a portal on Southern civil societies HOME ABOUT CONTACT ESPAÑOL Directory NGO sites This site Directory In-depth Reports Campaigns News Books Tools & Services Advanced search Wsis IFIs

In depth I  The landmine problem

An African reflection on an innovative ban of cluster munitions Source: AfricaFiles Here is a positive evaluation of the results of the recently concluded Convention on Cluster Bombs that analyses Africa’s role, and what African countries need to do to implement the ban and gain benefit from it. The new Convention completely bans production and requires the destruction (of stockpiles) of cluster munitions. June 2008.[see more]   In the Oscar-winning Bosnian film No man's land, a man lies on a landmine while a United Nations official tries to resolve the situation. But his attempts run into bureaucratic red-tape and other difficulties, and the film ends with the desolate image of the man, abandoned to his fate on the landmine, which will explode under his body if he tries to get up. Millions of civilians find themselves today in similar situations: living on a time-bomb that could explode at any moment, in any place. What makes antipersonnel mines so abhorrent is the indiscriminate destruction they cause. Mines recognize no cease-fire and long after the fighting has stopped they continue to maim or kill. They lie dormant until a person or animal triggers their detonating mechanism. Antipersonnel mines cannot distinguish between the footfall of a soldier and that of a child. Those who survive the initial blast usually require amputations, long hospital stays, and extensive rehabilitative services. In Cambodia alone there are over 35,000 amputees injured by landmines--and they are the survivors. Landmines are now a daily threat in Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia, Cambodia, Chechnya, Croatia, Iraq, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Somalia, and dozens of other countries. More than 50 countries have manufactured as many as 200 million antipersonnel landmines –there are more than 350 different types- in the last 25 years. Leading producers and exporters include China, Italy, the former Soviet Union, and the United States. In the course of 1991, several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and individuals began simultaneously to discuss the necessity of coordinating initiatives and calls for a ban on antipersonnel landmines. The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (a network of more than 1.400 NGOs in 90 countries) was formalized in October 1992. And the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction (also known as Mine Ban Treaty) was adopted in Oslo, Norway, in 1997. As of 11 March 2008, the Treaty has been ratified by 156 countries. It entered into force on 1 March 1999. Among the 39 countries that have not signed the Mine Ban Treaty (as of 11 March 2008) are China, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, Korea (North and South), Russia, and United States of America. Versión en español print    send   correct  ADD YOUR COMMENT >>       Correct  ADD YOUR COMMENT >>  The treaty  Action against landmines  Other campaigns  Survivors  Information resources  Documents and reports  Annual reports  Country by country  Technologies for demining   News Up-to-date current affairs information. Tue Nov 14 2006 Protocol on Explosive Remnants of War comes into force Fuente: International Committee of the Red Cross Tue Jan 03 2006 Land mines still take toll in Lebanon Fuente: IRIN news In-depth reports Detailed reports on key issues Disarmament Every day, millions of men, women and children are living in fear of armed violence. New Partnership for African Development - NEPAD Promoted by African governments and supported by the G8, NEPAD has been largely criticized by civil society organizations. International Criminal Court The globalization of justice strengthens, despite US efforts to undermine it. Iraq: the war and occupation An in-depth report with special emphasis on information from alternative media and civil society opinion and analysis. Child soldiers Over 300,000 children under 18 are fighting in armed conflicts in more than thirty countries worldwide. Women for peace Women around the world reject the militarist tendency in global politics and demand a voice in peace processes. NGOs NGO web sites International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) Network of more than 1.400 NGOs in 90 countries to ban on the use, production, stockpiling, and sale, transfer or export of antipersonnel landmines.      The treaty Mine Ban Treaty Source: ICBL Convention on the Prohibition of the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of antipersonnel mines and on their destruction, as approved at Oslo, Norway, on 18 September 1997. The text is available either as a HTML document to view or as compressed RTF document, and Adobe PDF format for print. Nairobi Summit on a Mine-Free World Source: Choike The Nairobi Summit on a mine-free world was held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 29 November-3 December 2004. Parties reviewed progress made to date, and adopted an Action Plan that aimed to combat antipersonnel mines over the next five years.    