Mine Ban Movement Accelerates into New Phase
For Immediate Release -- Thursday, October 1, 1998
MINE BAN MOVEMENT ACCELERATES INTO NEW PHASE
A constellation of leaders in the worldwide movement to ban antipersonnel landmines, including 1997 Nobel Peace Prize co-laureate Jody Williams of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy, Ambassador Ole Peter Kolby of Norway, U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette, and George Soros of the Open Society Institute gathered at the United Nations in New York today to announce new initiatives in the ban effort, to launch a fundraising campaign for the ICBL, and to release the first book revealing insiders' perspectives on the mine ban movement.
Just two weeks ago Burkina Faso became the fortieth nation to ratify the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. The treaty will now enter into force on March 1, 1999 -- faster than any major treaty in history. "Reaching this major milestone so quickly attests to the revulsion for this weapon held by most nations," said Ms. Williams, adding, "but our job is far from done. We must move aggressively into a new phase of our work to completely eradicate antipersonnel mines." Ms. Williams outlined an ambitious agenda for the future aimed at bringing recalcitrant governments on board the treaty and developing an unprecedented initiative by the ICBL to monitor the implementation of and compliance with the ban treaty.
The monitoring initiative, known as Landmine Monitor, will be the first attempt to establish a civil society-based system for tracking and reporting on compliance with an arms control/ humanitarian law treaty. The ICBL is gravely concerned about crediblereports of new mine laying in countries that have signed the ban treaty, such as Angola, as well as extensive use of mines in Kosovo by the government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which has not signed the treaty.
The ICBL will also increasingly press governments to utilize more effectively resources for mine clearance and victim assistance programs. "Governments are pledging more money for demining and mine victims, but there are serious questions about how wisely the funds are being spent," said Ms. Williams.
The ICBL is particularly concerned about funds being siphoned into potentially inappropriate research and development programs for demining technologies that may not meet the needs of communities suffering from mines.
The ICBL is taking its fight into countries and regions where the ban movement has had relatively little success thus far, including the Middle East, former Soviet republics, and Asia. Major powers such as the United States and Russia will be key targets. "The refusal of the United States to sign the ban treaty remains one of our greatest disappointments," said Ms. Williams. In May, the Clinton Administration announced for the first time that it intended to sign the treaty, but only in 2006 and only if a search for military alternatives is successful. "A pledge of `maybe in eight years' does not constitute inspiring leadership," said Ms. Williams.
Canada, Norway and Mr. Soros all announced major contributions to the ICBL and its new "Challenge Fund." The fund was established with the approximately $500,000 award received by the ICBL as the co-laureate, with Ms. Williams, of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize.
The ICBL is challenging donors, both government and private, to help build the fund to ensure the long-term sustainability of the ICBL, which has been widely hailed as the engine driving the global mine ban movement. "Without the ICBL there would not have been a comprehensive ban treaty and we would not have seen its entry into force so rapidly. Through the Challenge Fund we can ensure that non-governmental organizations and civil society can continue to lead the effort to eliminate mines until the day when innocent civilians no longer suffer from this scourge," said Ms. Williams.
Ms. Williams also announced the release of a new book, To Walk Without Fear: The Global Movement to Ban Landmines, the first insiders' account of how the ban movement has succeeded so spectacularly and so rapidly, in the face of opposition from major powers such as the U.S., Russia, and China. "The ban movement is frequently cited as a model of new diplomacy in the post-Cold War world. This book shows how the model was created and carried out," said Ms. Williams. Reflecting the close partnership that has been largely responsible for the success of the ban movement, the book contains chapters by ICBL members, government officials, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, as well as a number of academic specialists. Ms. Williams and Foreign Minister Axworthy are contributors. The book is published by Oxford University Press and edited by Maxwell A. Cameron, Robert Lawson, and Brian W. Tomlin.
