One year on, landmines campaign urges global adherence to the total ban
ONE YEAR ON, LANDMINES CAMPAIGN URGESGLOBAL ADHERENCE TO THE TOTAL BAN
On the one-year anniversary of the day that the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty became binding international law, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) urged every country of the world to adhere to the ban on antipersonnel landmines.
"One year ago, this treaty entered into force more quickly than any other major treaty in history, demonstrating the world's growing commitment to eradicate this perverse weapon now," said Ms. Elizabeth Bernstein, ICBL Coordinator. "The treaty and the ban movement are making an undeniably huge impact in terms of saving future lives and limbs but we cannot rest until all countries of the world join in and adhere to the ban on antipersonnel mines."
To date, 137 countries have signed the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty and 91 have ratified, an increase of four signatures and twenty-six ratifications during the last year. Recent ratifications include the Philippines, Liberia, Czech Republic and Tajikistan. ICBL events commemorating the one-year anniversary since the ban took effect are taking place in dozens of countries around the world; most focus on the need for universal adherence to the ban treaty.
"Ban campaigners in the United States and around the world urge President Clinton to accede to the ban before his term is finished and call on U.S. Presidential candidates Bradley, Bush, Gore and McCain to sign the ban treaty immediately if elected to office," said Holly Burkhalter, Coordinator of the U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines. To date, Senator Bill Bradley is the only candidate that has indicated he will join the ban upon taking office while Vice-President Gore supports the current policy of US signature in 2006 if alternatives are found and fielded. The positions of Bush and McCain remain unknown.
"In Finland, we are calling on our new President Tarja Halonen, who assumes office today, to sign the treaty now," said Ms. Laura Lodenius, Coordinator of the Finland Campaign to Ban Landmines. When she was in her previous position as Foreign Minister, Ms. Halonen spoke strongly in support of the ban treaty.
"While use of antipersonnel mines appears to have decreased globally, we are extremely alarmed at incidents of new use by both the Government of Angola,
which has signed but not ratified the ban treaty, and by opposition UNITA forces," said Christian Ruge of Norwegian People's Aid, a major international humanitarian mine action organisation. "Any use of this weapon by anyone is deplorable and is condemned by the ICBL." Over the last year, the ICBL has also criticized use of air-dropped antipersonnel mines by Russia in Chechnya and use of AP mines by non-signatory Yugoslavia and by Kosovo rebels.
ICBL country campaigns are organizing an international conference in Geneva later in March to engage non-state actors to endorse and adhere to the total ban on antipersonnel landmines. "During two days, in the framework of international humanitarian law that recognises both states and non-states as parties to armed conflicts, we will be discussing the mine problem, responsibly and frankly, not only with experts but also with a selection of non state actors from all continents " explains Myriam Ferrer of the Philippines Campaign to Ban Landmines.
"Antipersonnel mine production is greatly reduced, mine exports have nearly ended altogether and more than 19 million antipersonnel mines have been destroyed from the arsenals of at least 50 nations in the last few years," said Bernstein. "Yet we estimate a global total of at least 250 million antipersonnel mines stockpiled in at least 104 nations, the majority held in ban treaty non-signatories which makes the need for global adherence to the ban even more imperative."
"We are still very concerned that mines are not coming out of the ground fast enough and that too much of the increased money pledged to mine clearance is not reaching the field," said Anne Capelle of Handicap International. "While more mines are cleared from the ground now than new mines laid, the daily toll of mine victims remains of grave concern," she added. In Trumba, Angola just days ago two people died and another one was wounded this week as they were heading to the fields to fetch food.
The major development in the last year was the release by the ICBL of its first 1,100-page Landmine Monitor Report 1999: Toward a Mine-Free World in May 1999 to the First Meeting of States Parties in Maputo in May 1999. Landmine Monitor is a unique civil society-based system by the ICBL, which monitors implementation of and compliance with the ban treaty, and overall international progress in dealing with the landmine crisis. Landmine Monitor is an unprecedented systematic, coordinated, global effort by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to monitor an arms control or humanitarian law treaty. The second annual report is currently in preparation by 110 researchers from 80 countries and is set for release to the second Meeting of States Parties in Geneva, Switzerland during the week of 11 September 2000.
Another major development over the course of the past year, is the regular, intersessional meetings by governments, international agencies and NGO experts to assess progress and problems with implementation of the treaty. These meetings are key to ensuring focused attention on implementation of the ban between the annual meetings of States parties. The 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, officially referred to as the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and On their Destruction, requires destruction of stockpiled mines in four years, and destruction of mines already in the ground within ten years. It urges assistance for the care and rehabilitation of mine victims. It requires detailed reporting on steps taken to comply with the ban. On 1 March 1999, the treaty became binding international law for the first 40 countries that ratified. Entry into force occurs for others six months after their individual dates of ratification. The Mine Ban Treaty has been an historic achievement. The ICBL is committed to fully implementing the ban treaty in order to eliminate the present daily human tragedy.
