Key developments since May 2003:In 2003, Denmark provided
DKK78.6 million (nearly $12 million) in mine action funding, a decrease from
2002.
Key developments since 1999:Denmark became a State Party to
the Mine Ban Treaty on 1 March 1999. No additional legal or administrative
measures were deemed necessary for national implementation of the treaty beyond
ratification. Stockpile destruction of 266,517 mines was completed in December
1999, well in advance of the treaty deadline of 1 March 2003. At the end of
2003, Denmark retained 2,058 antipersonnel mines for training purposes, less
than half the amount originally planned. From 1999 to 2003, Denmark provided
more than DKK338 million (about $57 million) in mine action funding. Mine action
funding dropped 34 percent from 2001 to 2003.
Mine Ban Policy
Denmark signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 4 December 1997 and ratified it on 8
June 1998, becoming a State Party on 1 March 1999. No additional legal or
administrative measures were deemed necessary for national implementation of the
treaty.[1]
Denmark was an early supporter of a ban on antipersonnel mines. On 5
September 1995, the Minister of Foreign Affairs announced Denmark’s
support for a comprehensive ban on antipersonnel mines, instructing the Danish
delegation to the Review Conference of the Convention on Conventional Weapons
(CCW) to work for a ban. On 23 May 1996, Denmark decided to renounce
unilaterally the use of antipersonnel mines. Denmark participated in all
preparatory meetings of the Ottawa Process leading to the Mine Ban Treaty.
Denmark has attended all of the annual meetings of States Parties and all of
the intersessional meetings since 1999, but has not served as co-chair or
co-rapporteur of any of the Standing Committees. Denmark has voted for every
pro-mine ban UN General Assembly resolution since 1996. In September 2002,
Denmark, as President of the European Union, announced to the General Assembly
that the large number of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty leaves “no
doubt that an international norm has been established that can no longer be
ignored.” All States not members of the treaty were urged to accede
without delay and all non-state actors to comply with the
treaty.[2]
Denmark’s annual Article 7 report for calendar year 2003 was submitted
on 21 June 2004. It did not include voluntary Form J, which Denmark had
included with previous reports. Five previous Article 7 reports have been
submitted.[3]
Denmark has participated in State Party deliberations on matters of
interpretation and implementation related to Articles 1 and 2. Regarding the
issue of assistance to non-States Parties during joint military operations, the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that Denmark would not involve itself in
the planning or implementation of activities related to the laying of
antipersonnel mines.[4] Asked
for its view of the legality of the transit and/or storage of foreign
antipersonnel mines on Danish territory, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated
in 1999 that: “In accordance with Article 1 of the Ottawa Convention,
Denmark cannot transfer to anyone, directly or indirectly, APMs or allow anyone
to do so on Danish
territory.”[5]
Regarding the issue of antivehicle mines with sensitive fuzes and
antihandling devices, Denmark confirmed its position in April 2003 and March
2004 that the Mine Ban Treaty does not cover antivehicle mines that may function
as antipersonnel mines. Denmark is concerned that other interpretations will
inhibit universalization of the treaty, and considers the CCW to be the proper
forum for discussion of antivehicle
mines.[6] At the Fifth Meeting
of States Parties and in intersessional meetings, Denmark has opposed discussion
of this issue in the context of Article 2 of the Mine Ban Treaty.
Denmark is a State Party to the CCW and its Amended Protocol II, and has
submitted annual reports as required by Article 13 of the Protocol. The report
submitted on 26 September 2003 noted new forms of international assistance and
mine action funding in 2003. In November 2003, Denmark attended the Fifth
Annual Conference of States Parties to the Protocol, as in previous years. At
the conference in December 2002, Denmark, on behalf of the EU, described the
Mine Ban Treaty and Amended Protocol II as
complementary.[7] In 2001,
Denmark joined with the US to propose new measures with respect to antivehicle
mines. The proposals remained under discussion in 2003 and 2004. Also within
the CCW, Denmark has supported the adoption of the new Protocol V on explosive
remnants of war.
Production, Transfer, Stockpiling and Destruction
Denmark has stated that production of antipersonnel mines ceased in the
1950s, and that it has never exported antipersonnel mines. The types and
quantities produced have not been
revealed.[8] Import of
antipersonnel mines ceased in
1990.[9]
Denmark possessed a stockpile of 271,508 antipersonnel mines, consisting of
four types.[10] Destruction
started in 1997 after signing the Mine Ban Treaty, and was completed in December
1999 with the destruction of 266,517
mines.[11] Destruction took
place well in advance of the treaty deadline of 1 March 2003.
