About the chair... "The Broken Chair", a giant sculpture made in wood by Swiss artist Daniel Berset was erected by Handicap International in front of the main entrance of the United Nations Office in Geneva at the end of 1997. The Broken Chair symbolises the call from civil society to heads of States visiting Geneva. It will remain in place until the 40th ratification of the Ottawa Convention, when the treaty will come into force and become international law.

THE LANDMINES CAMPAIGN STILL NEEDS THE CHURCHES! (Over 25 percent of the 1000 organisations which have joined the ICBL are church-related.) Click here to chapters on: The Nobel Peace Prize A Treaty to Ban Landmines What Happens Now? Anti-personnel Landmines - A Humanitarian Crisis The International Campaign to Ban Landmines What Is Our Strategy? Some useful Websites Some Arguments for Advocacy What Can Churches Do Once the 40 Initial Ratifications Have Been Achieved? Ploughshares Aren't Possible if Swords Remain in the Ground Appendix 1: ICBL national coalitions address list Appendix 2: List of signatory states Click to this booklet en français auf Deutsch en español

"The Landmines Campaign Still Needs the Churches!" is a common publication of the Lutheran World Federation, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and the World Council of Churches. For more information and correspondence, or if you would like to order printed copies of the booklet (in English, French, German or Spanish), contact: The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Rebecca Larson P.O.Box 2100 1211 Geneva 2 / Switzerland Tel: (41 22) 791 64 28 Fax: (41 22) 791 05 28 e-mail: rl@lutheranworld.org World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) Seong-Won Park P.O.Box 2100 1211 Geneva 2 / Switzerland Tel: (41 22) 791 62 36 Fax: (41 22) 791 65 05 e-mail: WCC Contact World Council of Churches (WCC) Mariette Grange P.O.Box 2100 / Switzerland Tel: (41 22) 791 60 46 Fax: (41 22) 788 00 67 or 710 2068 e-mail: WCC Contact Contents may be reproduced and translated without permission. This text was prepared by Mariette Grange and Rebecca Larson. (May 1998)

THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE In December of 1997 the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and to its coordinator Jody Williams. The choice of this campaign by the Nobel committee was significant in two ways: it focused the attention of the world on the humanitarian crisis of anti-personnel landmines; it recognised the unique cooperation which has taken place between government and civil society in moving the world towards a situation where there are no anti-personnel landmines. A TREATY TO BAN LANDMINES Also in December of 1997 an international treaty was signed in Ottawa, Canada by 123 countries to ban anti-personnel landmines. This landmark treaty, entitled: "Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on their Destruction" set an international norm of illegality for the use, stockpiling, production and trade of landmines. The treaty also bound countries to attend to the urgent need for demining and victim assistance.

Many churches and church related organisations, including the Lutheran World Federation, (LWF), the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) and the World Council of Churches (WCC), have been very involved in the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) particularly over the last four years. This involvement has included educational work to stigmatise landmines in the public consciousness, and advocacy work to bring governments to the table to sign the treaty ban. In the field it has involved programmes of demining and support for victims.

Every 22 minutes someone somewhere around the world is killed or maimed by a landmine.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW? The question which is now most often put to the ICBL and to the churches which are involved in the campaign is this: "What happens now? The treaty is signed. Isn't your job finished?" The answer is that some of the hardest work remains. The final goal is the removal of all landmines from the ground as well as the destruction of all existing stockpiles and an end to the use of landmines. The Ottawa treaty is, so far, an excellent treaty on paper. It has now been signed by 125 countries. But now the work begins to make sure that governments ratify the treaty (make it legal in their own countries) and implement all parts of the treaty in a coordinated way. It is also necessary to challenge those countries that have not signed with the reality of the humanitarian impact of these weapons and the possibility which exists for the human community to eradicate them.

ANTI-PERSONNEL LANDMINES -
A HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
The problem of anti-personnel landmines is fundamentally humanitarian. These weapons of war kill in peacetime. Designed for soldiers, they kill and injure women and children. It is because of the indiscriminate humanitarian effects of these weapons that they are now banned in international law.

The statistics are sobering.....

Millions of mines are scattered over 70 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. The most severely affected countries are Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Croatia, Eritrea, Iraq (Kurdistan), Mozambique, Somalia, Sudan and Viet Nam.

A growing child's artifical limb should be replaced every six to twelve months and an adult's once every three to five years.

A large number of victims are alone and in isolated places when they are injured. An ICRC docctor estimates that up to 50% of mine victims die within hours of the blast.

Landmine infestation around strategic sties can deny access to safe drinking water, arable land and prevent mobile rural vaccination teams from going their rounds.

Over the last 55 years, anti-personnel mines have caused more deaths and injuries than nuclear, biological and chemical weapons combined.

The International Committee of the Red Cross estimates that 800 people are killed by mines every month and another 1200 are maimed, a total of 2000 victims a month and close to 25,000 a year.

