Humanitarian Mine Action IRIN in Depth

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In times of crisis or disaster, humanitarian workers and governments need an accurate account of events and situations on the ground. An information

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information gap between decision makers, humanitarian workers and the people they are trying to help.

For more information on our services visit our website at:www.IRINnews.org

Documentary - November 2004

Laying Landmines to Rest?IRIN Web Special on Humanitarian Mine Action

(with special focus on the 2004 Nairobi Summit of a Mine Free World)


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IRIN Web Special on Humanitarian Mine Action, November 2004 -Page 2

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inside this issue

1. Overview- Humanitarian Mine Action and the historic Nairobi Summit............................................................................................3

2.Features covering the 5 core elements of the Web Special- Humanitarian mine clearance, and the growth of the mine action sector ................................ .................................... ...5- Mine Victim Assistance: the scale of the needs, the players, the challenges for medical care and rehabilitation /

reintegration....................................................................................................................................................................8- The Destruction of Anti-Personnel Mines Stockpiles: wiping out caches saves lives and prevents injury........................12- The demonization of mines and the Ottawa Treaty: The remarkable movement of the International Campaign to Ban

Landmines.....................................................................................................................................................................13- The Nairobi Summit: A breakdown of the issues, the personalities and the issues.........................................................16

3. Special reports and articles

- Afghanistan: Demining dogs responsible for half of all cleared land..............................................................................18- Afghanistan: A quarter of a million landmine victims struggle to make a life................................. ...............................19

- Afghanistan: Mine awareness reducing victims signicantly.........................................................................................20- Iraq: Demining spreading south in post-Saddam era.....................................................................................................21- Iraq: Insecurity adds to huge southern demining task...................................................................................................23- Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan: Demining around Uzbek enclaves brings hope to impoverished villagers ............................... .24- Pakistan: Landmine and UXOs continue to endanger life in isolated tribal belt .................................... .........................26- Pakistan: Mine education for tribal women ................................... ..................................... .................................... .......28- Africa: Well-known and invisible killer littered throughout Africa............................................ ..................................... .29- Angola: Amputee soccer stars shine .................................. ..................................... .................................... ...................30- Angola: Self esteem key to building mine-wrecked lives...............................................................................................32- Angola: Biggest ever campaign against landmines launched........................................................................................33- Chad: Extreme geographical and climactic challenges to demining ................................... .................................... .......34- Kenya: Treaty signatory and host to the 2004 Summit...................................................................................................35- Rwanda: Funding shortage retards mine action eorts.................................................................................................37- Senegal: Senseless deaths in Casamance.......................................................................................................................38

- South Sudan: Big challenges in the south......................................................................................................................40- Uganda: A need to address the landmine question........................................................................................................42

4. Interviews- Interview with Afghan deputy minister of foreign aairs and chairman of the national demining consultative group,

Mohammad Haidar Reza ................................. ..................................... ................................... ..................................... .43- Interview with Rae McGrath, Co-laureate of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize........................................ ...............................45- Interview with Margaret Arach Orech, Ugandan landmine survivor ................................... .................................... .......47- Interview with Ambassador Wolfgang Petritsch............................................................................................................50- Interview with Martin Barber, Director of the UN Mine Action Service ............................... .................................... .......52

5. History- History of landmines ................................. ..................................... ................................... ..................................... .......55

6. How to contact IRIN ......................................................................................................................................................57


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1. Overview

The world is uniting to end suering of this kind:

Mine Victim in Cambodia.

Credit: MAG/Sean Sutton

Humanitarian Mine Action and the Nairobi Summit

At just 32 years old, JoseBrinco should be in theprime of his life. Instead,he is a victim of Angolasmost horrifying legacy ofwar - landmines.

In 1994, a young Brincoand his wife were work-

ing hard in their maize elds. When he stepped onthe anti-personnel mine, it was inevitable that his wifeshould try to help him. She didnt make it. She set oanother mine and was killed instantly.I cant think too much about what has happened to

me, otherwise my head goes crazy, he told IRIN.Partially sighted and without his lower left leg aftertreading on the mine, Brinco, his clothes caked in dirt,is reduced to begging on the streets for a living. Atnight, on those same streets, he makes his bed.Meanwhile, at the other end of the African continent,preparations are being made for an international,high-level conference that aims to assist mine victimslike Brinco, and to rid the world of mines for futuregenerations.Nairobi will host a major summit on landmines from

29 November to 3 December 2004, and 600 delegatesfrom over 140 national governments and interna-tional organisations are expected to attend. This willbe the rst Review Conference of the Mine Ban Treatyof 1997 and a historic occasion as it marks the half-way point between the treatys establishment underinternational law in 1999, and the deadline in 2009 formost signatories to full their treaty commitments. Itwill also be a time to take stock of the progress of arelatively new sector of humanitarian interventionand the remarkable eorts to address the devastationcaused by anti-personnel landmines.We really are on the way to altogether ban and elimi-

nate one kind of vicious weapon from the earth, thepresident-designate of the Summit on a Mine FreeWorld, Austrias Ambassador to the UN in Geneva,Wolfgang Petritsch, told IRIN.

The fast track to Ottawa 1997

Largely as a result of increased media attention, by theearly 1990s the world had begun to wake up to thehuman misery caused by anti-personnel landminesin war-ravaged countries from Asia to Africa. Two orthree international non-governmental organisations(NGOs) started conducting limited clearance, while

other NGOs and UN agencies were still wonderingif the problem of mines was a humanitarian issue, orbetter left to the military. Then, after a surge of cam-

paigning throughout the world, a convention wasdrawn up and signed in Ottawa in 1997. This turnedthe tide of history on these weapons and, accordingto the chief of the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS),

Martin Barber, consigned the anti-personnel land-mine to the dustbin of history.As a new humanitarian sector, humanitarian mineaction (HMA) underwent unusually rapid growth interms of activities and geographical spread. By inter-national standards, the success of the Mine Ban Treatyis outstanding. The conventions widespread imple-mentation and the zeal of many national signatoriesto ensure its commitments are met shows just howremarkable the convention and the mine ban move-ment is and explains why the Nairobi Summit on aMine Free World deserves special attention.

Campaigners predict that new countries may use theopportunity of the summit to sign the treaty and raisethe current number of 143 states already party tothe Mine Ban Treaty. The participants at the summitare also expected to adopt an ambitious actionprogramme to nish the task of ridding the world ofmines, whether in warehoused stockpiles or laid inthe ground.

The new action plan for 2005-2009This event will be a platform for commitments and a

spring board for action,

summit chair and Aus-trian Ambassador Wolf-gang Petritsch claimed. Iexpect high-level leadersto renew political andresource commitments,further seize the respon-sibility to clear minedareas and assist victims

and establish a concrete action plan, he said. Petritschtold IRIN he was condent that all the seventy pointsof the proposed action plan discussed at the confer-ence would be adopted.

The summit also has the support of United NationsSecretary-General Ko Annan who has said the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention has made remark-able progress and he has urged governments toparticipate at the highest possible level.In the early 1990s emerged a new awareness andurgency concerning the millions of landmines thatplagued so many countries and caused so muchsuering. When the Soviet Union withdrew fromAfghanistan and the civil war began the populationwas overwhelmed with landmines. Cambodia andnorthern Iraq were then highlighted as areas litteredwith landmines. By the middle of the 1990s the Bal-kans, Angola and Mozambique were added to thelist of severely landmine-aected countries and the

Petritsch in Bosnia with Nobel Laureate Jody

Williams 2004.

Credit: Kerry Brinkert GICHD


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numbers of landmine victims soared. Today, the Land-mines Monitor - an annual compendium producedas an initiative of the International Campaign to BanLandmines (ICBL) - claim 82 countries are in some wayaected by landmines and/or unexploded ordnance(UXOs).

Many communities remain aected by landminesAlthough a coalition of civil society groups and gov-ernments has successfully managed to stigmatiseand outlaw landmines, the pace of clearance andassistance to mine victims continues to cause concernfor many eld operators. They point to thousands ofmine-aected communities around the world whothey say have not seen any benets from the goodintentions and millions of dollars poured into humani-tarian mine action.Rae McGrath, founder of the Mines Advisory Group, a

British NGO, told IRIN he felt current funding levels ofmine clearance were nowhere near enough and that,there is no way that by 2009 mine clearance will benished, or even remotely close ... in some countriesthey have hardly started. The year 2009 has beenthe year set as the treaty target for countries to worktogether to remove mines from aected countriesworldwide. Although there are possibilities to extendthe deadline, Nairobi conference organisers hope thiswill be a last resort. Ambassador Petritsch told IRIN hedid not consider the deadline unrealistic but a chal-lenge.

