Hundreds of representatives of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty, some states not party, international organizations, UN agencies, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the ICBL are gathering in Cartagena, Colombia from 29 November - 4 December 2009 to assess challenges in the universalization and full implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty, and to take stock of progress made since 2004.
The ICBL delegation to the Summit includes campaigners, mine action experts and mine survivors from 73 countries.
Cartagena, 25 November 2009 -- The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) strongly condemned President Obama’s abrupt decision to continue the Bush administration’s policy of refusing to join the international treaty banning antipersonnel landmines. The announcement was made yesterday in an offhand remark by a U.S. State Department spokesperson who stated that an interagency review on the U.S. landmine policy had been concluded and a decision was made to maintain the status quo of the Bush years. The ICBL, 1997 Nobel Peace Prize co-laureate, is calling on President Obama to publicly clarify his position on this issue without delay.
Geneva, 12 November 2009 – Since the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty entered into force ten years ago, significant progress has been made in eradicating antipersonnel mines, but much work remains, according to Landmine Monitor Report 2009: Toward a Mine-Free World, a report by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines being released today at the United Nations.
