4 April is the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General, said today: “Landmines and unexploded weapons contaminate war zones, maiming and killing civilians long after conflict has ended. Mine action is vital.” At the ICBL-CMC, we are committed to the goal of a world free of landmines and cluster munitions. Below is a selection of events in the past few months. Happy Mine Action Day!
Sri Lanka Joins Convention on Cluster Munitions and Mine Ban Treaty
Sri Lanka has officially become the 163rd country to join the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty and the 103rd country to join the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions! It is the second South Asian state to join the Convention on Cluster Munitions. The convention will enter into force for Sri Lanka on 1 September 2018 and the Mine Ban Treaty will enter into force for Sri Lanka on 1 June 2018. The ICBL-CMC congratulates Sri Lanka on these important steps toward a world without mines and cluster munitions.
The Coordinator of the Sri Lankan Campaign to Ban Landmines, Vidya Abhayagunawardena, has expressed his gratitude to the government of Sri Lanka and other supporters of these initiatives and his pride for this great achievement.
Accession to both of these treaties will help further stigmatize the use of these weapons and move toward a mine and cluster munition free world.
Palestine has become the 164th State Party to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty! The treaty will enter into force for Palestine on 1 June 2018. The International Campaign to Ban Landmines congratulates Palestine on joining the international community in working toward a mine free world.
Palestine is the ninth country in the Middle East and North Africa region to join the Mine Ban Treaty. In this region Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the United Arab Emirates still remain outside of the treaty.
Prince Mired Raad Zeid Al-Hussein Visits Sri Lanka
Special Envoy of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, Prince Mired Raad Zeid Al-Hussein of Jordan visited Sri Lanka from March 5-7th at special invitation of the government of Sri Lanka.
He met with President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana, Minister of Prison Reforms, Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hindu Religious Affairs, Hon D.M Swaminathan. The Special Envoy also visited mine clearance fields in the Muhamalai, Jaffna.
In a public lecture in Colombo, Prince Mired noted that a significant number of states not party to the Mine Ban Treaty are Asian states and said, “it is here that Sri Lanka could help make a difference. With its accession, Sri Lanka has come to occupy its place amongst States Parties, and could help drive international efforts to foster this norm in the region.”
The Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention press release on the visit can be read here.
Third International Pledging Conference for the Implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty
On 27 February, 2018, the Third International Pledging Conference for the Implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty took place in Geneva. It was chaired by H.E. Suraya Dalil, Ambassador of Afghanistan and President of the Mine Ban Treaty.
H.E. Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Chief Executive of Afghanistan, urged the international community to “use all legal tools and instruments” to eliminate antipersonnel mines. He referenced the growing number of landmines laid by non-state groups which has led to an increased number of victims and an increase in the threat posed to people on the move, both those fleeing conflict and those trying to resettle.
41 delegations were present at the Conference, including 33 States Parties, 1 state not party, and 7 NGOs.
An infographic breaking down global support for mine action can be seen here.
On 5 and 6 March, the inaugural conference of the Armed Conflict and Civilian Protection Initiative (ACCPI) took place at Harvard University in Boston. The conference met to discuss the leverage of the collective strengths of the organizations present in order to increase civilian protection. It focused on how the humanitarian disarmament movement has developed over the past two decades and where it should go from here. ICBL-CMC was represented at the conference and shared its expertise. There were also two lunchtime panels where the general public could ask questions and learn about humanitarian disarmament.