Slow and dangerous work

Mine clearance isnotoriously painstak-ing, expensive anddangerous work. Teamstypically consist of menwith metal detectorsand prodders with occa-sional assistance from

snier dogs and mechanical devices. Often workingin punishing climates and in overgrown and remoteterrain, they progress metre by metre. In many casesthey are forced to spend the same amount of time

checking suspected mineelds as they do tackling livemineelds.

Ordered and documented mineelds are a very rareassignment for mine clearance teams - most work in adata-free environment with only rough estimations ofthe number and location of mines. Teams must spenda great deal of time clearing away years of overgrowthbefore they can check the ground for mines. In coun-tries like Bosnia, Angola and Cambodia where mineclearance is considered most dangerous to civiliansand most widespread, relatively limited progress hasbeen made in reducing the total estimated area ofthreat despite the best eorts of the mine action com-

munity. Studies show the number of communities atrisk from mines is far outweighed by the amountof land still requiring clearance and illustrates the

improbability of the international community estab-lishing a mine free world in the near future.

Yet, in Kosovo, mine clearance eorts were fullyfunded and it took only two and a half years beforethe state was considered mine-safe. Although a lot of

money was put in and it was expensive ... it was pos-sible to nish it relatively quickly because the scopewas small and the size of the mine problem immedi-ately apparent, said Barber of UNMAS.For McGrath the reason for slow progress is the lowlevel of funding. He told IRIN, Clearance will always bea problem because it relies on state funding. Until thepolluter pays [where belligerents in a conict have topay for post-conict clearance] principle is recognised,most governments, including those party to the treaty,are far more willing to invest money in weaponry thanin saving lives.

The neglected mine victims

The situation for mine victims remains bleak. Unlikestockpile destruction and mine clearance, no con-sideration was made when designing the treaty forthe assistance of the hundreds of thousands of minevictims throughout the world.Frankly, its very dicult to measure the extent towhich governments are meeting their obligations toassist victims. Since there is no deadline it is not some-thing that has attracted a lot of attention or focus,Barber told IRIN.

Most of the estimated 300,000 mine victims who havesurvived mine accidents live in the poorest countriesof the world where surgical, medical and rehabilita-tion facilities are rare and even basic health care is indisarray, under-funded or non-existent.Despite the emergence in the last decade of variousagencies and international organisations trying tohelp mine victims, their needs vastly overwhelm theresources and facilities available. A mine blast survi-vor with one arm or one leg missing has become acommon sight in many mine-aected communitiesbut their needs are far greater than just a prostheticlimb replacement. Continued medical support andpsychosocial assistance to enable mine victims toreintegrate into their communities are both needed.Employment and job training is central to mine vic-tims long-term needs, which many say have beenseriously neglected by the treaty and its signatories.

The ICBL repeatedly draws attention to this neglect inits annual Landmine Monitor Report.Ambassador Petritsch assured IRIN that the issue ofmine victim assistance is one of the core issues to bediscussed at the Nairobi summit, which shows that itis at the center of our concerns.

But for Rae McGrath this is not enough. The world hasdone nothing about victims, he told IRIN and he saidhe feels that whatever has been provided is limited



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and not related to the scale of the problem. To beblunt, the best they can hope for are some prostheses,but more commonly they merely become subjectsof endless surveys and have become the subjects ofpopular international voyeurism, he said to IRIN.

The need for redoubling of eorts to assist landminevictims was echoed by mine victim Margaret ArachOrech who lost her leg when the bus she was travel-ling in hit a mine in northern Uganda. The majorchallenges concerning mine victims assistance are,rstly, holding governments responsible to their com-mitment in the Mine Ban Treaty to mine victims, shetold IRIN. Orech is an active campaigner for victimsassistance.Despite problems with assistance for victims, thehumanitarian mine action sector is still remarkablein terms of how quickly it organised, internationalstandards were established and global systems of

information and coordination formed. Donors havealso developed a deep engagement with the issuesand work closely with NGOs, UNMAS and other institu-tions to coordinate and prioritise funding, which nowcomes from regular budget allocations rather than ad-hoc emergency donations, which was the case duringthe 1990s.

Unprecedented unity of civil society and govern-

mentsGovernments, United Nations agencies and civilsociety are all working together in the knowledgethat mine clearance is important at dierent levelsof conict resolution, post-conict recovery andreconstruction, peace-building and human security.Anti-personnel landmines not only exact an unac-ceptable toll in terms of death and injury but alsohave important socio-economic, psychological and

political ramications.Above all, the scourge of landmines has succeededin uniting over 1,400 civil society organisations withmore than 150 governments, all in agreement thatthe threat these mines pose to civilians and mankind

is far greater than the strategic and military use theymay have. This agreement has sown a mine actionsector vigorously addressing a massive global prob-lem armed with an eective Mine Ban Treaty seekingto ensure future generations will be free from theviolence of mines. The Nairobi summit is all aboutcreating a platform for governments to redouble theirtreaty obligations and commitments. Martin Barbersees the conference like a vitamin-boost, a re-launchof energy for the next ve years and to accelerate thecurrent momentum of mine action.For Ambassador Petritsch the treaty is the result ofa convention that works through agreed objectives

between governments and civil society. He told IRINthat the reason the combined assault on landmineswas working was because, Basically the issue of land-mines is about people, real people and about how wecan work together to avoid future mine victims.

The vast number of senior diplomats, world leadersand civil society representatives that will gather at theNairobi summit indicates the level of importance thismeeting has for the participants; but for those work-ing with mine victims and clearing mines the real evi-dence will be the increased resources made availableto mine action in the next ve years and beyond.

2.Features covering the 5 core elements of the Web Special

Humanitarian mine clearance, and the growth of the mine action sector

Fourteen years agohumanitarian mine clear-ance was just a vague

concept and still notoperational anywhere inthe world; at the sametime there were thehighest number of minesin the ground than atany other time in history.Although data was unre-liable, the InternationalCommittee of the RedCross (ICRC) estimatedthat throughout theearly 1990s approxi-

mately 26,000 peoplewere being maimed orkilled by anti-personnel

mines every year. The shocking reality of the millionsof abandoned mines demanded action but the prob-lem seemed overwhelming.

Today a dierent form of organised mine clearanceis underway. Snier dogs and mechanical devicesare used but mostly the work is done manually byteams of trained men and women working in many ofthe 63 mine-aected countries. Some countries haverecently declared themselves mine-free after years ofclearance work but in others the job has barely begunand commentators are worried that by 2009, thetarget for a mine-free world set by the Ottawa Treatyfor the majority of aected countries, thousands ofmine-aected communities will be no better o.

There have been many changes in recent years buttheres no way clearance will be complete by 2009,said Rae McGrath, a co-laureate of the Nobel Prize

10-year-old Andrevski survived the war in Kosovo

but was blown up by a landmine when playing

with friends on a hillside just days after the peaceagreement was signed. Both of his legs had to

be amputated.



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awarded to key members of the campaign to banlandmines.

The scope of the problem

The problem of landmine contamination is closely

linked to the presence of unexploded ordnance (UXO)in many countries. The list of aected countries todaygoes far beyond the number of countries that gavelandmines such high notoriety status in the early1990s. Initially Cambodia, Angola, Afghanistan, theBalkans, Mozambique and northern Iraq dominatednews stories either during conict or immediately fol-lowing peace accords. The devastation that over 340dierent kinds of landmines were causing in thesecountries shocked the world into action as the num-bers of men, women and children killed or maimedevery year soared.In 2003 the Landmine Monitor - an annual publication

monitoring the progress of the mine action world andthe implementation of the Ottawa Treaty - identied82 mine-aected countries worldwide. The UnitedNations initially estimated that up to 120 million land-mines awaited identication and clearance but as theemerging mine action sector developed these globalestimates are no longer used with any condence. Theemphasis has shifted from the numbers of mines tothe area of land aected and the number of communi-ties that continue to live at risk from mines.Mines were left over in their millions from indepen-dence wars, civil wars, and rebel insurgencies, forgot-ten international conicts of the cold war era and from

the great world wars. Eectively, the scope of theglobal landmine problem maps the conicts of theworld for the last 60 years. Examples include Egypt,with an estimated 17 million landmines mostly laidduring the Second World War, and Laos where hun-dreds of millions of anti-personnel bombies weredropped by US bombers in the 1970s. Tens of millionsof mines were left planted in the ground from the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. The myriad of smaller conictshalf-forgotten by the world in countries such as Chad,El Salvador, Nicaragua, Eritrea, Uganda, Senegal, Paki-stan and Sri Lanka also left a deadly legacy of minesand with them dead and injured civilians.According to Martin Barber, Chief of the UN MineAction Service, In the early to mid-nineties the con-sequences of the widespread use of anti-personnelmines in internal conicts had become horrifyinglyapparent. Those working in mine-aected countriesstarted to see large numbers of injured civilians athospitals and emergency clinics. In more isolatedareas those unable to reach hospital in time died ofblood loss, if they survived the initial blast. Huge areasof land and major road arteries were out-of-boundsrestricting livelihoods and preventing rehabilitation,refugee return and peace building. Health facilities,schools, local markets and water sources as well as

vast tracts of arable land and pasture were too dan-gerous to access. The internationalhumanitarian community responded, somewhat

hesitantly at rst, in an area they conventionally sawas the preserve of the military. It was an entirely newarea of work.

