NEW STUDY REVEALS 250 MILLION STOCKPILED LANDMINES IN 105 COUNTRIES, 17 MILLION DESTROYED TO DATE

(Geneva: 15 December 1999 - Note to Editors: Updated from 9 Dec. '99) A new study released in Geneva by the Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) revealed an estimated global total of at least 250 million antipersonnel mines stockpiled in at least 104 nations. "The good news is that more than 19 million antipersonnel mines have been destroyed from the arsenals of at least 50 nations in the last few years," said Human Rights Watch's Mary Wareham who prepared the report on behalf of the ICBL's Landmine Monitor verification initiative. The global estimate is two and a half times more than the common estimate of 100 million.

"Stockpile destruction has received very little attention and funding compared to other aspects of the global landmine crisis such as mine clearance, mine awareness, victim assistance. But it is essential that these mines be destroyed before they get used," said Jody Williams, 1997 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and ICBL Ambassador. "This preventative mine action will save millions of innocent lives, but will also be much cheaper, safer, and easier to do than destroying them once they have been planted in the ground," she said.

According to the study, nineteen signatories to the treaty banning antipersonnel landmines have already completed their stockpile destruction, eradicating at least 9.6 million AP mines, while another twenty-six signatories are in the process of completely eliminating stocks, destroying more than 3.5 million to date. In addition, at least five non-signatories have also partially destroyed stocks in recent years, totaling some 5.5 million.

"Universalization of the Mine Ban Treaty is even more urgent as this research shows non-signatories to the ban treaty account for the bulk of the world's mines," said Wareham. Non-signatories have an estimated 225-250 million AP mines in stockpile, while treaty signatories currently have an estimated 25-30 million in stockpile.

The 1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and On their Destruction (1997 Mine Ban Treaty) for the first time in history prohibits the use and requires destruction of a weapon that has been in widespread use around the world. It bans stockpiling of antipersonnel mines and requires that parties to the treaty destroy existing stocks within four years. To date 136 nations have signed the treaty and 89 have ratified. The treaty entered into force on 1 March 1999.

For more information or to obtain a copy of the 23-page Landmine Monitor Fact Sheet, "Antipersonnel Landmine Stockpiles and Their Destruction" go to http://www.icbl.org/lm/1999 or contact

• Mary Wareham, Human Rights Watch, Tel. +41-(0)-79-470-17-47, e-mail: wareham-at-hrw-org
• Susan Walker, ICBL, Tel. +41-(0)-79-470-19-31, e-mail: walker-at-icbl-org