Action against landmines United Nations Mine Action The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) was formed in October 1997 to serve as the UN focal point for mine action. At the global level, it is responsible for coordinating all aspects of mine action within the UN system. At the field level, it is responsible for providing mine action assistance in the context of humanitarian emergencies and peacekeeping operations. International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) Throughout the 1990's, the ICRC and Red Crescent Movement, international organizations and NGOs worked relentlessly to achieve a prohibition on anti-personnel mines, and to bring relief to mine victims and mine affected communities. Mines Advisory Group (MAG) MAG is an international not-for-profit NGO that assists people affected by landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO - bombs, mortars, grenades). Based in Manchester, United Kingdom, MAG clears and destroys the landmines and left-over weapons that make areas unsafe after war. Mines Action Canada A coalition of Canadian non-governmental organizations that came together in 1994. The coalition's primary concern is the human and socio-economic impact of landmines. MgM - People against Landmines German Foundation which offer its services to NGOs dedicated to re-establishing the infrastructure of dangerous regions in post war scenarios. International Campaign to Band Landmines (ICBL) ICBL is a network of more than 1.400 non-governmental organizations in 90 countries, working for a global ban on Landmines. In 1997, the ICBL and its coordinator, Jody Williams, received the Nobel Peace Prize. The web site is available in English, Arabic, Deutsch, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Russian. AJA Mine Action Net AJA -The Young Apprentice's Organization- is an NGO based in Brasilia. It participates in the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) and does research and writes reports for the Landmine Monitor, an annual publication that monitors landmines worldwide.    Other campaigns Adopt-A-Minefield Adopt-A-Minefield is a program of the United Nations Association of the USA and the Better World Fund.    Survivors Landmine Survivors Network (LSN) Created by survivors for survivors, LSN works directly with those whose lives have been devastated by landmines. LSN helps landmine survivors find the assistance they need so that they can lead fuller, more productive lives.    Information resources Protection of Civilians in armed conflicts: landmines Source: OCHA Resources and related links on landmines, including a search engine for the latest documents on the issue. WHO: Landmines & UXO's Source: WHO The World Health Organization, in conjunction with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), stimulated the endorsement of a concerted public health strategy regarding mine victim assistance within the international agenda. The Campaign to Ban Landmines Source: Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch was a central participant in the treaty negotiations, known as the Ottawa Process, and is now working to universalize, ratify and monitor the implementation of this historic agreement. Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) The Geneva Centre supports Humanitarian Mine Action through research, operational assistance and contributions to the implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty. It is an independent Foundation supported by 18 governments, including Cambodia, Canada, France, Italy, Mexico, South Africa, United Kingdom, and United States of America. War Child Landmine Programme Information on landmine awareness, clearance and eradication programmes worldwide; and countries responsible for the production and dissemination of anti-personnel mines. Action for Research and Information Support in Civilian Demining (ARIS) ARIS is an European Network of Excellence which is intended to improve the effectiveness of R&D in demining technologies. Brazil-Angola joint project for the professional education and empowerment of young landmine victims Source: AJA Mine Action Net This project's aim is to provide educational trips to Brazil for young Angolan landmine victims. Center for International Rehabilitation Web site of Physicians Against Land Mines. Protection of civilians in armed conflict United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Mine Action Country Programmes Source: UNDP The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is involved in mine action programmes in a number of countries. UNDP is also involved in a number of other programmes and partnerships relating to mine action activities around the world. The problems and the solutions Source: MAG Information on landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO); related reports from Northern Iraq, Kosovo, Cambodia, and Angola; and description of different types of landmines. The Oslo NGO-Conference on Landmines Source: ICBL This site was the official conference-site of the Oslo NGO-Conference on Landmines (September 1997). It is no longer in use but will be kept as some have claimed its historical value. Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) IMSMA is an information management system that improves capabilities for decision-making, coordination, and information policy related to humanitarian de-mining (Mine action). IMSMA is developed by the Center for Security Studies and Conflict Research at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ) on behalf of the Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD). International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) The International Mine Action Standards are the standards in force for all UN mine action operations. Land Mine Awareness Education (LMAE) The LMAE program is a place for the worldwide experts to exchange ideas, discuss their work experiences, and collaborate in order to enhance the ways of dealing with this issues.    Documents and reports Land-mines: A deadly inheritance Source: UNICEF Land-mines represent "an insidious and persistent danger" to children affected by war, says a United Nations report on the impact of armed conflict on children, by Graça Machel, the UN Secretary-General's Expert on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Children. Mine Action and Effective Coordination: the United Nations Policy Source: Mine Action There is growing awareness within the international community that what has come to be known as the 'global landmine crisis' has far-reaching consequences and requires a multi-faceted and integrated response. Fatal footprint: the global human impact of cluster munitions Source: Handicap International Civilians constitute 98 % of all recorded cluster submunitions casualties, according to Fatal Footprint: The Global Human Impact of Cluster Munitions. This groundbreaking preliminary report by Handicap International is the first to document the impact of cluster munitions on the lives of people in all 24 countries and regions which are known to be affected by these weapons. November 2006. Identifying synergies between Mine Action and Small Arms and Light Weapons Source: Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining In 2004, the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) was asked by the United States (US) Department of State to conduct a scoping study on synergies between mine action and efforts to mitigate harmful effects of small arms and light weapons (SALW). While mine action has been an established humanitarian activity since the late 1980s, large-scale programmes to address the humanitarian and developmental impacts of SALW only started in the mid-1990s. To date, there has been little strategic exchange between the two sectors, despite some apparent similarities in both the problem and the determined responses. October 2006 (pdf version). Maiming the people: guerrilla use of antipersonnel landmines and other indiscriminate weapons in Colombia Source: Human Rights Watch New casualties from antipersonnel landmines in Colombia have skyrocketed in recent years, to such a degree that Colombia now has some of the highest annual reported casualty rates in the world. The biggest users of antipersonnel landmines in Colombia, as well as other indiscriminate weapons such as gas cylinder bombs, are Colombia's two largest guerrilla groups: the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) and the smaller National Liberation Army (ELN). Guerrillas' frequent use of antipersonnel landmines, improvised out of cheap, readily available materials, leaves hundreds of civilians maimed, blind, deaf, or dead every year. July 2007. A guide to cluster munitions Source: Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) The international community has become increasingly aware of the need to deal with the hazards that all explosive remnants of war (ERW) pose to civilian populations. The recent entry into force of Protocol V on ERW of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, on 12 November 2006, and the worldwide expansion of explosive ordinance disposal (EOD) projects are indicative of this concern. Cluster munitions, which by design deliver submunitions over a wide area, are a specific and often significant post-conflict hazard to settled communities and returnees alike. November 2007 (pdf version). An African reflection on an innovative ban of cluster munitions Source: AfricaFiles On 30 May 2008, 111 governments participating in the Dublin Diplomatic Conference formally adopted the text of a new Convention on Cluster Munitions. The Convention is the culmination of what has become known as the Oslo Process. Similar to the process that resulted in the 1997 Convention on Anti-Personnel Mines, the Oslo Process involved like-minded states in co-operation with global civil society negotiating a new disarmament treaty outside of the United Nations’ usual structures and processes. June 2008.    Annual reports Landmine Monitor Source: International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) In June 1998, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines established "Landmine Monitor," a unique and unprecedented civil society based reporting network to systematically monitor and document nations' compliance with the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty and the humanitarian response to the global landmine crisis. The Landmine Monitor produces a Global Reporting Network, an independent online Database, and an Annual Report. Landmine Monitor Report 2003 Source: International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) Global use of antipersonnel mines fell dramatically in the past year, while funding for mine clearance increased 30 percent, according to the latest annual report