Responding to the crisis

The main responses to the horrors of landmines werethree-fold: providing surgical and medical emergencysupport in the most mine-aected countries; initiatingan international campaign to ban landmines; and theorganising of mine clearance teams in the hardest hitareas.First, some key medical agencies started developingclinics to deal with the many thousands of amputa-tions and the tting of prostheses for the rehabilita-tion of mine victims. Always a small core group ofcommitted agencies led by groups like the ICRC,Handicap International and Veterans International,they struggle to meet the medical needs of mine vic-

tims as well as survivors needs for rehabilitation andreintegration.

The second response was an expression of the out-rage felt by many seeing so many non-combatantsmaimed and killed by mines. This was the foundationof the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL- www.icbl.org) A few individuals and agencies thatdecided to take on the armies and governments ofthe world and force through legislation that wouldban the manufacture, sale and use of mines for alltime started this campaign. The campaign capturedthe imagination and harnessed the moral outrage feltglobally against landmines and was as utopian as it

was ambitious. What was started by half a dozen zeal-ous agencies in 1993 gathered colossal momentumas hundreds of non-governmental organisations, UNbodies and governments supported the movement.

This resulted in the 1997 Ottawa Treaty. The NairobiSummit is the rst review conference after ve yearsof entry into force of this treaty.

The third main responseof the international com-munity was the emer-gence of mine clearanceand mine risk education,perhaps the most rel-evant to communitiesliving with the threatof mines. Initially, veryfew humanitarian mineclearance teams workedin the most extremeand most publicisedmine-aected countries:Cambodia, northernIraq, and Afghanistan.Angola, Mozambique,Laos and Bosnia-Herze-

govina soon followed. Today, this list has grown to

63 countries where some form of mine clearance istaking place.

The long road to a mine free world? Are these

Angolan mine victims walking towards brighter

future?



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Gradually the NGOs involved in mine clearance grewand expanded their operations. This was an entirelynew sector that combined military know-how withthe humanitarian aims of community development. Itwas slow work conducted almost entirely by local de-miners using metal detectors and prodders. Their slow

progress in the rst years only exposed how urgentlythe sector needed to grow in size and eciency.By the mid-1990s nations began to coordinate a globalresponse as donors began to develop structures tonance what was to be a long-term commitment torid the world of mines. Some governments started touse their own military to clear mines while others cre-ated national mine action departments and centressupported by the UN.In October 1997, the United Nations Mine ActionService (UNMAS) was formed to serve as the UN focalpoint for humanitarian mine action. At the global

level, it is responsible for coordinating all aspects ofmine action within the UN system and ensures aneective and proactive response to landmine con-tamination. At the eld level, UNMAS is responsiblefor providing mine action assistance during humani-tarian emergencies and peacekeeping operations(www.mineaction.org).

In 2003, the UN Development Programme and theUN Mine Action Service supported 25 national MineAction Centres worldwide showing their commitmentto develop indigenous capacities to deal with thelong-term problem of mines and UXO.

In recognition that the bourgeoning sector needed aheadquarters and research centre, a group of countriesdecided Switzerland would be an appropriate base. In1998, the Geneva International Centre for Humanitar-ian De-mining (GICHD) opened to support the mineaction eorts of the international community andUnited Nations. The GICHD is an independent organi-sation supported by Austria, Belgium, Cambodia,Canada, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands,Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, South Africa, Sweden,Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United Statesof America and the Republic and Canton of Geneva.(www.gichd.ch).

The need for data and international standardsDuring the 1990s mine action operated in a data-freeenvironment; there was little reliable data on thenumbers or locations of mine areas. No one knewhow many accidents there really were every year orhow many years it would take to clear the mines. Foryears agencies operated largely independently withlittle centralisation of information. Now, in additionto more clearance teams, commercial agencies andNGOs, there are also dierent international tools,which help evaluate mine-aected areas. Mineeldsurveys, socio-economic assessments of needs, data

collection on mine victims and information manage-ment systems all have radically improved the situationfrom just a decade ago.

The mine action sector has spent much of the lastdecade perfecting operating procedures for everyaspect of mine clearance. Mine risk education hasbecome one of the most regularised and coordinatedsectors of humanitarian assistance. The clearance ofKosovo after the withdrawal of the Yugoslavian forces

was a remarkable in terms of speed and coordination.The UN Mine Action Centre for Kosovo tightly coordi-nated both donors and operators to complete system-atic clearance in less than three years.But Kosovo was expensive. It was a small land massand had the attention of most western donors; fewother countries have beneted from the same levelof international resolve to solve their mines problemsso fast.

The continual challenge of mine clearanceDespite the advances made in the sector, the scale of

landmine contamination far outstrips the capacity toclear them. The additional assistance of mine detec-tion dogs and mechanical devices speeds up the workbut the majority of teams are men with detectorsand prodders conducting what one eld operatordescribed as a cross between archaeology and gar-dening. Although there has been massive investmentin research to detect mines more swiftly, a technicalsolution continues to elude designers and engineers.An area with some improvement, but not as much aspeople had hoped, is the development of technology[to assist mine clearance,] Martin Barber explainedto IRIN as he outlined some new experiments using

rats and bees to assist locating TNT underground.For McGrath and many eld operators, who after adecade still use men with prodders to locate mines,most investments of this kind have been fruitlessand a diversion of money. Continued diversion offunds that could be used for mine clearance - towardsunrealistic and sometimes irrelevant research projects- should especially be stopped, he told IRIN.Signatories of the Ottawa Treaty banning anti-per-

sonnel mines have aparticular responsibilityto ensure mine clearanceoccurs at an urgent pacewith 2009 as the ocialtarget date for a mine-free world. Although thisdeadline applies for therst 45 countries thatsigned the treaty, the

countries that acceded subsequently all have dierentdeadlines. Afghanistan and Angola have a 2013 dead-line for meeting this obligation, Barber told IRIN.Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty requires the destruc-tion of all anti-personnel mines in mined areas ... TheInternational Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) and

others use the term mine-free to express the centralgoal of eradicating mines. Now, as already 50 percentof the time period has passed, the ICBL and other

Deminers and subsistence farmers working close

together. Demining is so slow that villagers have to

take grave risks to bring in a harvest.



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observers are concerned that some signatories andaected countries are increasingly using terms such asmine-safe, risk-free or impact-free to describe theiraspirations. The concern is a blurring of objectives asit becomes apparent that many countries will fail tomeet the 2009 deadline.

Funding restrictionsDespite the considerable cost of mine clearance andthe massive logistical and organisational challengesmine clearance presents, some feel the core issue isfunding. McGrath, also the former founder of the Brit-ish NGO, the Mines Advisory Group, told IRIN currentfunding contributions were nowhere near enough.Unexploded ordnance clearance and mines willalways be a problem because it relies on state fund-ing. If funding continues at present levels we will benowhere near the treaty clearance target.

A core group of committed commercial and non-gov-ernmental mine clearance agencies with increasingexpertise have been operating for the last decade.According to mine action experts they could increasethe level of their activities, which are currently limitedby funding. McGrath told IRIN that donors need toexpand their vision and use the ample manpowerresources every mine-aected country has at theirdisposal through establishing a sustainable mineaction indigenous capacity, supported by donors,adding that this must be central to any mine actionresponse.After rapid growth in mine action funding in the

1990s, donors have essentially stabilised fundinglevels in recent years. This lack of growth means the2009 target will be impossible for most countries tomeet. Although the Landmine Monitor estimatedin 2002 that global funding for mine action totalled

US $309 million, this total came from contributionsof 23 or more donors. The clearance of mines andmine areas comes down to a numbers game: themore clearance teams there are in each country, thefaster they will complete the work. For example, thehigh levels of donor interest and will and numerous

operators on the ground made clearing Kosovo a fastoperation.

