Lend your Leg for a Mine Free World
Landmine survivors worldwide join Ban Ki-moon, celebrities and Nobel Peace Prizewinning movement to launch inspirational anti-landmine campaign
(Geneva, 1 March 2012): On the 13th anniversary of the global landmine ban becoming law, the world is coming together again to urge governments to put a full stop, within our lifetime, to the devastating harm mines still cause.
Today, a video featuring United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Colombian megastar Juanes and landmine survivors from the U.K, Somalia, Afghanistan, Cambodia and many other countries will be screened at events in more than 50 countries and shared with millions online, urging people to Lend Your Leg for a mine free world.
CLICK HERE to see our gallery of images showing ICBL campaigners all over the world Lending Their Legs to launch this campaign.
Kasia Derlicka, Director of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) said: “Every day, landmines still threaten thousands of people around the world. As we begin our 20th year of campaigning we are proud of the progress already made to reduce the devastating impact of landmines, but we are also very aware this fight is not yet over.”
Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas, UNDP Administrator Helen Clark, X-Men star Ben Foster, Slovenian professional boxer Dejan Zavec, and ICBL Youth Ambassador Song Kosal also feature in the Lend Your Leg film.
“Today we are honoured to stand alongside these brave survivors from all over the world to remind governments and the international community that more must, and can, be done to end the suffering landmines cause for good. The massive global support this inspirational campaign has already got shows that together we really can achieve a mine free world in our lifetime,” Derlicka said.
Lend Your Leg is strikingly simple. On 4 April, the UN Day for Mine Action and Mine Awareness, people all over the world will be asked to roll up their trouser legs showing solidarity with survivors of landmines and other explosive remnants of war, calling on the international community to eradicate these weapons for good.
Colombian NGO Fundación Arcángeles and its President Juan Pablo Salazar are the architects of this global campaign. One of the world’s most mine-affected countries, last year thousands of Colombians, including President Juan Manuel Santos, took part in the first Lend Your Leg action. The widespread media coverage and pressure it created saw a draft law to increase protection for victims of conflict, including rehabilitation for landmine survivors, jump in legislative priority list from number 38 to 4. It was enacted by Congress a few weeks later.
Now Lend Your Leg is going global. The United Nations network, the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement and the ICBL’s global network will be working in capital cities and rural communities, across social media networks and through the press, urging everyone to get on board.
Between today’s launch and the 4 April – the global day of action – ICBL campaigners from Tokyo to Kinshasa, Phnom Penh to Ottawa, Istanbul to Taiwan will be organising concerts, sporting events, flash mobs and giving hundreds of media interviews, all urging as many people as possible take part in Lend Your Leg, forcing governments to recognise their vital role in helping the ICBL reach its goal.
Firoz Alizada, ICBL Campaign Manager and Afghan landmine survivor said: “I am one of the luckiest. I survived a horrible landmine accident and managed to enjoy a happy life despite losing both legs, but hundreds of people die on the spot after they step on landmine or hit an explosive remnant of war. I am hoping that Lend Your Leg as a symbolic action draws the international community’s attention to step up efforts to bring the number of new landmine victims to zero and enhance much-needed resources to address needs of my fellow survivors.”
Since the ICBL was founded 20 years ago, 80 per cent of the world’s countries have banned landmines, millions of mines have been removed from the ground and destroyed and billions of dollars have been invested in stopping the damage mines do.
But despite this, last year’s Landmine Monitor recorded 4,191 new casualties of landmines in 2010. That’s nearly 12 people every day. Tens of thousands of survivors, often in vulnerable and poor communities, are still coping with the terrible aftereffects of the injuries landmines cause.
And although the vast majority of countries have banned mines, some outside the Treaty still produce them, and last year saw the most use of landmines by government forces since 2004.
Juan Pablo Salazar said: “It shocks me that landmines still claim lives every day and yet the majority of people aren’t aware of the damage they cause. They kill, they maim people for life and they act as deadly barriers to people struggling to survive the aftermath of war. Through Lend Your Leg we want to wake the world up and see that by taking part in this simple action and by saying NO MORE to this injustice we truly can put an end to these weapons for good. I’m honored to work with the ICBL on this initiative, and to export this Colombian success case all over the world.”
Take Action!
