Landmine Free 2025 delivers opening statement at mine ban treaty review conference
Thursday, 28 November 2019
2019 marks twenty years since the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention entered into force, banning the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel landmines.
Governments, United Nations agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) meet annually to discuss the Convention, and every five years for a review conference of the treaty. The last review conference in 2014 committed to complete landmine clearance by 2025. This year, a review conference is taking place in Oslo, Norway, to set the mine action agenda for the next five years.
A total of 59 countries and territories are contaminated with landmines, and most of them are not on track to meet the goal of being free of landmines by 2025. A major obstacle for many countries is a lack of international support and funding, known officially under the treaty as 'international cooperation and assistance'.
To open the discussions on international cooperation and assistance, Landmine Free 2025 campaign steering committee members, Camille Wallen (Director of Strategy, The HALO Trust) and Chris Loughran (Policy & Influence Director, MAG) delivered opening remarks on behalf of the campaign.
Governments, United Nations agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) meet annually to discuss the Convention, and every five years for a review conference of the treaty. The last review conference in 2014 committed to complete landmine clearance by 2025. This year, a review conference is taking place in Oslo, Norway, to set the mine action agenda for the next five years.
A total of 59 countries and territories are contaminated with landmines, and most of them are not on track to meet the goal of being free of landmines by 2025. A major obstacle for many countries is a lack of international support and funding, known officially under the treaty as 'international cooperation and assistance'.
To open the discussions on international cooperation and assistance, Landmine Free 2025 campaign steering committee members, Camille Wallen (Director of Strategy, The HALO Trust) and Chris Loughran (Policy & Influence Director, MAG) delivered opening remarks on behalf of the campaign.
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They urged states to increase their efforts and provide more funding and assistance to landmine-affected countries and explore new ways of doing things. They reminded everybody in the room that the mine action community is united behind a common goal.
Read the full statement below.
Read the full statement below.
