“Success in Progress” Toward a Mine Free World

1 - “Success in Progress” Toward a Mine Free World

When we take a moment to consider the Ottawa Process which led to the signature of the Mine Ban Treaty in 1997, we are humbled

Ottawa, 3-4 December 1997— Signing of the Mine Ban Treaty. Photo: Canadian MFA.

 

by having kick-started an unprecedented diplomatic process, which required courage and vision and the political will to put human lives first when dealing with a conventional weapon used by many fighting forces around the world for decades.

In ten years, we have come a long way. Eighty percent of the world’s states are on board, there is virtually no trade, users and producers are down to just a handful, millions of antipersonnel mines have been destroyed and taken out of use forever. Mine action is ongoing in over 60 countries, and states are working to educate communities at risk and provide assistance to the victims.

However, many challenges remain for the next ten years, the biggest of which are meeting the treaty obligation of mine clearance, and harder still, meeting the needs of landmine survivors.

The international community has been much more willing to contribute to mine action than to survivor assistance, perhaps because when a landmine is destroyed it is an immediate and lasting “success.” Survivors, on the other hand, need more than a wheelchair or a prosthetic device. Their needs are complex and life-long. “Success” in this area is not clear-cut like destroying a landmine. Programs for survivors are inadequate in the vast majority of countries where casualties continue to occur. While resources must be devoted to the survivors, at the same time global mine action funding will need to increase if states are to complete mine clearance within the deadlines prescribed by the treaty.

We must also keep up the pressure on the 40 states that remain outside the treaty. These include major stockpilers, producers or users such as Burma, China, India, Pakistan, Russia and the United States. Even though many of them have de facto followed the obligations of the treaty, being part of it is the best insurance of achieving a mine-free world. Two of the original signatories, the Marshall Islands and Poland, have not ratified the treaty yet.

Efforts to engage armed non-state actors have been fruitful, but they must be broadened and deepened to ensure that these groups give up landmines too.

While the ban movement and the treaty continue to inspire the world, we cannot afford to rest yet. Sustained politicalleadership, financial and technical cooperation and assistance, and full and timely compliance with the treaty are crucial to ensure that the Mine Ban Treaty can truly make a difference in the lives of all individuals and communities affected by mines.

Jody Williams, 1997 Nobel Laureate for Peace, ICBL Ambassador