Ambassador Petritsch, president-designate of the Nai-robi summit, is more optimistic about most countriesmeeting the summits 2009 clearance deadline andadmits it will be a challenge, but feels the aectedcountries need to pull their weight too. Its veryimportant for the aected countries to have nationalplans of action and to bring them to the conferenceand to use the conference as a spring-board for solic-iting assistance ... it will be a clear indication of howseriously they take the matter in their own country,he told IRIN.

One of the harsh truths the conference in Nairobi willhave to face is that the number of those killed andinjured each year by landmines will continue in exactinverse proportion to the speed of clearance. Thespeed of clearance is directly related to organisationand management of clearance teams and availabletechnologies but predominantly, the ICBL and eldoperators agree, it is related to funding. For McGrath,It will be many years and many people will die and bemaimed ... unless we learn to fund peace as readily asconict.

2. Features covering the 5 core elements of the Web Special

The victims of landmines - lives blown apart

A current esimated 300,000 mine victims struggle

to survive with minimal assistance from their

communities,governments and the international

community. A boy in Angola.


The problem of land-

mine victim assistance

The world faces a tre-mendous challengein how to assist thesurvivors of landmineswhose lives and oftenthe lives of their familieshave been shatteredwith one explosion. Eachyear there are between15 and 20,000, mostinnocent civilians, eitherkilled or wounded bylandmines. Casualties

have been reported inmore than 60 countries

across the globe.

The purpose of a landmine is to wound a person in aconict situation rather than kill them so they becomea burden to those who have to support them. In warthis means a burden to an army or a militia, but inpeace it means a burden on a family or a community,often for life.The diculties start with receiving adequate emer-gency care, getting an ambulance to come and beingable to receive a blood transfusion, medicine anddoctors, said Sue Wixley Spokeswoman for the Inter-national Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL).

One of the main topics slated for the Nairobi Summit

on a Mine Free World is victim assistance, somethingthat critics of the mine treaty say is sorely lacking.Organisers say that this will be the rst disarmament


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convention to look at the plight of the victim and hisor her right for help, illustrating a new type of disarma-ment diplomacy.The issue of landmines is all about people, realpeople and about how we can work together to avoid

future mine victims. What is remarkable is to see thechanged level of behaviour worldwide as a result ofthe campaign and treaty, in relation to landmines theinternational behavioural norm has spread far beyondthe 143 member states, said Ambassador WolfgangPetritsch, chair of the Nairobi Summit.Even among non-signatories mines have become lessacceptable and we see levels of use and productionreducing dramatically worldwide. A real change inattitude has taken place - and this is remarkable. Weare really on the way to altogether ban and eliminateone kind of vicious weapon from the earth, he said.

More than 300,000 people live with mine-relatedinjuries, according to the 2003 Annual Report ofLandmine Survivors Network, an organisation cre-ated for and by landmine survivors. For many of thesevictims, whether they live in Afghanistan, Angola orMozambique proper assistance does not exist. The 30countries in the world with the most severe landmineand or unexploded ordnance (UXO) problems are alsoamong the poorest in the world.Mine-aected countries suering from conict orgoing through post-conict reconstruction faceimmense challenges in providing adequate assistancefor their victims. With buildings looted or destroyed,

no water, electricity and sewage systems, blockedsupply lines and patient access, the diculties canlook insurmountable. Failing economies and weakgovernments are a weight on struggling healthcaresystems. Security, too, is a major issue with aid workersin conict areas sometimes targeted by violence.The needs for landmine victim assistance areimmense. It is not at all sure whether we are going tosucceed or not in our mission, Stan Brabant, head ofthe Mine Policy Unit, Handicap International Belgiumtold IRIN.

The Landmine Monitor Report 2003 identied over

11,700 new landmine victims in 2002. Of this numberat least 2,649 were children, a staggering 23 percent.More than 85 percent were innocent civilians.It is important to remember, however, that the 11,700gure represents the reported casualties and doesnot take into account the many casualties that arebelieved to go unreported, as innocent civilians arekilled or injured in remote areas away from any formof assistance or means of communication, said thereport.Collecting accurate information on landmine/UXOvictims can be dicult, especially in areas where con-ict is taking place, remote areas or in countries wherethere are no means to monitor public health records.

Organisations have to rely on government records,databases, hospital records, local media reports andmore to identify new casualties, said the report.

What needs to be done?

Some experts say a major safety element for peopleis awareness. Mineelds will not disappear tomorrowand people are forced to live and work around them.If they know where the mines and UXOs are and thedanger they pose, then communities can carry onwith life but armed with information to help them.UNICEFs mandate is about mine education, saidUNICEF Sudan Project Ocer Una McCauley. Minesare terrible things. If you know where they are andwhat they can do you can make a decision.

There are several dif-ferent ways to spread

the word about minesand UXOs. One isdirectly through villag-ers. Another eectiveoption is to work withthe agencies that workwith mines. If thesepeople know about therisks then they can pro-vide information on theground. Often people inmine areas are illiterateand have no access toradios. Aid workers tend

to be the best vehicle toget the word out.

We have been targeting the youth, said McCauley.We have to give them accurate information so theyhave a sense of value about their lives. The youth takeunnecessary risks and at least we can tell them therisks are there.Youth skills are targeted at parents too so that familiesare educated about mines and UXOs. We want tosay: dont be terried but know whats out there, saidMcCauley.

The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL)has worked to strengthen the Ottawa Treaty by creat-ing guidelines for victim assistance and has oeredrecommendations for emergency medical care, physi-cal rehabilitation, prosthetics, and psychological andsocial support. It also has looked at employment andeconomic integration for mine victims.

The ICBL has also been pushing for further publicawareness about mine victims and accessibility inpublic places for persons with disabilities. It says thereare few funds or organizations willing to work onthese areas.

Many countries lack the psychological support that isneeded for victims. The process of reintegration and

The lucky few will receive appropriate limb

replacement; even fewer have any chance of reha

bilitation assistance.

Credit: ICRC


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trying to become a part of their community can beoverwhelming for a victim. Often they nd they arebeing rejected and dismissed by the prejudices ofnon-disabled people.Women have reported that they are no longer able

to marry because they are rejected from their commu-nity. Some even have to become beggars to survive. Ifthey are lucky they can become part of income gener-ating programmes, said the ICBL spokeswoman.

Access to assistance

Mines cause the severest of injuries and it is importantfor a victim to receive immediate and appropriateattention. There are three patterns of mine injuries.If the mine is stepped on while buried, it can tear othe foot or the leg. A fragmentation mine that is deto-nated via a trip wire can cause multiple injuries on thebody. Mines can also blow o ngers, hands or parts

of the face when handled. Blindness and injuries tothe chest or abdomen are also common.

Often, even if assistance is available to a victim, accesscan be extremely limited. According to the LandmineSurvivors Network, fewer than 10 percent of all thelandmine victims have access to proper medical careand rehabilitation facilities. On top of this, a major-ity of care centres are located in urban areas, whilevictims tend to be in rural regions where most of themines are laid.In Angola, victims sometimes have to walk between100 and 200 km in order to get access to the closest

centre with basic heath care. Many of them do notmake it, and are left to die on the road, Brabant toldIRIN.Experts say that one possible solution is to provideassistance on a provincial level, creating a balancebetween cities and more rural areas.The diculties start with receiving adequate emer-gency care, getting an ambulance to come and beingable to receive a blood transfusion, medicine and doc-tors, said the ICBL spokesperson. Afghanistan is oneof those countries where victims have to be carried orspend hours of riding on a donkey to get to the healthcare facilities.After the operation (if one is performed), extensiveongoing rehabilitation is needed, they are in need ofprosthetics, they have to pick up their pieces, and tryto manage their life after the accident. Often they donot have the money for public transport to the clinics,she said.Margaret Arach Orech knows all about the problemsfacing landmine victims. She was severely wounded inan ambush by the Lords Resistance Army in Uganda in1998 when the bus she was travelling hit a mine. She

lost her right leg.My family gave me all the support after the accident.