Denmark opted to retain antipersonnel mines under Article 3 of the treaty; it
had 2,058 at the end of 2003. This is the same quantity as retained at the end
of 2002, indicating no consumption during
2003.[12] The mines are
retained for “demonstration and training purposes.” A demonstration
is given to all conscripts during training, mine awareness instructors are
trained in handling mines before international missions, and Ammunition Clearing
Units are trained in dismantling
mines.[13] Only M58 mines have
been consumed (57 in 1999–2000; 15 in 2001; 33 in
2002).[14] None of the M56
mines, which are kept for trials by the Danish Defense Research Establishment,
have been consumed.
Initially, Denmark retained 4,991 antipersonnel mines. This was reduced to
2,091 in August 2000, according to the Article 7 report submitted in 2002. The
redundant mines were transferred to Germany for destruction that was completed
on 3 June 2001.[15]
Denmark’s Article 7 reports have not included the M18A1 Claymore mines
and FFV013 Claymore-type mines previously acknowledged to be in stock. The
Ministry of Defense stated that these mines have all been modified to
command-detonated mode, and are now treated and used only as an “area
defense weapon” by the Army (M18A1) and the Air Force
(FFV013).[16]
Landmine Problem
Denmark reported to the UN in 1995 that it considers itself a mine-affected
country, in respect of the Skallingen peninsula in western Jutland, which was
heavily mine-contaminated in World War II. In 1946–1949 a total of
6,086,000 square meters was cleared, and in 1999 it was estimated that fewer
than 10,000 mines remained there. Types of mine found include the Schultzmine,
Holzmine 42, Pansermine, Schultzmine 42, Stockmine, Teller 35 and Teller
42.[17] Skallingen is now a
protected natural reserve, largely owned by the government. Mined areas are
marked and there are no reports of mine incidents in the
area.[18]
In March 2004, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that there is not
yet a plan for clearance of the remaining mines, and no date fixed to begin such
planning.[19] In its first
Article 7 report, Denmark stated that the area was being mapped and a plan for
clearance would be developed. No further information is given in later reports,
which state only that there are no mine clearance programs at
present.[20] The deadline set
by Article 5 of the treaty for Denmark to clear all antipersonnel mines in mined
areas under its jurisdiction or control is 1 March 2009.
Mine Action Funding
In 2003, Denmark provided DKK78,561,971
(US$11,939,509)[21] in mine
action funding, a six percent reduction from 2002 when DKK83,512,807 was
provided. Funding was allocated to nine countries and three organizations as
follows:
Countries
Afghanistan: DKK15.1 million ($2,248,328), comprising DKK10.1 million to the
Danish Demining Group (DDG) for survey, mine/UXO clearance and capacity
building, and DKK5 million to UNMAS
Angola: DKK6 million ($911,854) to DanChurchAid (DCA) for survey, mine/UXO
clearance and capacity building
Caucasus (Chechnya): DKK2.2 million ($334,346) to DDG, as first installment
of DKK4.8 million, for capacity building
Iraq: DKK8.9 million ($1,352,836) to DCA for UXO clearance and capacity
building
Mozambique: DKK17.3 million ($2,629,179) for mine clearance, capacity
building and mine risk education.
Nicaragua: DKK7.5 million ($1,139,818) to the government for mine clearance,
capacity building and mine risk education.
Somalia: DKK2 million ($303,951) to DDG for survey, mine/UXO clearance and
capacity building
Sri Lanka: DKK12 million ($1,823,708) to DDG for survey and mine/UXO
clearance
Sudan: DKK4 million ($607,903) to DCA for survey, mine clearance and
capacity building
Organizations
Mine Ban Treaty Sponsorship Program: DKK200,000 ($30,395) to support
participation of developing countries
UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Action: DKK3 million
($455,927) for mine action coordination
International Campaign to Ban Landmines: DKK400,000
($60,790).[22]
The Danish International Development Agency (Danida), a department of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is responsible for funding mine action programs.
