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Landmines are explosive devices placed under, on or near the ground or other surface area. Landmines are designed to explode upon the presence, proximity or contact of a person or vehicle. By design, landmines cause severe injury, incapacitate the victims and can even kill one or more persons upon explosion. For more information click here. How many landmines are there in the ground around the world? There is no credible estimate of the number of mines planted or the amount of land contaminated. Many times minefields are only identified once a landmine has been set off. It is likely that many thousands but likely not tens of thousands of square kilometers are contaminated. Which countries are landmine-affected? There are 66 landmine-affected countries and seven other mine-affected territories that are not internationally recognized. To see a list of these countries click here. Afghanistan, Angola and Cambodia are some of the most affected countries. What are cluster bombs and what is the problem? Cluster bombs (also referred to as cluster munitions) include cargo containers and submunitions. Fired, launched or dropped by aircraft or land-based artillery, the containers open and disperse bomblets or submunitions over a wide area, often resulting in very dense contamination. The bomblets are designed to pierce armour and can kill anyone within a range of 50 meters with its explosive lethal charge. A single cluster bomb strike can spread hundreds to thousands of bomblets over as much as one square kilometre - with no distinction between military or civilian targets. Cluster munitions also have a failure rate ranging from 5-30%. Those that do not explode on impact become explosive remnants of war. These ‘dud’ munitions become de facto landmines and must be treated and cleared as such. Throughout 2001-2002, 1,228 cluster bombs containing 248,056 submunitions were used in Afghanistan. In 2003, 13,000 cluster munitions containing an estimated 1.8 to 2 million submunitions were used in Iraq. For more information click here. Where have cluster bombs been used? More than two dozen countries have been affected by the use of cluster munitions. Most recently, they were used in Afghanistan in 2001-2002 and in Iraq in 2003. Israel’s massive use of the weapon in Lebanon in August 2006 resulted in more than 200 civilian casualties in the year following the ceasefire and served as the catalyst for governments to seek to create a legally binding international instrument tackling cluster munitions in 2008. Subsequently, they have been used by Russian and Georgian forces in Georgia in 2008.What are explosive remnants of war? There is no universal or formally agreed definition of explosive remnants of war (ERW) or unexploded ordnance (UXO). The term explosive remnants of war (ERW) encompasses all of the unexploded weapons that remain after a conflict has ended. Explosive remnants of war include artillery shells, grenades, anti-vehicle mines, mortars, rockets, air-dropped bombs, as well as cluster munitions. Weapons that have failed to detonate as designed or that have been abandoned become explosive remnants of war, posing a serious threat to civilians for years, or in some cases decades, after hostilities have ended. ERW can be whole or partial and may be visible, hidden by vegetation, or in many cases, buried in the ground. For more information click here. What makes many ERW particularly dangerous is their large explosive power and metal fragmentation casing, which is capable of killing or severely injuring anyone at a distance from the blast. What is the Ottawa Convention? The Ottawa Convention is the name given to the international treaty that bans landmines. On December 3 1997, 122 countries signed the treaty committing to prohibit the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of anti-personnel landmines and on their destruction. The Ottawa Convention is also referred to as the Mine Ban Treaty or the Ottawa Treaty. Currently, over 80% of the world’s countries have joined this treaty. For the most recent lists of which countries are and are not a part of the Ottawa Convention, click here. To read the full text of the Convention, click here. What is the Convention on Cluster Munitions? The Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) was signed by 94 countries at the Oslo Signing Conference in December 2008, and entered into force on 1 August 2010, after 30 states ratified it by 16 February 2010. The central provision of the treaty is the ban on the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of cluster munitions. This makes it illegal in every country that joins the treaty for anyone to use cluster munitions or engage in any production or trade of the weapon. As well as banning cluster munitions the new treaty includes groundbreaking and important obligations to protect and promote the human rights of cluster munition victims and to ensure they receive the different kinds of assistance they need in order to be able to live full and active lives. The treaty also requires the clearance of cluster munitions that remain unexploded in affected countries. This clearance must take place within a specific deadline of five years. As well, all States Parties must destroy all stockpiles of cluster munitions under their jurisdiction and control as soon as possible and within eight years of joining the Convention. What is the United States’ opinion of the Ottawa Convention? Every country in the Western Hemisphere except the United States and Cuba have signed the Convention and every member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has signed except the United States. The United States insists that they have “unique responsibilities for international security” and therefore are resisting the ratification of the Convention. In 1998, the