My friends took o. I was abandoned. Not all, butsome in my village thought I have had bad luck andthe accident was a punishment for something wrongthat I did. Why me? To this day I have not yet seensome of my friends, she told IRIN.

The types of victimassistance that is lackingthe most is economicintegration and socio-economic support, sothat landmine survivorsmay regain their posi-tion in society sociallyand economically as away of improving theirlives, she said.

Orech points out thatlandmine victims are in

great need of psycho-logical support, and thatit is just as important as

physical rehabilitation but often not recognised.Afghanistan has one of the worlds highest numberof landmine victims and the country has hardlyreintegrated its hundreds of thousands of disabledwar victims. More than a million people are livingwith disabilities in Afghanistan, and of that gure atleast 250,000 people are victims of landmines andUXOs. This number is still rising, at least 40 people fallvictim each month, as people return to their villages,some which were on frontlines. Several years ago that

number was as high as 300 to 400 a month duringwartime.

Landmine victims face a lifetime of diculties. Evenif they are lucky enough to have had surgery or pros-thesis they then have to move back into a society thatmight not accept them. Often they have diculty innding work - the unemployment rate for survivorscan be anywhere from 40 to 60 percent.

Again, eective and accurate data collection is nec-essary in order to eciently utilise scant resources.Even if a country has facilities sometimes it is unclearwhether victims have access to them or if they are suf-

cient for victims needs.

Who has responsibility?

Currently 143 countries have acceded to the 1997Ottawa Treaty and by doing so have sworn to neveruse, develop, produce, otherwise acquire, stockpile,retain or transfer anti-personnel mines.

Two deadlines are imposed on signatories, the rstis to destroy their stockpiles four years after theyacceded to the treaty and the second, to clear minesin their territory within 10 years after it was ratied. In

addition, there are particular obligations that signato-ries are responsible for: mine risk education and forvictims health, including rehabilitation and reintegra-

Age is no barrier to the deadly harvest of land-

mines. In Cambodia two young boys fall vi ctim butreceive state of the art prosthetics from the ICRC.

Credit: ICRC


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tion into their communities.

Because the number of landmine victims increasesevery day, and their needs are long lasting, there is nodeadline for victim assistance. Signatories also under-take to prevent any activities that are in contravention

of the treaty and to adopt implementation measures(such as national legislation) in order to ensure thatthe terms of the treaty are upheld in their territory.Signicantly, states party to the treaty cannot allownon-signatories to keep landmine stocks on territoryunder their jurisdiction or control.

The Ottawa Treaty, which states that the signatoryparties are to do their utmost to provide assistancefor the care and rehabilitation, including the socialand economic reintegration, of mine victims. How-ever, advocates for landmine victims say since thetreaty was signed, the signatory governments havedropped their responsibility concerning victims. They

say landmine survivors are not a priority as comparedto victims of HIV/AIDS and Malaria.

Countries in Africa are beginning to take responsibil-ity, but the needs of the victims are overwhelming andstructures need to be developed. The treaty providesa mechanism for victim assistance, but it cannotrespond to all needs, Brabant told IRIN.In the absence of national governments providingassistance, the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Conventionstates that assistance may also be provided throughthe United Nations system, international, regional ornational organisations or through non-governmental

organisations.

Who helps the victims?

The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS),established in 1997/8, is responsible for the coordina-tion of all mine action service within the UN system.In addition to UNMAS, a number of UN agencies workassisting victims. Among them, the United NationsChildrens Fund (UNICEF) focuses on the rehabilitationof survivors.

There are a variety of organisations that actively con-tribute to providing assistance for landmine victims.Handicap International, specically their French andBelgian divisions, have assisted landmine victims for24 years, developing and advocating appropriatetechnology and a policy for public health covering awhole spectrum of disabilities.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)provides surgical and physical rehabilitation pro-grammes for landmine victims. The ICRC supportshospitals that provide articial limbs to survivors, rstaid services and material, training and nancial sup-port to increase a victims chances of surviving until

arrival at a hospital.

The ICRC also provides mine action programmes.

Between 1999 and 2003 articial limbs were dis-tributed to 48,000 hospitals supported by the ICRC.

Through heir Special Fund for the Disabled, centreswere able to assist thousands more mine-injuredpeople with prosthesis and more than 4,000 peoplecould receive rst-aid services in conict zones.

The Landmine Survivors Network is an umbrella orga-nization that collaborates with non-governmentalorganisations involving victim assistance. They workto improve the health of mine victims, increase theiropportunities in life and strengthen their rights.

Funds for assisting the victims

Funding for victims assistance comes from an array ofdonors. National governments, the European Union,the World Bank, various corporations and aid organi-sations all contribute. Funding either is paid throughthe UN system or through aid groups working directly

with the victims.The funding has risen but it is still not enough andin many cases we are facing bureaucracy that disablesthe funding to be channelled to the target group thevictims, said Brabant.Often there is not enough funding to follow-throughwith a patient. Emergency funding runs out leavingthe victim short-changed as needs still remain.Two years after my rst prosthetic limb could nolonger t and I needed a replacement. I was unableto get this as the only functioning orthopaedic centre

located in northern Uganda had run out of funding. Iwaited after it got funding to resume work, MargaretArach Orech told IRIN.

To try to solve this prob-lem the ICRC beganthe Special Fund forthe Disabled in 1983.

The fund is intended tocarry on helping victimseven after the organisa-tion ends operations inmine-aected countries.In 2003, the Special Fundfor the Disabled assisted35 projects in 16 coun-tries and delivered morethan 6,500 prostheses toamputees.

Organisers of the Nairobi

summit recognise that there has not been sucientassistance directed to mine victims in recent years.Martin Barber, the senior director of UNMAS, admittedthat there had been little focus on mine victims in thepast but that this would change. He told IRIN, Thereis going to be a big focus on mine victims at Nairobi.

Theres going to be a survivors summit the morningof the 28th November where 50 to 60 landmine survi-vors will meet some key senior political ocials from a

For many victims the situation is as hopeless in

2004 as it was 10 years before. Mine victims need

more help.



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dozen countries and have a dialogue.Some critics are less forgiving of the treatment ofmine victims. Rae McGrath, co-laureate of the 1997Nobel Peace Prize claims, The world has done noth-ing for mine victims. Go to any aected community

and ask them how excited they are about what hashappened since the 1997 treaty - they would look atyou blankly.Organisers and delegates alike are clearly expectinga lot from the Nairobi summit, where approximately600 representatives will converge in Kenya at the endof November. How they address the issue of mine vic-

tims is high on the agenda and mine victim agenciesaround the world will be looking forward to concretecommitments for future support.

2. Features covering the 5 core elements of the Web SpecialThe destruction of anti-personnel mines stockpiles: wiping out caches saves lives and prevents injury

All over the world gov-ernments are instructingtheir armies to destroytheir landmines - notlandmines laid in theground, but huge quan-tities of anti-personnellandmines stockpiled aspart of their military arse-nals. Millions of minesare being pulverised,dismantled, blown up,incinerated, laser-cut ormelted in compliance

with Article 4 of the MineBan Treaty of 1997.

Stockpiled anti-person-

nel landmines far outnumber those actually laid in theground, but under the obligations to the treaty andwith the global stigmatisation of mines, the 143 statesparty to the international legislation have been busydestroying their stocks. According to the agreements,governments are required to destroy their stockpileswithin 4 years after their accession to the treaty.Quite remarkably, so far, every country that has comeup to their deadline has met it, so there have been nofailures at all in terms of meeting the rst key dead-line of stockpile destruction, Martin Barber, Chief ofthe United Nations Mine Action Service told IRIN. Hesaid he considers the success of stockpile destructionto date as a remarkable achievement. The numbersof mines involved are huge and the eort and costof destroying the mine stocks in a relatively shortperiod of time are equally impressive. According tothe Landmines Monitor publication, which tracks andmonitors the progress of the treaty, in 1999 the globalstockpiles of anti-personnel mines (APM) were morethan 250 million in 108 countries worldwide. Today,less than 200 million remain in stockpiles with over 50

million having been destroyed in the last ve years.Many countries are quietly dealing with the chal-

lenge by transporting the weapons to remote areasfor large scale controlled explosions while others usethe opportunity to bring in the press and diplomats towitness symbolic demonstrations of APM destruction,emphasising publicly their commitment to their obli-gations under the treaty.

Stockpiles and the global reach of the Treaty

The problem of the remaining mine stockpiles isclosely linked to the universalisation of the treatybecause most of the mines are still held by certainkey countries that continue to refuse to sign up.