In the last five years, Denmark has contributed a total of DKK338.1 million
(about $57.3 million) to mine action (1999: $7 million, 2000: $13.4 million,
2001: $14.4 million, 2002: $10.6 million, 2003: $11.9 million). Landmine Monitor
estimates that Danish mine action funding for 1992-2003 exceeds $84.8
million.[23]
Mine Action Funding by Denmark: 1999-2003
Currency (millions)
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
Total
DKK
49.9
106.7
119.4
83.5
78.6
338.1
US$
7.0
13.4
14.4
10.6
11.9
57.3
Funding declined in 2002 and 2003 from the two previous years, with a drop of
34 percent from 2001 to 2003. Asked to comment on the decrease, the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs stated in April 2003 that an independent evaluation of Danish
assistance in humanitarian mine action was being carried
out.[24] The evaluation
assessed the mine action sector, and Danish assistance, as “weak in
integrating poverty perspectives. The isolation of the mine sector from the rest
of the aid effort has hindered it from effectively taking part in the
development debate; drawing on established approaches; and participating in new
methodological steps forward.” The evaluation advised that, in view of
the considerable challenge of reducing the landmine threat and its
cost...professional strategic aid management” was
needed.[25] It was decided to
revise Danish policy on mine action and supplement it with a set of operational
and practical guidelines, which were expected to be available in
mid-2004.[26]
Landmine Monitor estimates that some $2 million of Danish funding has been
devoted to victim assistance since 1999 (2001: $1 million, 2002, $1.05
million).[27]
Countries and regions receiving Danish governmental donations since 1999
include Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Caucasus, Chechnya, Costa
Rica, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, Iraq, Kosovo, Laos, Lebanon,
Mozambique, Somalia, Somaliland, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Vietnam.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also funds the Danish Demining Center
(DANDEC), a training center for NGOs set up in 2000, with sixteen participants.
Ten deminers from DANDEC courses were employed by Danish NGOs in
2001.[28]
No Danish Defense activities in mine action were reported in
2003.[29] In 2002, Danish
Defense was involved in mine clearance in Afghanistan, with two Hydrema machines
and 45 personnel (including 17 support
personnel).[30] Denmark has
chaired the Inter-Nordic Working Group for Mine Clearance Equipment, and
participated in the NATO Engineer Working
Party.[31]
Non-Governmental Mine Action and Mine Action Funding
Two Danish NGOs are involved in clearance of mines and unexploded ordnance
(UXO), survey and mine risk education. DanChurchAid (DCA), which added mine
action to its work program in 1999, worked in five countries in 2003: Albania
(impact survey, technical survey and mine clearance); Angola (survey, mine risk
education, and training for clearance of mines and unexploded ordnance);
Democratic Republic of Congo (mine risk education); Iraq (battle area clearance
and capacity building); and Sudan (mine and UXO clearance, capacity building and
mine risk education).[32] In
previous years, DCA has also worked in Eritrea, Lebanon, and Kosovo. An
evaluation of the socio-economic value of its work in Kosovo was completed in
December 2001.[33]
DCA included mine risk education (MRE) in its programs in 2003. In Sudan,
two teams (from both sides of the conflict) were trained in MRE and carried out
activities through a community-based approach that will continue in 2004. In
Angola, MRE teams work with volunteers in Moxico and Lunda Sul. DCA has
prioritized integrated village/community rehabilitation support, focusing on
long-term behavioral change. In DR Congo during 2003-2004, DCA undertook
integrated MRE for internally displaced and war-affected communities in North
Katanga.[34]
In August 2003, DCA was one of five mine action NGOs convening the NGO
Perspective on the Debris of War. The NGO Perspective’s aim was to
improve the effectiveness of mine action and to represent the NGO
Perspective’s view that many mine action programs are unnecessarily costly
and complicated, with the result that “under the current circumstances the
obligations of the Ottawa Treaty cannot be
met.”[35] DCA also
sponsored a conference at the Parliament building in Copenhagen on 18 March
2004, titled “Cluster Bombs: Effective Weapon or Humanitarian Foe?”
In 2003, DCA joined the Coordinating Committee of the International Campaign to
Ban Landmines, as the representative of the Lutheran World Federation. In March
2004, DCA undertook an assessment mission in Burundi; it has since started
survey, marking and clearance operations in Makamba province, and MRE activities
for refugees in camps in Kibondo.
