Landmine Monitor Report 2006:

Toward a Mine-Free World

Executive Summary


Copyright © July 2006 by Mines Action Canada

All rights reserved.

Printed and bound in Canada.

This report was printed on recycled paper using vegetable based ink.

ISBN: 0-9738955-1-9

Cover photographs © C. Rebotton, Handicap International, March 2006

Cover design by Rafael Jiménez

International Campaign to Ban Landmines

Email:

www.icbl.org/lm

Mines Action Canada

1502 - 1 Nicholas Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 7B7, CANADA

Tel: +1 (613) 241-3777, Fax: +1 (613) 244-3410,

Email:

www.minesactioncanada.org

Handicap International

rue de Spa 67, B-1000 Brussels, BELGIUM

Tel: +32 (2) 286-50-59, Fax: +32 (2) 230-60-30, Email:

www.handicap-international.be

Human Rights Watch

1630 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20009, USA

Tel: +1 (202) 612-4321, Fax: +1 (202) 612-4333, Email:

www.hrw.org

Norwegian People’s Aid

PO Box 8844, Youngstorget NO-0028, Oslo, NORWAY

Tel: +47 (22) 03-77-00, Fax: +47 (22) 20-08-70, Email:

www.npaid.org

table Of cONtents

About Landmine Monitor

Major Findings

Introduction

Banning Antipersonnel Mines

Universalization

Sixth Meeting Of States Parties

Implementation And Intersessional Work Program

Convention On Conventional Weapons (CCW)

Use Of Antipersonnel Mines

Production Of Antipersonnel Mines

Global Trade In Antipersonnel Mines

Antipersonnel Mine Stockpiles And Their Destruction

Mines Retained For Research And Training (Article 3)

Transparency Reporting (Article 7)

National Implementation Measures (Article 9)

Special Issues Of Concern

Mine Action

Major Achievements Of Mine Action Programs

Major Challenges For Mine Action Programs

Mine Risk Education

MRE Programs

Key Actors

At-Risk Groups

MRE In Areas Of Conflict

Integration Of MRE With Other Mine Action Activities

Community-Based MRE

Evaluations And Learning

Landmine Casualties And Survivor Assistance

New Casualties In 2005-2006

Increased Casualties In 2005

Addressing The Needs Of Survivors

Capacities And Challenges In Providing Assistance

Coordination And Integration For Sustainable Victim Assistance

Progress In Survivor Assistance

Disability Policy And Practice

Other International Developments

Mine Action Funding

Donor Contributions In 2005

Funding, Cooperation And The Mine Ban Treaty

Donor Funding Policy And The Mine Ban Treaty

Funding Channels

Mine Action Donors

Other Mine Action Donors:

States And Victim Assistance

Major Mine Action Recipients

Status Of The Convention

Key Developments

States Parties

Bolivia

Bosnia And Herzegovina

Burundi

Signatories

Non-Signatories

Other

Convention On The Prohibition Of The Use, Stockpiling, Production And Transfer Of Anti-Personnel Mines And On Their Destruction

About Landmine Monitor

This is the eighth Landmine Monitor report, the annual product of an unprecedented initiative by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) to monitor and report on implementation of and compliance with the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, and more generally, to assess the international community’s response to the humanitarian crisis caused by landmines. For the first time in history, non-governmental organizations have come together in a coordinated, systematic and sustained way to monitor a humanitarian law or disarmament treaty, and to regularly document progress and problems, thereby successfully putting into practice the concept of civil society-based verification.

Seven previous annual reports have been released since 1999, each presented to the annual meetings of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty: in May 1999 in Maputo, Mozambique; in September 2000 in Geneva, Switzerland; in September 2001 in Managua, Nicaragua; in September 2002 in Geneva; in Bangkok, Thailand in September 2003; in November-December 2004 at the First Review Conference in Nairobi, Kenya; and in November-December 2005 in Zagreb, Croatia.

The Landmine Monitor system features a global reporting network and an annual report. A network of 71 Landmine Monitor researchers from 62 countries gathered information to prepare this report. The researchers come from the ICBL’s campaigning coalition and from other elements of civil society, including journalists, academics and research institutions.

Landmine Monitor is not a technical verification system or a formal inspection regime. It is an attempt by civil society to hold governments accountable to the obligations they have taken on with respect to antipersonnel mines. This is done through extensive collection, analysis and distribution of publicly available information. Although in some cases it does entail investigative missions, Landmine Monitor is not designed to send researchers into harm’s way and does not include hot war-zone reporting.

Landmine Monitor is designed to complement the States Parties transparency reporting required under Article 7 of the Mine Ban Treaty. It reflects the shared view that transparency, trust and mutual collaboration are crucial elements for successful eradication of antipersonnel mines. Landmine Monitor was also established in recognition of the need for independent reporting and evaluation.

