Cartagena Summit -- FAQs

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What is the ICBL?

The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) is a global network in over 70 countries, working for a world free of landmines and cluster munitions. Many member organizations are involved in humanitarian demining, mine risk education or victim assistance. As a network, the ICBL mainly plays an advocacy role, raising the voice of civil society with decision-makers around the world. The ICBL was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997, along with its then coordinator Jody Williams, who is taking part in the Cartagena Summit.
Through its annual Landmine Monitor Report, the ICBL monitors the international community's response to the global landmine and explosive remnants of war problem. The ICBL is a key member of the Steering Committee of the Cluster Munition Coalition.

What does the ICBL call for?

ICBL campaigners worldwide call for:

• Provision of long-term, adequate assistance to survivors, their families and communities, and full protection of their rights;
• High levels of funding for and increased efficiency in humanitarian demining and risk education programs;
• Universal adherence to the treaties banning antipersonnel landmines and cluster munitions;
• Comprehensive implementation and monitoring of the treaties;

What is the Mine Ban Treaty?

The Mine Ban Treaty is the international agreement that bans antipersonnel landmines. Sometimes referred to as the Ottawa Convention, it is officially titled: the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction.
The treaty is the most comprehensive international instrument for ridding the world of the scourge of mines. When they join the Mine Ban Treaty, states commit to:

• never use antipersonnel mines, nor develop, produce, acquire, stockpile, retain or transfer them;
• destroy mines in their stockpiles within four years;
• clear mines in their territory within 10 years;
• in mine-affected countries, conduct mine risk education and ensure that mine survivors, their families and communities receive comprehensive assistance;
• offer assistance to other States Parties who may be affected, for example in providing assistance for survivors or contributing to clearance programs;
• adopt national implementation measures (such as national legislation) in order to ensure that the terms of the treaty are upheld in their territory.

What about assistance to mine survivors, their families and communities?

Of all the sectors of mine action, victim assistance has made the least progress over the last 10 years, with both funding and the provision of assistance falling short of what is needed. The ICBL calls on states to ensure survivors can access comprehensive services, fully exercise their rights, and participate in decisions that concern them.

How are mines cleared?

The primary clearance technique remains the manual deminer equipped with a metal detector proceeding slowly along one-meter-wide lanes. When a signal is heard, the deminer must stop and either the deminer or a colleague must carefully excavate the object to determine if it is an item of explosive ordnance or a harmless piece of metal. The overwhelming majority of signals lead to innocuous metal fragments being discovered (e.g. nails, barbed wire, tin cans.)
This painstaking process -- repeated thousands of times a day around the world -- is why mine clearance is expensive and time-consuming. The key to cost efficiency is minimizing the overall area to be cleared through good initial survey and ongoing refinement of the clearance plan for a minefield.

How much land is contaminated by mines?

It is very difficult to estimate to total amount of land contaminated by mines/ERW worldwide. Based on current data from surveys available, Landmine Monitor* is able to estimate that global mine and explosive remnants contamination affects thousands of square kilometers -- but likely not tens of thousands. Although any estimate should be treated with caution, Landmine Monitor believes that less than 3,000 square kilometers of land worldwide is contaminated, an area roughly the size of Luxembourg. The real problem is that is suspected of being mined is largely unusable until it is determined to be cleared by the painstaking manual process indicated above.

How many mines are planted in the ground?

There is no credible estimate of the total number of mines emplaced worldwide. Looking at the quantity of mines in the ground is not the best measure when trying to determine the impact of mines and explosive remnants of war on people. To get a better indication of the impact of mines it is better measure the amount of area that is contaminated, and in addition, it is important to consider what type of land is contaminated, whether it is land that is needed for people to live on, farm, or travel through to reach services.

Which countries are most severely affected by mines?

There are several different factors to be considered when measuring the severity of mine contamination. Some countries have a large number of mines located in areas that are not heavily populated or traveled, meaning that the impact of mines on people is minimal. In other countries, a relatively small number of mines can have a disproportionately high impact on people if they are located in areas that are densely populated or on land that is needed for livelihood activities like farming and grazing animals.
One way to assess the impact of mines is to look at the number of people killed or injured by mines. This gives a rough picture, but it is important to keep in mind that many victims of mines/explosive remnants of war are not included in these figures because of poor data collection. Additionally, risk education programs may reduce the number of casualties, while communities continue to suffer grave consequences of mine contamination, such as an inability to work, farm, go to school, access health care and many other vital activities.
Countries with the largest number of mine and explosive remnant of war casualties in 2008-2009 include: Afghanistan, Colombia, Myanmar/Burma, Pakistan, Cambodia, Iraq, Chad, Somalia, Lao PRD and Turkey.

How much international funding was provided for mine action in 2008?

For 2008 Landmine Monitor* identified a total of US$626 million in funding for mine action worldwide, combining international and national funding. The top contributors of international funding in 2008 were the European Commission, United States, Japan, Canada, Norway, Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom, Spain and Sweden.

*Landmine Monitor is the research and monitoring initiative of the ICBL, www.lm.icbl.org