The Danish Demining Group (DDG), established 1998, was active in five
countries and regions in 2003: Afghanistan (assessment/survey, mine and UXO
clearance, capacity building), Chechnya (capacity building), Iraq
(assessment/survey, UXO clearance, capacity building), Somaliland (demining) and
Sri Lanka (mine clearance and mine risk education). In previous years, DDG has
also worked in Eritrea.[36]
The Danish Red Cross focuses on survivor assistance. In 2003, it provided
undisclosed funds for the International Committee of the Red Cross survivor
assistance and mine awareness programs in Afghanistan, Angola, Ethiopia, Sierra
Leone and Sudan. It also helped to fund the International Federation of Red
Cross and Red Crescent Society mine awareness program in
Tajikistan.[37] The Danish Red
Cross country-wide collection in 2002 donated DKK400,000 ($50,700) to the
rehabilitation of mine survivors in
Cambodia.[38]
Danmark Mod Landminer (Denmark Against Landmines) participated in the
Roskilde music festival in July 2003, where it raised DKK50,000 ($7,600). This
will be used to finance a quick-response team in Somaliland during 2004 under
the direction of the Danish Demining Group. Danmark Mod Landminer was
established in 2000. In 2002, it raised DKK140,000 ($17,745) for the Danish
Demining Group, and additional funds for DanChurchAid mine clearance activities
in Lebanon.[39]
Research and Development
The main R&D initiative has been the Nordic Demining Research Forum
(NDRF).[40] The Technical
University of Denmark has carried out research on multi-sensor mine detection
systems. The Danish Defense Research Establishment has researched thermal
signatures of mines, and the detection of tripwires using polarimetric methods.
The machine manufacturer, Hydrema, produced a civilian version of its mine
clearance vehicle Hydrema MCV 910, which has been used by DCA in Kosovo and
Norwegian People’s Aid in Angola. PL Brake, a private company, developed
a device to detect mines with few or no metal components. Funding for
production was expected to be in place by
2005.[41] Scientists at the
biotechnology company Aresa have developed a plant that warns of landmines. The
genetically modified plant changes color when its roots come into contact with
nitrogen dioxide, used in explosives. Initial testing of the plant will take
place in Bosnia, Sri Lanka and parts of
Africa.[42]
Landmine/UXO Casualties
In 2003, no Danish peacekeepers serving in international missions became
casualties of mines.[43] Danish
mine action NGOs did not report any mine casualties in 2003.
In previous years, Danish peacekeepers and NGO staff have been involved in
mine incidents, but full casualty data is not available. In 2000, there were two
mine incidents involving local DCA staff in Kosovo. In 2001, there were five
mine incidents involving DCA staff in Kosovo, in which three were seriously
injured and two received minor injuries. Also in 2001, local DDG staff were
involved in two incidents in Afghanistan, one in Somaliland, and one in Eritrea.
In 2002, three Danish peacekeepers were killed and three injured handling
munitions (not mines) in Afghanistan. Records of mine incidents involving
Danish personnel indicate that, between 1992 and 1996, 18 Danish peacekeepers
were involved in mine
incidents.[44]
Greenland and the Faroe Islands
A bilateral Defense Agreement between Denmark and the United States, signed
on 27 April 1951, permits the US presence at Thule Air Base in Greenland.
Regarding the possibility of storage or transit of US antipersonnel mines, the
Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs repeated the answer, given in January 2001,
that it will abide by Mine Ban Treaty
commitments.[45]
[1] See Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p.
226, and Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p.
680. [2] Statement by Amb. Erling
Harild Nielsen on behalf of the EU, UN General Assembly, New York, 30 September
2002. [3] See Article 7 reports
submitted: 21 June 2004, but dated 18 June (for calendar year 2003); 30 April
2003 (for calendar year 2002); 29 April 2002 (for the period 1 May 2001–30
April 2002); 30 April 2001 (for calendar year 2000); 7 August 2000 (for the
period 27 August 1999–7 August 2000); 27 August 1999 (for the period to 27
August 1999). [4] Email from Ulrik
Enemark Petersen, Head of Section, Foreign and Security Policy Department,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 28 March 2003; Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p.
227. [5] Response to Landmine Monitor
from Danny Annan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 24 March
1999. [6] Telephone interview with
Maj. Jørn Rasmussen, Section for Weapon Control, Danish Defense Command,
29 April 2003; email from John Kierulf, Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 15 March 2004. See also Landmine
Monitor Report 2002, pp.
226–227. [7] Statement by Amb.
Henrik Rée Iversen on behalf of the EU, Fourth Annual Conference of
States Parties to Amended Protocol II, Geneva, 11 December
2002. [8] Response to ICBL
questionnaire. Letter from Michael Borg-Hansen, Counselor, Royal Danish Embassy,
Washington DC, 11 July 1996. See also Landmine Monitor Report 1999, pp.