Approximately 190 million mines are held by non-signatory countries, with an estimated 110 millionin Chinas hands alone. Russia still stockpiles an esti-mated 50 million mines despite its claim in 2003 tohave voluntarily destroyed over 16 million mines. TheUnited States admits to stockpiling over 10 millionmines while Pakistan and India have about 11 millionbetween them.Despite the failure of the International Campaign toBan Landmines (ICBL) in persuading these importantnations to get on board, it is upbeat about the compli-ance record of states party to the treaty. It is condentthat the Landmines Monitor gures are an accurate

estimation of the current situation and that govern-ments are providing accurate information about theirstockpiles.

The role and activities of the USA are of interestbecause while it refuses to join the Mine Ban Treaty it iscommitted to humanitarian mine action and is smart-ening up its mines stocks by converting or destroyingits dumb mines. According to the State Department,in June 1998 the United States completed destruc-tion of over 3.3 million of its non-self-destructing,or dumb, anti-personnel landmines, retaining onlythose necessary for training, research, and the defenceof South Korea. Smart mines are more sophisticated

devices with a limited lifespan, their specic character-istics allow them to self-destruct in contrast to dumb

The destruction of millions of unwanted mines is

a huge logistical and nancial commitment for

any country.



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mines, which remain live. Critics of smart mines saythat their high failure rate means many become defacto APM and are no dierent from the cruder dumbmines, which cause most of the havoc around theworld today.

According to the Landmines Monitor 2003 Report,An important milestone in the implementation of theMine Ban Treaty was reached on 1st March 2003: thefour year deadline for destruction of stockpiled anti-personnel mines for all countries that were party tothe treaty when it rst entered into force on 1st March1999. It said that all signatories met the deadline in2003, which ICBL cites as an important test of thehealth and viability of the treaty.In terms of teeth and ocial enforcement, neither thetreaty, the ICBL nor any other body has the power toimpose signatories compliance of dierent parts ofthe treaty. Some writers and activists have warned

that the verication-free nature of the treaty couldallow governments to cheat or sign the treaty withoutan intention to comply but, to date, the ICBL claimsthat compliance with stockpile destruction has beena huge success.

Changing the international normAny form of coercion is unnecessary, said WolfgangPetritsch, president-designate of the Nairobi Summitfor a Mine Free World. He said so far countries haveadhered to their treaty obligations, an indication, thatAPMs have been so heartily denounced.

He told IRIN that, What is remarkable is to see thechanged level of behaviour worldwide as a result ofthe campaign and treaty ... in relation to landmines theinternational behavioural norm has spread far beyondthe 143-member states [party to the treaty]. This wasechoed by many others interviewed by IRIN who sawthe decline in production, sale, use and stockpiles ofAPM as clear evidence that the treaty is not only work-ing but is voluntarily adhered to.However, campaigners are keen that complacencydoes not dominate the Nairobi conference. There stillremains much work to be done. One area of concernfor the ICBL is the number of mines some countries are

refusing to destroy and retain for training purposes.The treaty allows for signatories to retain a minimumnumber of mines deemed absolutely necessary formilitary training purposes but some countries appearto holding back far more than would seem reason-able. Landmines Monitor 2003 said Tajikistan retained

almost 70,000 anti-personnel mines for trainingand Sweden, Brazil, Algeria and Bangladesh are alsosingled out as signatories that currently retain 15,000mines or more for training purposes. The ICBL contin-ues to publicly question the need for live mines fortraining and calls on signatories to evaluate why theyreally need to keep these mines.While the ICBL and others point to the successfuldestruction of over 30 million mines by treaty signa-

tories in the last 5 years,critics stress that six orseven times this numberare still held by non-sig-

natories. If these coun-tries continue to refuseto sign the treaty thesemassive stockpiles willstill be in place in 2009- the target date for sig-natories to have clearedtheir mines. Stockpiledestruction, however,has a shorter time periodof four years followingaccession to the treaty.

The Nairobi summit in

late November 2004 marks the halfway point betweenentry into force of the treaty and the 2009 deadline.

The summit is expected to attract over 600 interna-tional delegates, including various heads of state andthe UN Secretary-General. High on the agenda will bethe universalisation of the Mine Ban Treaty and theissue of stockpile destruction.

Mineelds in Sri Lanka: Destroying stockpiles

is about future generations not having to f ace

these scenes.


2. Features covering the 5 core elements of the Web SpecialThe demonisation of mines and the Ottawa Treaty:The remarkable movement of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines

In so many post-conict situiations children

are left to play in the debris of war: with lethalconsequences.


Described by UnitedNations Secretary-Gen-eral Ko Annan as alandmark step in thehistory of disarmament,the Ottawa Treaty hasmarked the turning of

the tide against land-mines. Many like MartinBarber, Chief of the

United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), see thewidespread implementation of the treaty as consign-ing landmines to the dustbin of history.

The Nairobi Summit for a Mine Free World, 29 Novem-ber to 3 December 2004, is the rst review conferenceof the treaty and is considered an important platform

for the states party to the treaty to renew commit-ments to the convention, also known as the MineBan Treaty. We are really on the way altogether to


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ban and eliminate one kind of vicious weapon fromthe earth, president-designate of the Nairobi summit,Ambassador Wolfgang Petritsch told IRIN.In the history of disarmament campaigns and civilsociety movements, the meteoric speed at which

the movement to ban landmines has aected inter-national law is unprecedented. Studies, doctoratedissertations and books are being written to explainthe phenomenon.For Ambassador Petritsch the treaty is a success storywith immediate humanitarian and disarmamentaspects combined. He told IRIN that the movementled by the International Committee to Ban Landmines(ICBL) signies a new kind of diplomacy - a uniquepartnership of civil society and governments drivenby a single desire to rid the world of these weapons.In the early 1990s, however, this partnership was notso apparent as a small group of idealists forged new

ground and fought to create and enact landminelegislation.

The path towards new international law

In the early- to mid-nineties the consequences ofthe widespread use of anti-personnel mines hadbecome horrifyingly apparent, according to Barber. Asmall number of individuals and agencies started topublicise the issue and in 1991 Human Rights Watchand Physicians for Human Rights published the rstdetailed study of how landmines were actually beingused in The Cowards War: Landmines in Cambodia.

ICBL was founded in 1992 by a half dozen concernednon-governmental organisations (NGOs) with thehope to ban the use, stockpiling, production andtransfer of landmines. Within 4 years the movement

had swelled to over 1,400religious, humanitarianand development NGOsand organisations. Nowit enjoys the support andendorsement of seniorworld statesmen, numer-ous senior military com-manders and religiousleaders worldwide.

The six NGOs that formedthe initial steering com-mittee of the ICBL wereHandicap International,Human Rights Watch,Medico International,Mines Advisory Group,

Physicians for Human Rights, and the Vietnam Veter-ans of America Foundation. A decade later these agen-cies remain the leaders in the ght against landminesand their eects.

They organised fast and used public meetings andthe media creatively and extensively to publicise thehorrors of mines while petitioning politicians and gov-

ernments to take action to ban landmines. Hundredsof civil society groups ooded to join the movementincluding major international agencies such as theInternational Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) anddierent UN agencies.

Martin Barber described the campaign as extremelyeective, including the use of people as PrincessDiana to bring the matter into peoples living roomsand on their TV screen - to such an extent that gov-ernments began to think: yes, why dont we banlandmines.

To the surprise of the campaign, in March 1995, Bel-gium suddenly announced that it was the rst countryto pass domestic laws banning the use or productionof landmines as well as their export. But without directgovernmental support, the movement found it di-cult to elevate the issue to the international legislativelevel. This was to come from Canada.

In what became known as the Ottawa Process, theCanadian government took the initiative in October1996 by holding a conference where 50 govern-ments signed a declaration recognising the urgentneed to ban anti-personnel landmines. One lastelement was perhaps the commitment of the Cana-dian government and Lloyd Axworthy [the formerCanadian Foreign Minister] to push this through. Thiswas very inuential. He basically challenged himselfand everyone else to come back a year later with anagreed international convention, and he did, Barberexplained to IRIN in a recent interview.

Arriving at the Mine Ban Treaty

The speed and momentum of the movement wasunprecedented, culminating in December 1997 withthe Ottawa Convention where 122 nations signed theConvention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling,Production, and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines andOn their Destruction. The ICBL, as well as key individu-als were rewarded with the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize.