Below is the timeline of the campaign and some ideas for campaign actions - we hope they will help you build momentum and encourage as many people as possible in your country to take part in this inspirational global action.
But first, here are some key commuincations tools to help you maximise the impact of your campaign activities.
Campaign Tools to download:
- Use the Lend your Leg logo on your social media sites, on posters advertising the action, in leaflets or banners, on your website and in press releases - wherever you talk about the campaign use it!
- Use this Lend Your Leg email signature to brand your emails in the run up to the 4 April global day of action.
- ICBL 20th anniversary logo - don't forget this year is also the ICBL's 20th year of campaiging!Please use this logo, rather than the usual ICBL logo, on your Lend Your Leg campaign materials.Please read these important guidelines on how to use the logo correctly. For more information on the ICBL's 20th anniversary or to download the logos and guidelines in a different format click here
- Press release guidelines for 1 March launch. These explain how a press release should be laid out and what vital information it should contain.
- Press release template for 1 March launch. This is an example of a press release that follows the above guidelines and leaves room for your to insert your key national messages.
- The ICBL - CMC Media Guide - gives good tips on how and when to contact journalists and how to pitch your stories. Available in English, French and Spanish.
- Key messages on the ICBL and Lend Your Leg, and on the 20th anniversary, and useful global facts and stats to use in your media outreach work. Use these to link your national campaiging to the bigger global picture.
- A social media guide on how to make the best use of Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube during the course of your campaign work.
- 2012 ICBL Campaign Action Plan: Already available here
- Lend your Leg campaign website: www.lendyourleg.org will be launched on 1 March where a toolkit with a global campaign video will be made available. Register now with the website and you will receive tools and tips to make your campaign a success from now until 4 April
- Landmine Monitor
Get in touch if you have any questions or need support and let us know how you will be making sure people in your country Lending Their Legs for a mine free world!
For more information and to get involved contact Kimberly Brown at: kimberly@icblcmc.org. I fyou have specific questions or need advice about media in your country please contact Kate Wiggans at kate@icblcmc.org.
Now until 1 March – Get ready!
Start now and use the time period leading up to the launch of the campaign to develop your campaign strategy through the following steps.
- Register on the campaign website: Juan Pablo and his team at Fundación Arcangeles are working hard to get the campaign website ready. Email info@lendyourleg.org to request log-in details to the campaign website – everyone is welcome! The public website www.lendyourleg.org will go live on 1 March. Once you log-in you will start to receive campaign tools and information to help you with your campaign.
- Identify a public figure in your country to be in the campaign video – this is one of the first of many “missions” you will receive after registering with the campaign website. We are working hard to have many public figures from around the world rolling-up for the campaign video that will be launched on 1 March, already Ban Ki-moon has been filmed rolling-up for the video!!! Identify a public figure in your country and get them on camera rolling-up. Sign in to the campaign website for guidelines on how to film and submit your content, the deadline is 15 February 2012.
- Reach out to a creative agency to see if they can work with you on your campaign. Contact your partners: civil society, youth, UN, government, international organisations, private sector, and media in your country to find out who will partner with you to ensure that the campaign is a success. The UN is an official partner, so contact UN representatives in your country. The ICRC will also be working through national societies around the world, so contact the Red Cross/Red Crescent in your country.
- Develop your country specific messages: Decide what you will be lending your leg for in your country. The global Lend Your Leg campaign will have the broad overarching message to “Lend your leg for a mine free world” and everyone taking part will be showing solidarity with landmine survivors wherever they are. However, your country campaign message should be aimed at specific priority issues related to implementation of or joining the Mine Ban Treaty by your country. For example, if your country still needs to join the treaty your message could be “Lend your Leg for COUNTRY to ban landmines”. If your country is affected by landmines and land clearance has been slow, your message could be “Lend your leg to clear landmines” or “Lend your leg to speed up clearance of landmines”. If there are landmine survivors in your country and assistance provided is not sufficient, your message could be “Lend your leg for more assistance to survivors”. If you are working on national implementing legislation it could be “Lend your leg to get X law approved by parliament”. If your country is a donor for mine action or perhaps isn’t and should be, a relevant message could be “Lend your leg for COUNTRY to support land clearance and victims”. If your priority is the Convention on Cluster Munitions, you can use the campaign to focus on the issue of cluster munitions. These are just examples, you are the ultimate expert on what the key issue in your country is and what the best message should be.