581–582. [9] For details of
mines imported, see Landmine Monitor Report 1999, p.
582. [10] Article 7 Report, Forms D
and G, 27 August 1999. The four types were: M47 (97,095), M56 (102,432), M58
(59,211), and M66 (12,770). [11]
Article 7 Report, Form D, 27 August 1999. The quantities destroyed were: 97,095
type M47 mines, 102,372 M56s, 54,280 M58s, and 12,770
M66s. [12] Article 7 Report, Form D,
21 June 2004; email from John Kierulf, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 15 March
2004. Form D1 records 2,058 mines retained, while Form D2 records 30 M58 mines
“used for demonstration and training
purposes.” [13] Article 7
Report, Forms D and J, 30 April 2003; Article 7 Report, Form D, 29 April
2002. [14] See Landmine Monitor Report
2002, pp. 227–228, and Landmine Monitor Report 2003, pp.
227-228. [15] Germany Article 7
Report, Form G, 16 April 2002. [16]
See Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p.
681. [17] See Landmine Monitor Report
1999, pp. 584, 585. [18] Email from
Ulrik Enemark Petersen, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 28 March 2003.
[19] Email from John Kierulf,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 15 March
2004. [20] Article 7 Report, Form C,
21 June 2004; CCW Amended Protocol II Article 13 Report, Form B, 26 September
2003. [21] Exchange rate for 2003 of
$1 = DKK6.58, used throughout this report. US Federal Reserve, “List of
Exchange Rates (Annual),” 2 January
2004. [22] Email from John Kierulf,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 15 March 2004, email from Hanne Gam, Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, 12 May 2004. [23] See
previous editions of Landmine Monitor. US$ amounts are at the conversion rates
used in each previous year. For Danish funding of mine action before 1999, see
Landmine Monitor Report 1999, p. 583, and Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p. 631.
[24] Email from Ulrik Enemark
Petersen, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 30 April
2003. [25] Danida, “Evaluation
Report: Danish Support to Mine Action,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs, June
2003. In 2001, Danida described future policy for assistance in humanitarian
mine action as intended to be long-term, targeted, flexible and focused on local
capacity-building. The aim was to “promote international coordination in
order to secure quality and effectiveness... based on in-depth socio-economic
analyses with a view to identifying priority areas where mine clearance will be
most cost-effective and of greatest benefit to the local population.” See
Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p.
228. [26] Email from John Kierulf,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 15 March 2004.
[27] See previous editions of
Landmine Monitor Report (in 2001, part of $1 million for Angola was for victim
assistance, and in 2002 part of $1.05 million for Laos was for victim
assistance). [28] See Landmine
Monitor Report 2001, p. 685. [29] CCW
Amended Protocol II Article 13 Report, 26 September
2003. [30] Email from Maj. Jørn
E. Rasmussen, Danish Defense Command, 26 May 2002, and telephone interview, 29
April 2003. [31] CCW Amended Protocol
II Article 13 Report, Form E, 14 October
2002. [32] Email from Eva Veble, MRE
and Advocacy Officer, DanChurchAid, 27 February 2004. For more information on
these activities, see the country reports in this edition of the Landmine
Monitor Report. [33] See Landmine
Monitor Report 2002, p. 230. [34]
Email from Eva Veble, DanChurchAid, 3 May
2004. [35] Statement by the NGO
Perspective on the Debris of War, Lyon, France, 28 August
2003. [36] Email from Michaela Bock
Pedersen, Danish Demining Group, 17 February 2004. For more information on
these activities, see the country reports in this edition of the Landmine
Monitor Report. [37] Emails from
Flemming S. Nielsen, Disaster Management Unit, Danish Red Cross, 1 and 2 April
2004. The amount of funding allocated specifically to the landmine work is not
available. [38] Email from Flemming S.
Nielsen, Head of Disaster Management Unit, Danish Red Cross, 26 March
2003. [39] Email from Thomas Emil
Jensen, Danmark Mod Landminer, 18 March
2003. [40] See report on Norway,
Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p.
706. [41] Email from Lars Christensen,
PL Brake, 25 March 2003. [42]
“GM Plant can Detect Landmines,” Politiken (daily newspaper), 24
January 2004. [43] Email from John
Kierulf, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 15 March
2004. [44] See previous editions of
the Landmine Monitor Report. [45]
Greenland and the Faroe Islands are autonomous parts of Denmark. Foreign and
defense policies are joint affairs of state, governed from Denmark. Regarding
Thule, see Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p. 686.
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