By Queen Noor of Jordan

The following article ran in The Huffington Post on Thursday, December 3rd.

For twelve years, the United States has refused to ban a weapon that kills and mutilates innocent women, men and children even in peacetime. The time has come for the world’s most powerful high-tech military to give up its low-tech stockpile of ten million antipersonnel landmines.

Today there are millions of mines buried in over 80 countries, and over 160 million more stored in arsenals waiting to go in the ground. These indiscriminate devices lay dormant until detonated by something living — a child walking to school, a farmer or grazing livestock. One victim at a time, these ‘weapons of mass destruction in slow motion’ have killed in total more people than nuclear, chemical and biological weapons combined. If they don’t cause immediate death, they maim and blind their victims.

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December 04, 2009, 12:38pm   Comments

The United States has registered to send a delegation to the upcoming review conference of the Mine Ban Treaty in Cartagena. The world power has been a notable absence from the agreement between nations to disarm the dangerous weapon, and this delegation could be a favorable bellwether.

The news is encouraging to campaigners, who predict that US involvement will reinvigorate international interest in the mine ban movement.

“If the U.S. joins, we’re sure there will be a domino effect on others to follow. It will be a big signal to other major powers,” the ICBL’s Jacqueline Hansen said.

In addition to the United States, China, India, Pakistan and Russia and 34 others countries have not signed the treaty.

Reuters

Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

November 17, 2009, 5:20pm   Comments

NEW YORK - October 29 - The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund has agreed to support the U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines over the next year as it works to bring the United States in line with the international treaties banning landmines and cluster munitions.

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November 02, 2009, 11:57am   Comments

Photo: Simon Conway

(London, 28 October 2009) Almost one year on from the historic signing of the Convention on Cluster Munitions in Oslo in December 2008, campaigners are launching a call on governments to stem the flow of money to producers of these indiscriminate weapons.

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October 29, 2009, 11:51am   Comments

Photo: Mary Wareham

(New York: 23 October 2009)- Governments that have still not joined the international treaty banning antipersonnel landmines should participate in a forthcoming global summit and join the agreement without delay, said the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) today at an event at the United Nations in New York.

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October 23, 2009, 12:14pm   Comments

Cambodian citizens take landmine problem into their own hands

As one of the most mine-affected countries in the world, Cambodia was one of the first to sign the Mine Ban Treaty in 1997, but like many governments, Cambodia has not succeeded in demining all of it’s contaminated land as the treaty requires.  This video shows Aki Ra, a Cambodian former combatant turned civilian deminer.  He disarms landmines using only a stick and a knife, and teaches other citizens to do the same.

Cameron Macauley of Survivor Corps has been to Cambodia and met Aki Ra. Read Cameron’s impressions of Aki Ra and the Cambodian citizens who are risking their lives to reclaim their country from landmines on today’s Survivor Corps Blog.

October 16, 2009, 1:43pm  Comments

» Take Action - Sign the People's Treaty

By signing, individuals and organizations can help the Mine Ban Treaty become international law.

October 13, 2009, 3:11pm  Comments

I am so happy that we will have the chance to work together for the survivor cause in the Cartagena Summit this year.

I am Kim Hoa from Landmine Survivors Network in Vietnam. I joined the Network about four years ago and currently am working as a Monitoring and Evaluation Officer cum Advocacy Officer. In Vietnam, we have been working to raise the profiles of the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), the Mine Ban Treaty (MBT) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) with a strong emphasis on Victim Assistance - the synergy across the three above treaties.

I am very glad that I will see some of you again (Nerina, Ramiz, Bekele and Jesus) and look forward to meeting Tirza, Riley, Albert and Shireen there.

I do believe that together we all will make a great “survivor dream team” in the Second Review Conference. I look forward to working with and seeing all of you in Colombia.

October 09, 2009, 2:12pm   Comments

I’m Riley Abbott and I’m a Program Associate at Survivor Corps. I have had a chance to work with some of you directly at the Mine Ban Treaty Meeting of States Parties in June 08, with others while at an advocacy training in Kampala, here in Washington, or even remotely via email.  For those whom I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting face-to-face, I’m really excited to do so!  

I’m a young man in my upper 20s from the Midwestern United States state of Minnesota where the wind and the snow can be dreadful but the food, art and people can make all your worries be gone. I came to Washington, DC after two years living in El Salvador through the Peace Corps where I worked with the municipal government to build the capacity of civil institutions, improve communications between organizations, and reduce youth inscription to gangs and violence. Professionally, I’m interested in building the relationships between civil society organizations, civilians and their governments and involving citizens in the planning and development of cities and regions. At Survivor Corps we call it social capital building and daily I get to exercise my interests through our programs that aid in the recovery of individuals affected by war, help their groups engage with the broader community and become active in exercising their rights.  

I’m really excited for Cartagena, because we will get a chance to engage global leaders and all of us, normal civilians working in human development and peace-building, will get a chance to do it at the highest level!!  It’s a great honor. 

Whether or not I get a chance to join you in Cartagena, please know that I’ll be here in DC supporting you during the lead up and during the conference. Be in touch and let’s make important changes!

October 09, 2009, 1:47pm   Comments