Global Fight Against Landmines Under Threat: Nobel Peace Prize-Winning Campaign Urges Stronger Commitment 

The international treaty prohibiting antipersonnel landmines faces unprecedented threats, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), 1997 Nobel Peace Co-Laureate, warns on the 26th anniversary of the Mine Ban Treaty’s entry into force on 1 March 1999.

“Over the past 25 years, the Mine Ban Treaty has garnered widespread international support and made a lasting positive impact, protecting people worldwide from the daily horror of landmines,” said Tamar Gabelnick, ICBL Director. “The world is, simply put, a much safer place because of the Mine Ban Treaty. Now is the time to defend it against any backsliding, especially in these times of increased insecurity.”

The Mine Ban Treaty’s total ban on antipersonnel landmines has saved countless lives as country after country eliminated these indiscriminate and inhumane weapons from their arsenals. The treaty’s positive obligations have provided crucial support to survivors and facilitated extensive demining efforts, removing the daily threat of stepping on a landmine in communities from Angola to Zimbabwe.

The Mine Ban Treaty has directly contributed to a massive drop in the production of antipersonnel mines, down from more than 55 countries in 1999 to a dozen today. The treaty’s positive impact can be seen in the destruction of more than 55 million antipersonnel mines from the stockpiles of countries that joined it.

Antipersonnel mines were banned under the Mine Ban Treaty because of their inherently indiscriminate and inhumane nature. These weapons cannot distinguish between combatants and civilians and remain lethal for decades, causing long-term human suffering and economic devastation. Military experts have long determined that the weapon’s devastating impact on innocent civilians far outweighs any marginal and limited military utility they may have. This fact remains as true today as it was when the treaty was negotiated in the 1990s.

Background
The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) is a global civil society coalition of hundreds of organizations working for a world without landmines. In 1997, the ICBL was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize together with its founding coordinator Jody Williams. The campaign includes national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) across many disciplines including demining, human rights, development, refugee issues, and medical and humanitarian relief.