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The meeting of Intersessional Standing Committees (ISC) of the Mine Ban Treaty (MBT) will take place from 27 to 30 May 2013 at the WMO building in Geneva, Switzerland. The meeting will be followed on Friday, 31 May by a workshop on victim assistance.
In a recent TEDWomen talk, ICBL Ambassador Jody Williams recalled that in the ICBL, it is collective action that made change possible. "One of the things that made this campaign work is that we grew from 2 NGOs to thousands in 90 countries, working together in common cause to ban landmines… It was the actions together of all of us that brought about that change. In my view what we need today is people getting up and taking action…" she said. Find out here how you can take action now for a mine-free world!
Landmines claim victims around the globe every day and continue to threaten civilians long after the end of conflicts. An antivehicle mine explosion that killed 13 Cambodian civilians on 16 November comes as a cruel reminder of the need to accelerate life-saving mine clearance work in all contaminated areas.
On 25 October 2010 as Disarmament Week opened, the ICBL addressed the United Nations' First Committee on Disarmament and International Security. Zach Hudson from the United States Campaign to Ban Landmines called on all states to ensure the landmine issue remains high on the disarmament agenda: "We as civil society, governments, and international organizations, can and have made a big difference," he said. "Our work is not done yet, but it is a finite problem that can be resolved."
On 30 September 2010, representatives of the ICBL and Cluster Munition Coalition briefed senior officials from the European Union at a seminar organized by the European Commission's Directorate-General on External Relations. European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Kristalina Georgieva, reaffirmed her commitment to address the suffering caused by landmines and cluster munitions.
Landmines can and do move as weather conditions change, for example due to heavy rain, hurricanes or earthquakes. Areas previously considered clear and safe can become mine-contaminated, threatening displaced or returning populations. Recent tragic incidents show once again that the only real way to fully ensure safety is by completing clearance of all mined areas as soon as possible, no matter how remote.
ICBL campaigners actively participated in the intersessional Standing Committees meetings held in Geneva from 21-25 June. The ICBL delivered expert statements, made the voice of mine survivors heard, held bilateral meetings with states and organized side events.
The mountain is called Na Taung by the Burmese and Doi Ya Moo by the Thai, and its peak is on the Thai side of the shared border. The Thailand Mine Action Center (TMAC) arranged for Landmine Monitor researcher Yeshua Moser-Puangsuwan to visit the mountain earlier this year. It is the site of a former insurgent camp, but is now a Thai Army outpost. With all warring factions across frontier engaging in mine warfare, the threat of new mine pollution in Thailand remains real.
Geneva, 19 April 2010 -- The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) is gravely concerned by reports of antipersonnel landmine use by members of the Turkish Army. Turkey is bound by the Mine Ban Treaty, which prohibits the use of antipersonnel mines in any circumstances.
Landmine and cluster munition survivors worldwide still lack access to services that would fulfill their most basic human rights, said the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) and the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) in a joint statement. A conference took place on 8 and 9 April in Vienna to examine how states will fulfill their promises to survivors and their communities.
Funding for mine clearance and victim assistance programs is essential, but is not enough to truly eradicate antipersonnel mines, said the Nobel Peace Laureate International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), on the occasion of the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action (4 April).
Can the Convention on Cluster Munitions really improve the lives of the victims? Which countries are not living up to their promises to help survivors? What steps have already been taken to ensure the destruction of the hundreds of millions of stockpiled cluster submunitions? As we get close to the entry-into-force of the new Convention on Cluster Munitions, four organizations are coming together to address some of the many questions that arise. A press briefing will be held on 12 February in Brussels.
Cartagena, Colombia, 4 December 2009 -- Over 1000 activists, survivors and government delegates celebrated the close of the Cartagena Summit on a Mine-Free World with the announcement that four new countries - Albania, Greece, Rwanda and Zambia - are now mine-free. The Summit closed with more than 120 governments adopting the Cartagena Action Plan, a detailed five-year plan of commitments on all areas of mine action including victim assistance, mine clearance, risk education, stockpile destruction and international cooperation.
Support three key treaties on International Day of Persons with DisabilitiesCartagena, 2 December 2009 -- High-level representatives from 130 countries attending the Cartagena Summit on a Mine-Free World should redouble efforts to rid the world of antipersonnel landmines and cluster bombs, as well as pledge their support to assisting victims and upholding disability rights, a global group of disarmament, humanitarian and human rights organisations said today, marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December.
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