- Figure out how you will roll-up in your country. In some countries it is not appropriate to roll-up your pant leg. Find different ways to creatively interpret the campaign such as rolling-up arm sleeves or landmarks where you live.
- Put together your action plan and share it on the campaign website, with the network and with the ICBL staff.
1 March – Launch of the campaign!
- On this day, the anniversary of entry into force of the Mine Ban Treaty, the global Lend Your Leg campaign will officially be launched. Use this opportunity to get the word out to the public about the global campaign and what specifically you are calling for in your country.
- Announce the launch of the campaign on your website and through social media. Use social media to promote the campaign through Facebook and Twitter – use the hashtags #lendyourleg #banlandmines #mineaction #landmines #ICBL and any for your own organisations. An international video will be launched on 1 March and you should share it through the ICBL’s Youtube account, Facebook page, Twitter – linking all the time to your own social media sites.
- Issue a press release which will announce the launch of the campaign and will explain what you are lending your leg for in your country. The ICBL will make a press release template available in advance so that you will be able to adapt to your national context.
- Organise an event to publicise the campaign and your national aim - this could be the “rolling-up” of a landmark in your country or town (anything from the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, to your national government building, to your local town hall); a public action or stunt; or a meeting with government to lay out what you are calling for – anything that will bring attention to the launch of the campaign and its aims.
1 March – 4 April – Gathering momentum!
Use this phase of the campaign to build momentum and get more and more institutions, media, celebrities, and the public on board to support your campaign. Hold events throughout the month as a part of the global action. Many campaign tools will be available through the campaign website (www.lendyourleg.org) that will be launched on 1 March and once you have signed up to the website you will continue to receive helpful tools and tips. Everyone in your core team that you formed prior to 1 March should be working together to encourage people to lend their legs by rolling up their pant leg publically on 4 April to support the campaign. Take action throughout the month to help build momentum in your country and within the global campaign.
- Speak out through all your partners and networks to raise awareness and bring as many people and institutions as possible on board the campaign. You can write letters and visit schools, media and advert agencies, NGOs, government agencies, and private companies throughout the month to bring them on board and ask them to contribute to the action.
- Involve celebrities in your country – film or take photos of them rolling-up their pant leg and lending their legs, which you can use for your media work, exhibitions, public events during the month or on 4 April.
- Continue to use social media to spread the word to the public who can also get involved to organise events to put pressure on your government to tackle key issues more effectively.
- Keep in touch on the campaign website to find out what other countries are planning and how they are raising support and share information on the ICBL network list
- Conduct media outreach, particularly encouraging any good media contacts you have to back the campaign not just through news stories but also by getting on board with the issue. Do you know any journalists particularly engaged in the landmine issue in your country? Call them and ask them to encourage their media outlet to roll-up its masthead or logo on 4 April or throughout the month!
4 April – Roll it up!
On this day people around the world will be lending their legs for a mine free world and to pressure their national government on key mine action priorities in their country.
- Organise a public event: a press conference, a concert, a photo exhibition, a march of ‘survivors’ (to name a few ideas) where people will roll-up. A public event will be an opportunity to share the news that people around the world are lending their legs and for what reason your country is taking part in the campaign.
-
Roll-up a landmark - During the 2011 campaign in Colombia, the roll-up concept was creatively interpreted. Newspapers rolled up letters on their front pages and the Congress even rolled-up! Figure out a landmark that you can roll-up in your country and use this as the centre point of your public event.
- Send a press release for 4 April and do media work. ICBL will share a template press release in advance that you will be able to adapt to your own needs. Provide media interviews to share your message and/or organise an interview with a celebrity who is supporting your campaign
4 April onwards – Follow-up!
Follow up to ensure that your campaign had and will continue to have an impact.
- Follow-up with all those that were involved in the campaign to make sure they stay on board to push the government to take action on specific mine action priorities.
- Meet with the government to debrief on the action and ask how they are going to implement what they said they would do, or get new commitments from them, encourage them to make the commitments publicly.
- Share your reports and photos on the ICBL network list and the campaign website.
more information :
www.lendyourleg.org