by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) released on 9 September 2003. Landmine Monitor Report 2004 Source: International Campaign to Ban Landmines Since the international treaty prohibiting antipersonnel landmines took effect in 1999, use of the weapon around the world has fallen dramatically, global funding for mine action programs has increased more than 80 percent, more than 1,100 square kilometers of land has been cleared, and the number of new mine victims each year has decreased markedly. November 2004. Landmine monitor report 2005 Source: ICBL This year's edition shows that international rejection of antipersonnel mines has increased. Howeber, forty countries, with a combined stockpile of some 160 million antipersonnel mines, still remain outside of the Treaty while non-state armed groups continue using antipersonnel mines. November 2005. Landmine Monitor Report 2006: toward a mine-free world Source: International Campaign to band Landmines More land was demined in 2005 than ever before, but global funding for mine action decreased for the first time, raising concerns about future progress in eradicating mines and efforts to meet the needs of the increasing number of survivors, according to Landmine Monitor Report 2006: Toward a Mine-Free World. The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) released the 1,230-page report at the United Nations on 13 September 2006. Portfolio of Mine Action Projects 2007 Source: United Nations Mine Action Service More than 100 nongovernmental organizations, national authorities and United Nations agencies face a funding shortfall of $317.5 million for their efforts to tackle problems of landmines and explosive remnants of war in 29 countries or territories in 2007, according to the Portfolio of Mine Action Projects 2007, released on 14 November 2006. The Portfolio is a collection of mine action project proposals published jointly by the United Nations Mine Action Service in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the UN Development Programme, and UNICEF. November 2006 (pdf version). Landmine Monitor Report 2007: toward a mine-free world Source: International Campaign to Ban Landmines Time is running short for 29 countries with treaty-mandated clearance deadlines in 2009 or 2010. Despite a treaty provision allowing 10 years to complete mine clearance, 14 states are almost certain not meet their 2009 deadlines: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Chad, Croatia, Mozambique, Niger, Peru, Senegal, Tajikistan, Thailand, the United Kingdom (for clearance of the Falkland Islands/Malvinas), Venezuela, Yemen, and Zimbabwe. Even more seriously, despite having almost eight years to initiate clearance, France, Niger, the United Kingdom and Venezuela have failed to even begin clearance operations. November 2007.    Country by country The problem of landmines in the Occupied Palestinian Territories Source: MIFTAH Although the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is well known internationally, the problem of landmines and UXO has been ignored, as has the plight of the people affected. Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) CMAC aims to achieve a state within Cambodia where people can go about their lives free from the threat of mines and unexploded ordnance so that reconstruction and development activities can take place in a safe environment. India: landmines devastate lives, livelihoods in border areas Source: InfoChange India The human cost to civilians residing in border areas has been largely ignored, despite the fact that landmines laid by the army and targeted at the enemy have claimed many innocent lives. Afghanistan: Focus on landmine education for children Source: Irin News With more than 800 sq km left to clear, of which 410 sq km are high priority, Afghanistan is the most heavily mined country in the world. Mozambique: Landmines hamper reconstruction process Source: AfricaNews Government’s efforts to reconstruct the railway lines destroyed by landmines at the height of the civil war in 1983 are being impeded by heavy presence of the mines along the lines. Returning Afghans fear mine menace Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting International agencies are working to clear Afghanistan’s former battlefields, as landmines continue to claim victims. Back in business?: Pentagon poised to resume production of antipersonnel mines Source: Human Rights Watch The United States, which has not manufactured antipersonnel mines since 1997, will make a decision in December whether to begin production of a new antipersonnel mine called Spider. The Pentagon has requested a total of $1.3 billion for development and production activities for another new antipersonnel mine called the Intelligent Munitions System, with a full production decision expected in 2008. August 2005.    Technologies for demining Canadian Centre for Mine Action Technologies (CCMAT) CCMAT was established in 1998 to develop low cost, sustainable technologies for mine action and to work towards their successful deployment to the field. The Demining Technology Centre (DeTec) A large list of links to the landmine problem, with emphasis on technical aspects.

Choike is a project of the Third World Institute supported by Hivos www.choike.org | Contact | Phone / Fax: +598 (2) 412-4224 | Dr. Juan Paullier 977, Montevideo URUGUAY