This Ottawa Convention was the rst ever to prohibit,under international humanitarian law, a weapon inwidespread use.

As of October 2004, 143 states had acceded to thetreaty while 9 additional states continue to be signato-ries and follow the treaty without ratifying it. Ethiopiais one of the nine signatories that the ICBL hopes willuse the Nairobi summit to fully ratify the treaty.A strong characteristic of the ICBL has been its pro-active approach to all aspects of mine action. Byproviding an action-oriented, scheduled, legal frame-work for international co-operation on mine action,the Mine Ban Treaty represents a breakthrough in thestruggle against landmines, said the 1999 LandmineMonitor publication.

The ICBL told IRIN the Landmine Monitor is a uniquecivil society monitoring mechanism to police theadherence and implementation of the treaty. Con-

Mines and Unexploded Ordnance are littered

together in dozens of post-conict countries: both

a lethal hazard to thousands of communities:

North Iraq.



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sidered the bible of the mine action community, therst report was published in 1998 and continues to bea comprehensive country-by-country analysis on allmine action issues, specic statistical data, and legalissues pertaining of the treaty.

The campaign pressed hard for the convention tolegally bind signatories to act in positive ways in notonly ending the use, production, stockpiling andtransfer of mines but also to remove mines, promotemine awareness and assist victims of landmines. TheICBL told IRIN it considers its campaign has a continu-

ing challenge to monitorand extend the numberof party states joiningthe treaty.

The challenge of uni-

versalisation

The United States isthe only industrialiseddemocracy that hasnot signed or accededto the treaty. But othercountries such as China,Pakistan, Russia, andIndia - all producers,and in some cases usersof landmines - continue

to refuse to join the treaty. Organisers of the Nairobisummit do not want to overstate the importance ofthe treatys widespread success, but Rae McGrath, a

co-laureate of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize, feels theabsence of the US in particular is a considerable weak-ness. The problem with major countries such as theUS not participating in the treaty is that it allows othernon-signatories to point to the US and justify theirown non-participation, he told IRIN.

Instead of joining the Mine Ban Treaty, the US is pro-moting the Convention on Conventional Weapons, acompeting process of international legislation dealingwith landmines. For McGrath this is, potentially muchmore damaging [to nal success of the Ban Mine

Treaty] and ... in the case of the US they are merelylooking for a way to avoid the stricter denitions and

restrictions contained in the Ottawa Treaty.

The ICBL agrees that getting all countries on board is acontinuing goal but Sue Wixley, spokesperson for theICBL, told IRIN its approach was more characterisedby a policy of seduction rather than confrontation inrelation to those countries outside the process. Mostmine action experts and organisers of the summitpoint to the considerable achievements of the treatyin reducing the production, transfer and use of minesin the last ve years.

In terms of the treaty causing a signicant turning ofthe tide, the facts speak for themselves. According to

analyses of mine action experts worldwide, as well asdocumentation from successive Landmine Monitor

reports, the number of anti-personnel mines beingcleared and destroyed outweighs the number of thosein global use.

The global production of anti-personnel mines hasalso plummeted since the cold war era. The number

of anti-personnel mine producers has fallen from 54countries to 15, and of the 15 with production capa-bility most have not manufactured mines for years.

The nations that are most aected by mines are nor-mally non-producers, the global export and transferof mines has been identied as a key issue. Evidenceshows now that the global trade in anti-personnelmines has also massively fallen since 1997.Finally, global stockpiles of anti-personnel mineshave been reduced by 20 percent since 1997 and theremaining non-signatories to the Mine Ban Treatyhold all 200 million stockpiled landmines.

Outstanding concerns

The growing global outrage against the use of minesand the emerging international anti-mine opinionfollowing the treaty has successfully turned the tideagainst mines. McGrath agrees these considerablechanges have occurred but told IRIN he cautions

against triumphalism aslong as the campaignhas not addressed theneeds of thousands ofaected communities.

The failure of the mine

action community tofully address the needsof the mine-aectedcommunities is a majorconcern for the ICBL and

mine action organisations and will dominate discus-sions at the Nairobi summit. The proposed action planat the conference contains motions for states party tothe treaty to redouble their energies and eorts toclear landmines and support mine victims.All over the world there are thousands of mine-aected communities that are still waiting for mineclearance teams to assist them. Despite the amountof work achieved by clearance agencies, the speed ofclearance is notoriously slow.Of the estimated 300,000 mine victims worldwidevery few have any sustainable medical or rehabilita-tion support and their numbers are boosted annuallyby the continued toll of 15,000 to 20,000 mine casual-ties. Sue Wixley of the ICBL told IRIN they were wor-ried that some of the countries were watering downtheir commitments to the treaty. She said the area ofmine victim assistance in particular had huge gapsand needed a far broader and deeper commitment ifmine victims were to receive realistic support.

The evolution and development of the global move-ment to ban mines is still unfolding and the Nairobi

Cousins Altin, aged 9, and Adem, 13, were playing

in a eld when one of them tripped a trip-wire

activated fragmentation mine. They each lost both

of their legs. Kosovo, July 1999.


The campaign has beneted from important

patronage by initially Princess Diana and now

Queen Noor. Here she is shown a mine demonstra-

tion in Dushanbe, 2004.

Credit: GICHD


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summit is a crucial platform to re-energise the treatyand ensure aected communities are assisted. De-mining needs to be pushed forward both nanciallyand politically. Also victim assistance and stockpiledestruction of mines as an important preventativemeasure needed to save future lives, said the sum-

mits President, Ambassador Petritsch.Commenting on the success of the campaign inthe last decade and the death of the landmine as a

weapon, key activist Rae McGrath told IRIN that, Thegreatest victory was to demonise landmines but theyare not yet consigned to the dustbin of history.

2. Features covering the 5 core elements of the Web Special

The Nairobi summit: keeping up the pressure

A star-studded line-up ofsenior world diplomatsand leaders, with hun-dreds of United Nations

and civil society repre-sentatives are expectedto meet in Nairobifrom 29 November to 3December 2004 for theFirst Review Conferenceof the Convention on theProhibition of the Use,

Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-person-nel Mines and on their Destruction.

This historic disarmament instrument of internationallaw is also known as the Mine Ban Treaty (MBT) andcame into force in March 1999. The Nairobi summit,

hosted by the Kenyan government, is taking place veyears after this date as required under Article 12 of theMBT and will be convened by the Secretary-General ofthe United Nations, Ko Annan.Ambassador-designate for the summit, AustrianAmbassador Wolfgang Petritsch will preside over thehigh-level discussion aimed at adopting an actionplan for the next ve years. The plan is intended toshow continued commitment for a mine-free worldby the signatories of the treaty.There is of course always a danger that meetings atthis level can become diplomatic talk-shops, but not inthis case, Petritsch said while outlining to IRIN the 70specic points of a plan for signatories to adopt duringthe conference. We expect a very substantive actionplan will result from this conference, he said.

The Mines Ban Treaty is the extraordinary culminationof ve short years of intense global campaigning bythe International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL).

The treaty was rst opened for signature in December1997 and after the pre-requisite number of countries

joined (40), it came into force in 1999.

The world gave the campaign, along with key activ-

ists, the highest tribute by awarding the Nobel PeacePrize in 1997, but the movement did not slow downand rest on its laurels. The ICBL has kept the landmines

issue and treaty obligations high on the internationalagenda. It says that without universal complianceand the commitment of signatories in meeting theirobligations, the treaty would become meaningless.

Through continued pressure on governments and themonitoring of progress, the ICBL has played a majorrole in ensuring the MBT has been eective.

The need to maintain pressure is crucial becausethe MBT is not just about banning landmines but italso specically addresses the global needs in assist-ing mine victims, the clearing of all landmines andthe destruction of stockpiled unused mines held bysignatory countries. It is also about universalisingthe treaty and encouraging every country to get onboard.Interestingly the control the civil society has exerted

through this partnershiphas been more eec-tive than any coerciveapproach, Petritsch toldIRIN. He also detailedhow this treaty signals anew kind of diplomacy;public diplomacy rep-resented through thisprivate/public partner-ship.