Landmine Monitor and its annual reports aim to promote and advance discussion on mine-related issues, and to seek clarifications, in order to help reach the goal of a mine-free world. Landmine Monitor works in good faith to provide factual information about issues it is monitoring, in order to benefit the international community as a whole.

Landmine Monitor Report 2006 contains information on 126 countries and areas with respect to landmine ban policy, use, production, transfer, stockpiling, mine action funding, mine clearance, mine risk education, landmine casualties, and survivor assistance. Landmine Monitor Report 2006 focuses on mine-affected countries, States Parties with major outstanding treaty implementation obligations, and non-States Parties. Information on mine action donor countries is included in a funding overview.

As was the case in previous years, Landmine Monitor acknowledges that this ambitious report has its shortcomings. The Landmine Monitor is a system that is continuously updated, corrected and improved. Comments, clarifications, and corrections from governments and others are sought, in the spirit of dialogue and in the common search for accurate and reliable information on a difficult subject.

Landmine Monitor 2006 Process

In June 1998, the ICBL formally agreed to create Landmine Monitor as an ICBL initiative. A four-member Editorial Board coordinates the Landmine Monitor system: Mines Action Canada, Handicap International, Human Rights Watch, and Norwegian People’s Aid. Mines Action Canada serves as the lead agency. The Editorial Board assumes overall responsibility for, and decision-making on, the Landmine Monitor system.

Research grants for Landmine Monitor Report 2006 were awarded in December 2005, following a meeting of the Editorial Board in Zagreb, Croatia from 3-4 December 2005. Thematic Research Coordinators met in Ottawa, Canada from 9-10 February 2006 to exchange information, assess what research and data gathering had already taken place, identify gaps, and ensure common research methods and reporting mechanisms for Landmine Monitor. In March and April 2006, draft research reports were submitted to Thematic Research Coordinators for review and comment.

From 2-4 April 2006 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, over sixty researchers and Thematic Research Coordinators met for the 2006 Landmine Monitor Global Research Meeting to discuss research findings, further build capacity in research and mine ban advocacy, and participate in exposure visits to Cambodian mine action field projects. The meeting was an integral part of the Landmine Monitor process and provided the only face-to-face opportunity for researchers to discuss their research findings with Thematic Research Coordinators.

In May 2006, Thematic Research Coordinators and a small group of researchers participated in the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in Geneva, Switzerland, to conduct interviews and discuss final reports and major findings. From April to July, Landmine Monitor’s team of Thematic Research Coordinators verified sources and edited country reports, with a team at Mines Action Canada taking responsibility for final fact-checking, editing, and assembly of the entire report. This report was printed during August and presented to the Seventh Meeting of States Parties to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty in Geneva, Switzerland from 18 to 22 September 2006.

Landmine Monitor Report 2006 is available online at www.icbl.org/lm.

Last, but never least, we extend our gratitude to Landmine Monitor donors and supporters. Landmine Monitor’s contributors are in no way responsible for, and do not necessarily endorse, the material contained in this report. It was only possible to carry out this work with the aid of grants from:

· Government of Australia

· Government of Austria

· Government of Belgium

· Government of Canada

· Government of Cyprus

· Government of Denmark

· Government of France

· Government of Germany

· Government of Ireland

· Government of Luxembourg

· Government of the Netherlands

· Government of New Zealand

· Government of Norway

· Government of Sweden

· Government of Switzerland

· Government of the United Kingdom

· European Commission

· UN Development Programme

· UNICEF

We also thank the donors who have contributed to the individual members of the Landmine Monitor Editorial Board and other participating organizations.

MAJOR FINDINGS

Landmine Monitor Report 2006 reveals that the Mine Ban Treaty and the mine ban movement continue to make good progress toward eradicating antipersonnel landmines and saving lives and limbs in every region of the world. Significant challenges remain, however.

This edition of the Landmine Monitor reports in detail on progress and challenges remaining in over 120 countries, including mine-affected countries and those with substantial stockpiles of antipersonnel mines, and the dwindling minority of states which have not yet joined the Mine Ban Treaty. Landmine Monitor Report 2006 provides an annual update to Landmine Monitor Report 2005.

The reporting period for Landmine Monitor Report 2006 is May 2005 to May 2006. Editors have where possible added important information that arrived later. Statistics for mine action and landmine casualties are usually given for calendar year 2005, with comparisons to 2004.

+ Increased international rejection of antipersonnel mines

As of 1 July 2006, 151 countries were States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty, and another three had signed but not yet ratified, constituting well over three-quarters of the world’s nations. Four signatory states ratified the treaty since the publication of Landmine Monitor Report 2005: Ukraine, Haiti, the Cook Islands and Brunei. Ukraine possesses 6.7 million antipersonnel mines, the world’s fourth largest stockpile. Several states indicated they would accede in the near future, including Indonesia, Kuwait, Palau and Poland. Many states that are not party took steps consistent with the treaty.