USA claimed that it would join the Convention by 2006 if alternatives to anti-personnel (AP) mines and anti-tank (AT) mines were identified. In February 2004 the Bush Administration announced the results of a two-and-a-half year policy review, abandoning the objective of joining the Convention eventually and declaring its intent to retaining antipersonnel landmines indefinitely. This policy has not changed since 2004. In January 2009, Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton told the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations that the Obama Administration has not taken a position on the landmines treaty though they have publicly stated that they are committed to working with our friends and allies around the world to reduce the threat posed by landmines.” In February 2009, US NGOs called on the Obama Administration to initiate a thorough review of US policy and to join the Mine Ban Treaty and this process was begun. The United States last attended a Mine Ban Treaty-related meeting in June 2005. Colombian leaders and ban supporters successfully urged the United States to attend the Second Review Conference of the Mine Ban Treaty, which took place in Cartagena from 30 November 2009- 4 December 2009. As of August 2011, the review of US policy is still on-going. The International and US Campaigns to Ban Landmines agree that there is no valid reason for the United States not to join the Convention. Many retired generals have and continue to publicly declare that the removal of antipersonnel landmines from the US arsenal will not detract from their ability to defend themselves. The United States continues to remain the world’s largest donor for mine action with the Landmine Monitor 2011 reporting that the United States gave $129.5 million USD in the 2010 fiscal year. To read the complete Monitor report on the United States, click here. What is Canada doing to resolve the landmine problem? Prime Minister Chrétien announced a $100 million fund to support the implementation of the Ottawa Convention in December 1997. The Canadian Landmine Fund was renewed for another five years (2003-2008) in December 2002 for $72 million and it was not renewed. Canada has announced that it plans to meet its obligations under the Ottawa Convention via mainstreaming mine action into development and human security departments. MAC has yet to determine whether this is a viable option for Canada to meet its obligations. In the past, funding from Canada has included:
What is Canada doing about the cluster bomb problem? Canada signed the Convention on 3 December 2008 but has not yet ratified it. In order to do so, Canada must enact domestic legislation implementing the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Despite general statements that Canada’s ratification of the CCM is in process , and that stockpiles are being destroyed, there have been virtually no updates or significant news for over two years. This is very disappointing given the strong leadership shown by Canada negotiating and promoting the Ottawa Convention banning landmines. Contact your MP using our online Write now! E-tool to ensure the Canadian government upholds its promises on landmines and cluster bombs! What happened to the Youth Ambassador Program (YMAAP)? The Youth Mine Action Ambassador Program (YMAAP) was a unique opportunity for Canadian youth to develop and deliver outreach programs across Canada about the global landmines issue. YMAAP’s mission was to build a sustainable network of active, articulate and engaged Canadians who maintain the momentum to rid the world of landmines. After seven years of successful programming, YMAAP concluded in May 2005 due to a lack of funding. The Cluster Munition Coalition, in collaboration with Mines Action Canada, re-launched the People’s Treaty on May 30th, 2008 – the final day of the Dublin Diplomatic Conference on Cluster Munitions after the 107 participating states unanimously adopted the new treaty. The campaign worked to ensure that as many states as possible signed the new treaty in Oslo in December 2008 and that it becomes binding, international law as quickly as possible. On December 3rd, 1997 in Ottawa Mines Action Canada (MAC), in collaboration with campaigners from around the world, launched the first People's Treaty. While inside the conference hall 122 governments signed the historic Mine Ban Treaty banning antipersonnel mines, outside ordinary citizens demonstrated their personal commitment by signing the People's Treaty. The People’s Treaty was born out of the tremendous ground-swell of support from citizens around the world who wanted to stop the suffering caused by antipersonnel landmines. The People’s Treaty provided a vehicle for ordinary people to also “sign” the treaty committing themselves to ensuring the goals of the Mine Ban Treaty are realized and ensuring their government meets its obligations. Since that time, the People’s Treaty has received hundreds of thousands of signatures from all over the globe and provided a vehicle for the International Campaign to Ban Landmines to engage the public, generate media attention and put pressure on governments. There are two ways to sign the treaty! As an individual citizen or as a community leader representing a group, constituency, congregation or organization. On this website, you will find all the information you need to sign the treaty; promote it to friends, colleagues, schools, and like-minded groups. Tools to organize activities and educate yourself or others on the issue are also available. Anyone can sign the People’s Treaty and everyone should. All signatures count! It is now time to collectively ensure history is made again. Be a part of history in the making! Make it happen, help ban cluster bombs now by signing the People’s Treaty. |
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