Advocacy

Operations and advocacy are two sides of the same coin for NPA. Just as the removal of mines and cluster munition remnants from the ground saves lives, so too has our work to move states to negotiate, adopt, adhere to, and implement the Antipersonnel Mine Ban Treaty (MBT) and the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM). The MBT and the CCM are milestones in international humanitarian disarmament law.

Because weapons technology is in constant and rapid evolution, international law governing the choice of means and methods of warfare or of law enforcement must also be further developed. New limits must be imposed on the design, production, transfer, or use of new weapons and methods to protect civilians from indiscriminate and inhumane effects and ensure that the general rules and principles of international humanitarian law as well as human rights law are upheld. This may include negotiation and adoption of new humanitarian disarmament instruments containing weapon-specific prohibitions.

As a field-based organization working in conflict areas and specializing in operations that address weapons and ammunition, NPA has proven that it is well placed to contribute to processes to develop and strengthen international policies, rules, and norms to better protect civilians and the environment from unacceptable harm. Building on the experience of our contributions to the global movements that successfully banned antipersonnel mines and cluster munitions, NPA will continue to have a strong voice on other unresolved or emerging weapons-related issues that call for an international response.