+ Increased support for the goal of eliminating antipersonnel mines

UN General Assembly Resolution 60/80, calling for universalization of the Mine Ban Treaty, was adopted on 8 December 2005, with 158 in favor, none opposed, and 17 abstentions; this was the highest number of votes in favor of this annual resolution and the lowest number of abstentions since 1997 when it was first introduced. Twenty-four states not party to the treaty voted in favor, including Azerbaijan and China for the first time.

+ Non-State Armed Groups committing to a ban on antipersonnel mines

The Polisario Front in Western Sahara signed the Geneva Call Deed of Commitment banning antipersonnel mines in November 2005 and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) signed in July 2006.

— Universalization challenges

None of the 40 non-signatories to the Mine Ban Treaty acceded in the past year. Some major stockpilers, producers and users remain outside the treaty, including Burma, China, India, Pakistan, Russia and the United States. Some countries that were reported to be making progress toward the treaty in Landmine Monitor Report 2005 did not report any further progress, such as Bahrain, Oman, Kyrgyzstan, Libya and the United Arab Emirates.

+ No use of antipersonnel mines by States Parties or signatories

There is no evidence—or even serious allegation—of use of antipersonnel mines by Mine Ban Treaty States Parties or signatories. This is notable because many were users in the recent past before becoming States Parties or signatories.

— Three governments using antipersonnel mines

In this reporting period, at least three governments continued using antipersonnel mines—Myanmar (Burma), Nepal and Russia—with the most extensive use in Myanmar. However, in May 2006, the government of Nepal and Maoist rebels agreed to a cease-fire and a Code of Conduct that includes non-use of landmines. These three governments and Georgia were identified as users in Landmine Monitor Report 2005 and previous reports, establishing themselves as the only ongoing state-users of antipersonnel mines.

— Non-State Armed Groups using antipersonnel mines

Non-state armed groups are using antipersonnel mines in more countries than government forces, but NSAG use is also on the decline. In this reporting period, NSAGs used antipersonnel mines or antipersonnel mine-like improvised explosive devices in at least 10 countries, including in three States Parties (Burundi, Colombia and Guinea-Bissau) and in seven non-States Parties (Burma, India, Iraq, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia/Chechnya and Somalia). Landmine Monitor Report 2005 cited NSAG use of antipersonnel mines in at least 13 countries. Guinea-Bissau, where Senegalese rebels used mines against the Guinea-Bissau Army, was added to the list, while Georgia, the Philippines, Turkey and Uganda were removed this year.

— Production of antipersonnel mines by 13 countries

Landmine Monitor identifies 13 countries as producers of antipersonnel mines, the same as last year: Burma, China, Cuba, India, Iran, North Korea, South Korea, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Singapore, United States and Vietnam. Some of these countries are not actively producing, but reserve the right to do so. The United States, which has not produced since 1997, has been developing new landmine systems that may be incompatible with the Mine Ban Treaty. Vietnamese officials told a Canadian delegation in November 2005 that Vietnam no longer produces antipersonnel mines, a statement Landmine Monitor is attempting to confirm and clarify. At least 38 countries have ceased production of antipersonnel mines, including five states not party to the Mine Ban Treaty.

+ De facto global ban on trade in antipersonnel mines

For the past decade, global trade in antipersonnel mines has consisted solely of a low-level of illicit and unacknowledged transfers. In this reporting period, there were only a small number of reports of such trafficking in antipersonnel mines.

— UN panel allegation of transfer of antipersonnel mines

A UN panel leveled the most serious and specific allegation ever of a transfer of antipersonnel mines by a Mine Ban Treaty State Party. In May 2006, a UN arms embargo monitoring group reported that the government of Eritrea had delivered 1,000 antipersonnel mines to militant fundamentalists in Somalia in March 2006. Eritrea denied the claims as “baseless and unfounded” and labeled the report as “outrageous and regrettable.”

+ Millions of stockpiled antipersonnel mines destroyed

In this reporting period, four States Parties completed destruction of their stockpiles: Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Algeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Seventy-four States Parties have completed destruction, and another 64 never possessed mines, leaving 13 States Parties with stocks to destroy. Some 700,000 stockpiled antipersonnel mines were destroyed by States Parties since the last Landmine Monitor report. States Parties collectively have destroyed more than 39.5 million antipersonnel mines.

— Millions of mines stockpiled by non-States Parties

Landmine Monitor estimates that non-States Parties stockpile over 160 million antipersonnel mines, with the vast majority held by a just five states: China (est. 110 million), Russia (26.5 million), US (10.4 million), Pakistan (est. 6 million) and India (est. 4-5 million). South Korea for the first time reported a stockpile total (407,800); officials previously indicated a stock of some two million antipersonnel mines. Signatory Poland holds nearly one million antipersonnel mines.