The ICBL has been closely involved in the prepara-tory meetings for the Nairobi Summit and have highexpectations of the outcome. Nevertheless, in a state-ment issued in late August 2004 they outlined con-cern that the current action plan lacks concrete, timebound actions linked to the various points raised.Sue Wixley, spokeswoman for the ICBL, told IRIN theywere worried that some countries were wateringdown their commitment to the treaty. As soon aspeople stop thinking about their obligations then weare in trouble, she said.For the ICBL, the Nairobi Summit is an importantvenue to persuade non-member states to join the

treaty. We want new countries to join, said Wixley.Overall the conference is a rallying point for newcountries to join and a planning conference for the

Ten-year-old Andrevski survived the war in Kosovo

but was blown up by a landmine 10 days after the

peace agreement was signed. He was playing on

a hillside with friends when he activated an anti-

personnel mine. Both legs had to be amputated,

one above the knee and the other below.


Unless all eorts are re-doubled communities

will have to live with mines for many more

years. In N.Irqa a group of women walk only on

tarmac roads.

Credit: ICRC


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next ve years where states party to the treaty ensurethey deliver promises.According to Ambassador Petritsch, signatories werekeen to have the review conference in a region of theworld aected by mines and consequently Kenya was

selected. A number of countries in Europe and theAmericas hoped to host this prestigious meeting.Despite the notoriety of individual countries such asAfghanistan and Cambodia, Africa is, as a region, themost mine-infested region globally, Petritsch toldIRIN.

While hosted by theKenyan governmentthrough the Ministryof Foreign Aairs, thesummit has been organ-ised by both the GenevaInternational Centre for

Humanitarian De-miningand the United NationsMine Action Service(UNMAS). Royalty, headsof state, senior diplo-mats, numerous UNand civil society stawill ensure the summitwill gain wide mediaexposure. The Pope

is expected to send a message to the participantsthrough video link-up.Martin Barber, chief of UNMAS, said this historic

summit would be like a vitamin-boost, a re-launchof energy for the next ve years. He said he was fullyoptimistic that landmines had already been relegatedto the dustbin of history. The ICBL are more cautiousabout this claim, realising much needs to be done stillto assist the victims of landmines and ensure mineclearance gets all the political and nancial supportit needs.

The summit will be a success if it produces a bold,practical action plan, plus nancial pledges andpolitical commitments to make this happen, said ICBLcoordinator Liz Bernstein in a recent statement. Withour goal of a mine-free world now within reach, states

needs to show some staying power! she added.Some Summit highlights:

28 Nov:Summit opening by President Mwai Kibaki ofKenya.29 Nov:Opening address by Jody Williams, joint 1997Nobel Peace Prize winner with the ICBL.1 Dec:Nobel laureate panel discussion, including the2003 Iranian winner, Shirin Ebadi.2 & 3 Dec:addresses by heads of state, cabinet minis-ters and other dignitaries with closing ceremony ledby UN Secretary-General Ko Annan.

For more details of the summit, its agenda and objec-tives and how to attend please visit the followinglinks:

Nairobi Summit Ocial Site International Campaign to Ban Landmines: Nairobi

Summit

Key Draft Documents to be discussed at the Nai-robi Summit:

Draft review of the operation and the status of theConvention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling,Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines andon their Destruction: 1999-2004.

Ending the Suering Caused by Anti-Personnel Mines:Draft Nairobi Action Plan 2005-2009.

Towards a Mine-Free World: The 2004 Nairobi Declara-tion.

Draft programme of meetings and related matters tofacilitate implementation, 2005-2009.

Preparatory Meetings:

Second Preparatory Meeting held 28-29 June inGeneva.Related Documents.First Preparatory Meeting held 13 February in Geneva.Related Documents.

Will Nairobi make concrete steps towards a world

free of mines and relief for those still living with

the impact of mines?



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Sning the dry soil ofa mined road in Bakh-

shikhail village, Suzi, ademining dog, sat andimmediately lookedback, indicating that shehad detected explosivesunder her feet just twometres from her handler,Shahzada.

Its a landmine, the35-year-old shouted.It takes a day to clear

just two square metresby manual detection but just minutes by mine

dog, Shahzada, team leader of the Mine DetectionDog Centre (MDDC) NGO, told IRIN on a mineeldin the city of Charikaar, around 90 km north of thecapital Kabul. Dogs such as Suzi are in the vanguardof Afghanistans eorts to rid itself of landmines - thelegacy of decades of conict.

A German Shepherd, Afghan-born Suzi is one of 250dogs involved in the clearance of landmines through-out the country. While several thousand Afghans areworking as mine-clearance operatives, mine dogs areproving more eective in this, one of the most heavilymined countries in the world.

Most of the millions of landmines that litter Afghani-stan were laid between 1980 and 1992 during theSoviet occupation and subsequent communistregime. Landmines were also used extensively inghting between armed factions after 1992, particu-larly in Kabul and its outskirts.

The problem was exacerbated by mines and boobytraps reportedly used by the Northern Alliance, Tal-iban and Al-Qaeda ghters, and by unexploded clus-ter munitions and ammunition scattered from storagedepots hit by air strikes following the late 2001 US-ledbattles to unseat the Taliban from power.

Demining these huge areas is complicated by thefact that many of the mines are plastic and cannot bedetected by manual means. We train these dogs tosense explosives no matter if it is in a metallic or plas-tic container. They are very ecient and cost eective,Shah Wali Ayubi, MDDC operations manager, told IRIN.We have some areas where dogs are very suitable fordemining. For example, dogs are very ecient atclearing roads. Most of the major highway rehabilita-tion projects, including the Kabul-Kandahar highway,have been cleared by mine dogs.

The safety record of the dog teams speaks for itself.

Since the beginning of our operation in 1989, wehave only had 30 incidents that killed 10 [dog] han-dlers while there have been several hundred incidents

involving manual detection teams, Ayubi added.

According to Shah Zaman, a dog trainer at the school,it takes the agency nearly two years to train a puppybefore it is deployed to the eld. We have two kindof dogs: those that we produce here in our breedingcentre and those that we import from Thailand, Ger-many or other countries, Zaman told IRIN.

One imported puppy costs the agency US $4,500while a local dog costs only $1,500. We produce 60puppies a year and these dogs can work for nearly10 years before they are too old. The demining dogshave an impressive record, responsible for around halfthe entire area demined in Afghanistan to date. From1994 until now, our mine dog groups have cleared 120

sq km which is 50 percent of all the area cleared bydemining operations in Afghanistan.

According to the UnitedNations Mine ActionCentre for Afghanistan(UNMACA), so far 2.8 mil-lion explosive devices,including mines andunexploded ordnance(UXOs), have beencleared from 320 sq kmof land. But around 800million sq m of land must

still be cleared to ensure the safe return of hundreds ofthousands of internally displaced people (IDPs).

The UNMACA strategy is implemented by 15 nationaland international organisations. Afghanistan isexpected to be clear of mines in 10 years as requiredby the Ottawa treaty, but thats only if the campaigncan secure funding of around $60 million per year tocontinue the programme.

Mines dogs have added spectacular speed to some

aspects of mine clearance in Afghanistan.

Credit: IRIN


AFGHANISTAN: Demining dogs responsible for half of all cleared land

The Afghan trainers have to build up a close

relationship with their dogs if clearance is to be

eective and safe.

Credit: IRIN


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AFGHANISTAN: A quarter of a million landmine victims struggle to make a life

Despite having oneof the worlds highest

number of landminevictims, Afghanistan hasbeen slow to reintegrateits hundreds of thou-sands of disabled warvictims. The gures arestaggering. The countryhas more than a millionpeople living with dis-abilities, according tothe Afghan Ministry ofMartyrs and Disabled(MOMD) and a quarterof them - at least 250,000

- are victims of landmines and unexploded ordnance(UXOs).

The number is rising, with at least 40 people still fall-ing victim to mines each month, as people return tovillages that used to be on front lines. But this gurehas now fallen considerably compared to the last fewyears when 300-400 people were victims of UXOs andmines every month.

In the capital Kabul, the crowded oce of Nasa Sul-tani, a landmine victim and head of Afghanistans Dis-abled Womens Association, has many tragic stories.These are all landmine victims who have no place at

home and in society, so they come to our associationto help them reintegrate, she told IRIN, as she lookedover application forms from women disabled by land-mines, seeking assistance.

Surgical and prosthesis support is the rst and thelast [ocial] assistance a landmine victim gets in thiscountry. There is nothing going on to help the reinte-gration of these most vulnerable people into normallife.

While there are several national and internationalorganisations and a government ministry with man-dates to assist the disabled, Sultani believes there islittle happening to help them reintegrate. Despitehundreds of millions of dollars of international aid forAfghanistan, the disabled community has not beenaddressed.

As Afghanistan already has a high rate of unemploy-ment, nding jobs for