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Ten years of the anti-landmine treaty
mine area
It has been 10 years since the Mine Ban Treaty entered into force. Experts have hailed its humanitarian impact, but note that much work still remains. Dianne Penn filed this report.
NARR: The annual report which monitors the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty finds that a decade of action to eradicate antipersonnel mines has yielded significant progress. Steve Goose is director of the Arms Division at Human Rights Watch.
GOOSE: After 10 years of the success of the Mine Ban Treaty, it is clear that no nation has a valid reason for clinging to this outdated and thoroughly stigmatized weapon.
NARR: The treaty entered into force in 1999, and more than 150 countries, or roughly 80 per cent of the world, have signed on. However, as Steve Goose points out, nearly 40 states still remain outside the fold.
GOOSE: Those who've not joined include some of the biggest stock pilers, former users, current users-China, Russia, the US, India Pakistan. But we do see that even with the vast, majority of these 39 states that have not yet joined, most of them have expressed their intention to join in the future.
NARR: The Mine Ban Treaty has also had an impact on mine clearance, even in non-signatory countries such as Azerbaijan, Iran, Lebanon, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Stuart Casey-Maslin is an international lawyer with Norwegian People's Aid.
CASEY-MASLIN: In terms of clearance, we believe that 10 years will break the back of the problem, if-and it is an "if"-resources are sustained, survey continues to improve, and clearance assets are targeted correctly.
NARR: Landmines killed more than 73,000 people over the past decade, which breaks down to 20 deaths a day. Nearly three-quarters were civilians, most of them male, and 32 per cent were children, says Stan Brabant of Handicap International.
BRABANT: It's important to note that we recorded a gradual reduction over the course of the past 10 years. Ten years ago we spoke of about 8,000 new casualties each year. Last year we recorded 5,197 casualties, so a slow decrease which you can look at from two perspectives: either you say this is good news, less casualties; but you could also look at it from a negative perspective: this is more victims, more people who need assistance.
NARR: Stan Brabant of Handicap International, speaking on the 2009 Landmine Monitor Report. Dianne Penn, United Nations Radio.
Duration: 2'33"
