23 June 2014
Photo: GICHD Director, Ambassador Stefano Toscano, together with Jody Williams, Nobel peace-prize co-laureate (with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines - ICBL), attending the opening of the Third Review Conference of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention.
From 23 to 27 June 2014, the Maputo Review Conference will mark 15 years since the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention entered into force: although progress is significant, other challenges remain.
In 1997, States, civil society, the International Committee of the Red Cross and international organisations came together in an unprecedented partnership to ban anti-personnel landmines. Personalities included the then coordinator of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, Jody Williams (Nobel Peace Prize co-laureate); the then President of the ICRC, Cornelio Sommaruga; and the then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. In 1999, the First Meeting of States parties of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction was held in Mozambique, at that time one of the most heavily affected countries in the world.
15 years later
- In 1999, a world free of mines was a distant prospect. Today 27 States have completed this effort.
- In May of 1999, there were 45 parties to the Convention and Mozambique was one of only 18 States in Africa that had committed to this movement. Now 161 States are bound by this Convention and in Africa there is virtually universal acceptance of the Convention.
- Today new use of anti-personnel mines is rare and is broadly understood to be unacceptable behaviour.
- The majority of landmine survivors are, in relative terms, better off also because of this Convention.
- Almost all States Parties have completed the destruction of all stockpiled anti-personnel mines (about 45 mio stockpiled mines destroyed globally).
- Of the 50 states that once produced anti-personnel mines, all but 16 are now party to the APMBC and the stigma attached to the use of these weapons has changed approaches. For example, the US has not produced anti-personnel mines since 1997 and has contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to victim assistance.
- The number of casualties has dropped to approximately 80% (estimates: from 20,000 per year in 1997 to less than 4,000 per year today).
Despite progress, challenges remain and universalisation of the APMBC is not yet achieved. Strenuous efforts should continue to be made to sign up additional states. In Maputo this month, important decisions are expected and States should confirm their aspiration to complete their time-bound obligations “no later than 2025”. This means that in the next years we might witness a world free of mines; something which was hard to believe 20 years ago.
Going back to Maputo, Mozambique: a symbolic location
In the early 1990s, Mozambique was among the countries where the tragedy caused by anti-personnel mines was one of the greatest; the clearance of all mined areas was a distant prospect and perhaps, to some, unachievable. Today, Mozambique is confident that it will be declared mine free by the end of the year. The Maputo Review Conference can give hope to those still addressing a landmine problem that an end is within sight.
The GICHD and the Convention
The GICHD actively participates in the work of the Convention as an observer delegation at all of its formal and informal meetings. In addition, the GICHD supports the implementation of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention by providing strategic, operational and information management advice to States Parties.
Maputo Review Conference | www.maputoreviewconference.org
For more information | Christine Spring, Communication Manager | c.spring@gichd.org
Category: International Conventions