Background

The global landmine crisis is one of the most pervasive problems facing the world today. It is estimated that there are between 45 and 50 million landmines in the ground in at least 70 countries. Landmines reportedly maim or kill 10,000 civilians every year. Those victims that survive endure a lifetime of physical, psychological, and economic hardship.

Landmines are indiscriminate weapons by nature - they do not distinguish between a soldier's footstep and a child's footstep. Their toll on mine-affected communities is devastating, and the consequences of their use are felt years after hostilities cease. "Once peace is declared the landmine does not recognize that peace," says Jody Williams, coordinator of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. "The landmine is eternally prepared to take victims." Landmine victims suffer debilitating physical and emotional injuries, victims' families and communities are plagued by psychological and economic burdens, and the environmental impact of landmines on their surroundings is significant. Landmines also impede long-term reconstruction of war-torn societies, the return of refugees and internally displaced persons to their homes, and political reconciliation and peace.

The true measure of the global landmine crisis is the impact that landmines have on mine-affected communities. Estimates of the number of landmines deployed vary widely because the precise location of mines is not known. A minefield is not defined by the number of mines located within a specified boundary. Rather, it is an area suspected of containing mines - an area that is rendered uninhabitable or that cannot be cultivated or put to productive use because local populations fear entering the area. The element of tragedy that befalls mine victims and their families and communities is a powerful deterrent to any individual who might otherwise use land for productive purposes or basic everyday activities. Unfortunately, fundamental human instincts and the need for food all too often compel adults and children alike to enter mined areas.

Traditionally, antipersonnel landmines were used for military defense purposes, but increasingly they are used as offensive weapons. They are designed to target civilian populations, disrupt people's lives, and displace entire communities from their homes and agricultural bases. Their purpose is to inflict maximum harm on victims and to create a state of military, political, social, and economic imbalance in war-torn societies. Unexploded ordnance (UXO) also adds significantly to the plight of these communities. They are typically strewn across large areas of land and respond like landmines when stepped on or picked up off the ground.

Fifty-four countries have produced more than 340 models of antipersonnel landmines. They cost as little as $3 to produce and are relatively easy to deploy. They can be laid anywhere, including roads, paths, fields, buildings, waterways, bridges, forests, and deserts. By contrast, it costs between $300 and $1,000 to locate and destroy a single mine, typically a very complex and time-consuming task.

In recent years, the international community has made significant progress in addressing the global landmine crisis. An international treaty to ban landmines, known as the Ottawa or Mine Ban Treaty, entered into force on March 1, 1999, faster than any international treaty in history. International and nongovernmental organizations are working with mine-affected countries to establish effective mine awareness campaigns and victim assistance programs. The United Nations is coordinating a global effort to survey the state of landmine contamination in mine-affected countries, and private and public groups are undertaking mine clearance efforts in more countries than ever before. Yet, with all these accomplishments to its credit, the international community continues to face many overwhelming challenges.