bring it into force quickly!

  • Send letters to decision-makers in your government and parliament urging them to join the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
  • Send letters to embassies in your country that haven't yet signed the treaty.
  • Mobilise supporters in your country and ask them to take part in the mass lobby action and contact your government and members of parliament urging them to join the treaty.
  • Set up meetings with Ministers, Ministry staff, parliamentarians and other key decision-makers in your country.
  • Set up meetings with embassy representatives in your country and urge them to sign and ratify the treaty.
? Parliamentary briefings on ratification and entry into forceParliamentarians have a crucial and influential role in making sure their country ratifies the Convention. Most parliaments are involved in the national ratification process and drawing up national legislation to implement the treaty. Parliamentarians need to help bring the treaty into force quickly!
  • Hold a workshop or briefing for parliamentarians to explain the problem of cluster bombs, and the Convention on Cluster Munitions that bans cluster bombs, and urge parliamentarians in your country to play an active role in making sure your government is one of the first 30 countries to ratify the treaty and bring it into force.
  • Ask the ICRC to come and present their ratification toolkit and model legislation. Ask the Norwegian embassy and embassies of other supportive countries to co-host the event, or simply to speak or participate in it. The partnership between states, civil society and international organisations has been a key characteristic of the Oslo Process and a recipe for its success!
? Community consultations on making the treaty workCitizens have a right to tell their governments what must be done to make this treaty work. Survivors have a right that is enshrined in the treaty to be involved in victim assistance action plans in their countries. Make sure you have your say! Governments are responsible for implementing the treaty, making sure there is assistance for victims and that contaminated land is cleared, and that funding is given to affected countries to help them to do this.
  • Hold consultations with members of your community, including cluster bomb survivors and persons with disabilities and clearance operators, on what is needed to make the treaty work in your country and deliver the results to your government.
  • Invite prominent individuals and community leaders, including religious leaders.
  • Organise a radio phone-in or an online debate to get the views of your community on what is needed.
? Collect signatures for the People's TreatyWe're aiming to collect one million signatures before the First Meeting of States Parties which will take place sometime in 2010 in the Lao PDR. Set a national target of the number of signatures you can collect before then and start collecting them during the Week of Action.
  • Collect signatures at any event that you organise for the Week of Action.
  • Ask community leaders to sign the People's Treaty and be added to the Community Leaders section of the People's Treaty website.
? Get media coverageMedia is the key to getting more popular support for your cause. Furthermore, governments take notice of what is written and said about them in the media and are always keen to come across in a good light! Getting media coverage of your issue can have a strong influence on a government's policy - a bit of media work can go a long way. This year there are different "hooks" that should get the media interested.
  • Utilize the ‘Banning Cluster Munitions' reportHuman Rights Watch and Landmine Action are writing a report on government policy and practice which will be produced by Landmine Monitor and launched on 29 May 2009, including online, to kick start the Global Week of Action. Use the report findings in your country to show the immense progress made so far in the Oslo Process and what still needs to be done. The report will detail the progress of 150 countries so it is a great opportunity to publicly ask: "Is my country banning cluster bombs?"
  • Organise a Public event to promote the People's TreatyYou can organise a gathering in a public place or get a local politician, community leader or celebrity to sign the People's Treaty.
  • Place an Op-Ed or Letters to the Editor in your national paperAsk a survivor, deminer or clearance operator or other prominent individual or community leader to write an Opinion Editorial or Letter to the Editor calling on your government to sign and ratify the treaty, and where relevant take other national steps to implement the treaty or pledge money to do this.
  • Send a press release to your key mediaBy sharing the news with media and putting forward some strong spokespersons, you'll get a chance to get your message across in papers, on the radio or TV. The CMC will be drafting template press releases that can be adapted in different countries. The press release should relate strongly to the activities that will take place in your country.
  • Ask your government to issue a press statement Encourage your government to issue a press statement to mark the one year anniversary of the adoption of the treaty in Dublin (30 May 2008), particularly if they are one of its signatories, and to reiterate their commitment to bringing it into force quickly and making sure it is implemented.
Tell us what your plans are!Thanks for taking part in the Global Week of Action against Cluster Bombs!
  • Please let Laura Cheeseman at the CMC know if you are taking part in the Week of Action. We want to make sure that every campaigner that is taking part in every country is counted in the number of participating countries and that your action is listed on the CMC website and in our bulletins.Email: Laura@stopclustermunitions.orgTel: +44 (0) 20 7820 0222 (office) +44 (0) 7515 575 175 (mobile)Skype: laura.cheeseman
  • Let us know which countries you are contacting beyond your own, in the mass lobby action so that we can count up how many countries worldwide we are taking action on.
  • CMC staff are also very happy to help you with your actions including writing press releases, giving you press contacts, writing letters, helping you with agendas for your briefings, encouraging the core group country embassies and international organisations to participate in and support your actions, providing you with materials or helping you to adapt your own...
RESOURCESIn the run up to the Global Week of Action the CMC will be developing more campaign resources (including a press release, a flyer and new designs for badges and stickers) that will be available for campaigners to use in addition to the existing materials on the CMC website. All resources can be found at:http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/campaign-resources/Global Week of Action 2009 - ACTION ALERT (ENGLISH)Global Week of Action 2009 - ACTION ALERT (SPANISH)Global Week of Action 2009 - ACTION ALERT (FRENCH)

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