The UNICEF estimates that of these victims, 5000 to 6000 are children.

THE INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO BAN LANDMINES
In the course of 1991, several non-governmental organisations and individuals began simultaneously to discuss the necessity of coordinating initiatives and calls for a ban on anti-personnel landmines. Handicap International, Human Rights Watch, Medico International, Mines Advisory Group, Physicians for Human Rights and Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation came together in October 1992 to formalise the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL).

The International Campaign to Ban Landmines is a united coalition of over 1000 human rights, humanitarian, children's, peace, veterans, medical, development, demining, arms control, religious, environmental and women's groups in 60 national campaigns committed to the goal of the total elimination of anti-personnel landmines.

At its recent General meeting in Frankfurt, Germany, February 1998, the ICBL agreed upon its priorities for 1998 in three main areas of work. It will work to universalise the treaty and it will explore a role for its members in monitoring the treaty. It will strengthen the advocacy work of the other two key pillars of the campaign - assistance and humanitarian mine clearance.

The ICBL coordination committee consists of the six founding organisations plus the Afghan Campaign to Ban Landmines, the Association to Aid Refugees - Japan, the Cambodia Campaign to Ban Landmines, the Colombian Campaign Against Landmines, the Inter-African Union of Human Rights, the Kenya Coalition Against Landmines, the Landmine Survivors Network, the Lutheran World Federation, Norwegian People's Aid and the South African Campaign to Ban Landmines.

Three International Ambassadors represent the ICBL in public and political fora, Jody Williams, co-recipient of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize, Rae McGrath and Tun Channereth.

Together we have begun to map out a way for the international community to move forward together in a coherent and coordinated way to promote and ensure the speedy and effective entry into force and ongoing implementation of the new convention. [...] I would also like us to remind ourselves that this was just the beginning. It is an ongoing commitment to partnership and cooperation that will enable us to succeed in meeting our goal of a world finally freed from the fear and suffering of anti-personnel mines. Lloyd Axworthy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada Ottawa closing speech, December 4, 1997

WHAT IS OUR STRATEGY? While the negotiation of the Ottawa treaty is an historic landmark in the battle against the scourge of landmines, a tremendous amount of work remains to be done before the threat of these weapons and their appalling humanitarian consequences are effectively tackled. Countries must be encouraged to: Strategy ONE Monitor the 125 governments which signed the Ottawa treaty. Governments which signed expressed their intention to become a State party at some future date and are obliged to take no action which would undermine the object and purpose of the Convention. The Convention remains open for signature by States at the United Nations headquarters in New York, until its entry into force, when it officially becomes international law. The treaty will enter into force 6 months after 40 ratifications have been achieved. Action: Look at the list of signatories to the Convention (see Appendix II) to see if your government has signed the treaty; If your government has not signed the Convention, raise awareness on the urgent need for a landmines ban with the general public, members of government, members of parliament (through direct representations, rallies, meetings, prayer vigils and fasting, awareness-raising with the press etc.).

Some useful Websites Handicap International (English and French): http://www.Handicap-International.org Human Rights Watch (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish): http://www.hrw.org International Committee of the Red Cross (English and French): http://www.ICRC.org International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) (English): http://www.icbl.org Mennonite Central Committee Landmines Page (English): http://www.mennonitecc.ca Stiftung Menschen gegen Minen (The Humanitarian Foundation of People against Landmines) (English, German): http://www.dsk.de/mgm Safe Lane (Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs) (English and French): http://www.mines.gc.ca

Strategy TWO Press governments for early ratification and implementation of the treaty's provisions. Governments which ratify that treaty undertake a wide range of commitments. Among other things, the country must ensure that anti-personnel mines are no longer used as weapons by its armed forces, end the development and production of these devices, destroy any stockpiles, and identify, mark, and clear mined areas. In many countries, implementing these obligations will require significant technical, legal and financial assistance. Action: If your government has signed the Convention: find out if the ratification process has started; if not, put pressure on your government to start such a process (you can approach your member of parliament for instance).

Strategy THREE
Work for universalisation of the treaty.

Although countries from all regions of the world supported the Ottawa process, some of the world's major landmine producers, exporters and users did not actively participate in the negotiation of the Ottawa treaty and are unlikely to adhere to it at the outset. Every effort must be made to encourage these countries to join ranks with the rest of the international community and prohibit anti-personnel landmines so that the Ottawa treaty is universally respected in the near future.

Action:
If your country has neither signed nor ratified the Convention:

• find out if a national campaign to ban landmines already exists in your country and if so, join it. Such coalitions exist in over 60 countries (see Appendix I);
  
• if no coalition exists, approach other interested church groups, NGOs, trade unions, women's groups, lawyers/bar associations, medical groups etc... and work together to create a national campaign