Landmines - deadly legacy:
Five years after adoption of the Ottawa Treaty

Author/Origin: Sylvie Brigot brigotSPAMFLTER@SPATMFLTERicbl.org

(Monday 10 March 2003 ) In Warsaw (Poland), a one month photographic show will raise awareness on the mine issue in the country, a signatory to the Mine Ban Treaty.

On 1 March 2003 an exhibition entitled "Landmines - deadly legacy: Over 5 years after adoption of the Ottawa Treaty", was unveiled in the Library of the Warsaw University, in the Polish capital. The event was attended by the Polish First Lady, amongst others, and it is hoped it will stimulate public interest in the landmine issue and in turn move the government to fully embrace the Mine Ban Treaty by ratifying the convention.

First Lady supports mine ban at opening of exhibition in Warsaw.

Katarzyna Derlicka, Landmine Monitor researcher for Poland and representative from the International Department of the Polish Red Cross organised the exhibition with the support of the ICBL, ICRC and Landmine Action. Canada sponsored the event and it was also the result of a collaboration with the Polish Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence. The show includes photos from John Rodsted, panels from the ICRC as well as a section set up by the Polish Engineers Forces which illustrates mine clearance in Poland and elsewhere.

The opening ceremony of this exhibition was a great success and the first landmine-related event of its size in Poland. The first Lady of Poland, Mrs Jolanta Kwasniewska opened the ceremony with a detailed, precise and very human intervention on the landmine issue, in which she referred to her personal experience with disabled children and a recent visit to Bosnia Herzegovina where she was able to see first hand the consequences of landmines for a civilian population. She expressed her wish that Poland would ratify the Convention.

Then the Director of the Polish Red Cross took the floor stating that that the Polish Red Cross has been committed to this issue for almost ten years now and regrets that Poland has not yet ratified the Treaty. He also said this exhibition was organized at the University Library because the young people are the future and he hopes they will work toward a mine-free world.

Ambassador Ralph Lysyshyn of Canada, who participated in the negotiation of the Treaty in 1997, then reminded participants of the importance of the Convention and some of the history of this movement, including underlining the importance of a strong partnership between civil society and governments and the long-standing commitment of the core group of countries who had been engaged since the very beginning.

Ambassador Jean Lint of Belgium, then made a very focused statement on the success of the Convention “born from the call made by civil society and(…) implemented because States accepted that they had a responsibility to the human security of their citizens that equalled their responsibility for traditional national security”. He strongly encouraged Poland to join these States Parties. He emphasised the "impressive" rate of compliance with the first deadline of the Convention and the destruction of 30 million landmines. This he said, demonstrates that States Parties can live without these weapons and even increase their sense of national security by embracing their responsibility for human security.

Andreas Kuhn, Head of the ICRC Regional Delegation for Central Europe, recalled the role of the ICRC in the movement banning antipersonnel mines, reaffirming its commitment to the implementation and universalisation of the Convention.

Col. Boguslaw Bebenek, Chief of the Polish Engineer Forces, then gave a brief overview of the Polish experience with landmines, pointing out that Poland was one of the most mine-affected countries after the second World War and giving figures which show the successful work by the Polish sappers to date.

Sylvie Brigot concluded the panel, speaking on behalf of the ICBL, and focused on the success and challenges of the Convention. Implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty has been exemplary, she said, referring to the compliance with the first treaty deadline of stockpile destruction. "At the same time however, the Convention requires that we redouble our effort to ensure its full implementation and universalisation in order to translate it into reality on the ground and respond to the hope it has created in mine-affected communities".

Photographer John Rodsted introducing his photos to Mrs Jolanta Kwasniewska.

John Rodsted, the photographer, and Pernilla Springfelt, Landmine Monitor researcher, also participated in this event. John introduced his photos to Mrs Kwasniewska who showed a lot of interest and compassion for Zjalko Peric, Man Sok Kherm, Malic and other survivors whose stories are presented along with the photos in Warsaw.

Approximatively 170 - 200 people participated in the opening ceremony, and the media were also present. Three television stations interviewed Rodsted, the First Lady, Derlicka and Colonel Bebenek. Several radio stations also conducted interviews and a number of daily newspapers and magazines.

The exhibition will run for another month and during this time there will be a "mini-cinema", or permanent show of video films, on the Mine Ban Convention and the landmine problem. Campaign events involving students, the Canadian Ambassador, the Polish Red Cross representative and Polish deminers will also take place.

Statements of Ambassador Lint, Andreas Kuhn and Sylvie Brigot are available at www.doc.icbl.org/pub/poland

For more information, please contact
Katarzyna Derlicka, kderlickaSPAMFLTER@SPATMFLTERwp.pl or Sylvie Brigot, brigotSPAMFLTER@SPATMFLTERicbl.org