The
International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) considers the 1997 Convention
on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production, and Transfer of
Anti-Personnel Mines and On Their Destruction (“Mine Ban
Treaty”) the only viable comprehensive framework for achieving a mine-free
world.[1] The ICBL believes that the
only real measure of the Mine Ban Treaty’s success will be the concrete
impact that it has on the global antipersonnel mine problem. As with the four
previous annual reports, Landmine Monitor Report 2003 provides a means of
measuring that impact. As the five-year Review Conference for the Mine Ban
Treaty in 2004 approaches, it is especially important that governments and
non-governmental organizations realistically assess progress made and challenges
remaining.
The positive trends that have been documented in previous years have
continued in this most recent Landmine Monitor reporting
period.[2] More than three-quarters
of the world’s nations have now embraced the Mine Ban Treaty. Notably,
Afghanistan, one of the world’s most heavily mined countries, has joined
the ranks. Many governments that are not party to the Mine Ban Treaty are
taking steps consistent with the treaty, as are an increasing number of rebel
groups, demonstrating the power of the international norm that is taking
hold.
New use of the weapon continues to decline. There was confirmed use of
antipersonnel mines by just six governments in the reporting period, and as of
July 2003, only two governments—Myanmar and Russia—were using
antipersonnel mines on a regular basis. There were no confirmed instances of
antipersonnel mine transfers, as the de facto global ban on trade held
tight. Some four million stockpiled antipersonnel mines were destroyed in the
reporting period, bringing the total to more than 50 million in recent years.
The reported landmine casualty rate declined in 2002 in the majority of
mine-affected countries. The number of mine-affected countries reporting
organized mine clearance operations increased in 2002, and there were
substantial increases in the amount of land cleared in many countries.
Landmine Monitor has identified about US$1.7 billion in mine action
contributions since 1992. For 2002, Landmine Monitor has identified $309
million in mine action funding by more than 23 donors. This represents a very
significant increase of about $72 million, or 30 percent, from the previous
year. This is particularly welcome in that last year, Landmine Monitor reported
that funding in 2001 had for the first time stagnated rather than increasing.
It is evident that great strides are being made in the effort to eradicate
antipersonnel mines, but the mine problem is far from solved. It is likely that
there are between 15,000 and 20,000 new landmine casualties each year. In 2002
and through June 2003, there were new landmine casualties reported in 65
countries. The number of survivors requiring assistance continues to increase,
but in the majority of mine-affected countries the assistance available to mine
survivors is inadequate to meet their needs for physical rehabilitation and
socio-economic reintegration. At current levels of mine action funding and
demining, many mine-affected States Parties will have difficulty meeting the
ten-year deadline for completion of mine clearance. Forty-seven countries, with
a combined stockpile of some 200 million antipersonnel mines, remain outside of
the Mine Ban Treaty. Armed rebel forces are using mines in at least eleven
countries. The promise of the Mine Ban Treaty will not be fulfilled without
sustained and increased commitment from governments and non-governmental
organizations.
[1]The ICBL generally uses the short title, Mine
Ban Treaty, although other short titles are common as well, including Ottawa
Treaty, Ottawa Convention and Mine Ban
Convention. [2] The reporting period for
Landmine Monitor Report 2003 is May 2002 to May 2003. Editors have where
possible added important information that arrived in June and July 2003.
Statistics for mine action and landmine casualties are usually given for
calendar year 2002.