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Press and information kit

17-09-2004

The Nairobi Summit on a Mine-Free World, 29 November to 3 December 2004 - Press and information kit prepared by the International Committee of the Red Cross: Includes fact sheets on the Ottawa Convention, the Nairobi Summit, prevention and assistance activities aimed at victims and conditions in each continent, first-hand accounts and a list of contacts.

Below you will find all PDF files that make up the press and information kit distributed to the media by the ICRC in preparation for the Nairobi Summit on a mine free world.  

 Ending the landmine era - Achievements and challenges  

    

 The information kit includes:  

    

    

 A series of “fact sheets ” to help answer the questions:  

    

  • Has the Convention made a difference in affected communities?

  • Which States have joined the Convention; which remain outside?

  • How many anti-personnel mines have been destroyed and by whom?

  • What progress has been made in mine clearance globally and in selected countries in various regions?

  • What are the challenges in delivering assistance to victims?

  • Are adequate resources available to mee t the Convention ’s ambitious goals?

  • What are the key challenges facing the Convention in the coming years?

    

    

 Short stories written by ICRC and national Red Cross and Red Crescent field staff:  

    

  • A micro-credit scheme which is helping mine victims and other disabled persons in Afghanistan rebuild their lives;

  • The socio-economic factors that drive some Cambodians to knowingly enter mined areas;

  • School children in Bosnia & Herzegovina taking action against landmines;

  • Demining projects in Angola, which help people rebuild their lives by freeing up land for productive use;

  • A Colombian boy whose life was changed after he stepped on an anti-personnel mine;

  • Demining ef forts in Jordan that are contributing to the improving socio-economic conditions of individuals and communities.

The kit also provides contact information for interviews and further information from ICRC staf f in Geneva and the field, and other key organizations working to universalize the Convention and ensure its full implementation

  Help with Acrobat PDF files  
  pdf file 
  Not all news is bad news 
(PDF file/65 kb)   
Landmines: A global success story in the making
 

  pdf file 
  Nairobi Summit on landmines 
(PDF file/136 kb)   
Background to the conference
 

  pdf file 
  Useful contacts for media 
(PDF file/60 kb)   
If you have questions related to the Convention and the Nairobi Summit on a Mine-Free World.
 

  pdf file 
  Overview of the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines 
(PDF file/2543 kb)   
What does the convention ban?
The Convention on the Prohibition of Anti -Personnel Mines, also called the “Ottawa Convention ”(and by some the “Mine Ban Treaty ”), is a comprehensive ban on anti-personnel mines. It prohibits the use, stockpiling, production, development, acquisition and transfer of anti-personnel mines and requires their destruction, whether they are in stockpiles or in the ground.

 

  pdf file 
  Mine Action Funding 
(PDF file/1075 kb)   
What is mine action?
“Mine action” refers to all activities aimed at reducing and ultimately eliminating the threat posed by anti-personnel mines and explosive remnants of war. These activities are the “pillars ” of the Ottawa Convention.

 

  pdf file 
  Mine Clearance and Mine Risk Education 
(PDF file/633 kb)   
What is mine clearance?
Mine clearance refers to the detection, removal and destruction of all mines in a given area that is known or suspected to be mined, with the objective of making the land safe for use. It is sometimes referred to as “demining ” or “ humanitarian demining ”.

 

  pdf file 
  Stockpile Destruction 
(PDF file/3997 kb)   
Why destroy stockpiled anti-personnel mines?
The destruction of anti -personnel mines held in stockpiles is one of the key humanitarian goals of the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti–personnel Mines. In destroying its anti -personnel mines, a State ensures that none of these weapons will ever make their way into the ground to maim or kill indiscriminately. By destroying their anti -personnel mine stockpiles, States save lives and limbs.

 

  pdf file 
  Victim Assistance 
(PDF file/1044 kb)   
Anti-personnel mines are designed to shatter lives and limbs beyond repair. If the person who steps on or touches a mine is not killed by the explosion, he or she typically undergoes multiple operations and the amputation of one or more limbs, followed by lengthy physical rehabilitation. Disabled for life, mine survivors require long-term care.
 

  Europe: Overview and Country Profile 
(PDF file/571 kb)   
Some 11 countries in Europe are affected by anti-personnel mines. Several Balkan countries are severely affected as a result of the recent armed conflicts. However, the long-term legacy of anti-personnel mine contamination is also apparent in this region, where some countries are still removing anti-personnel mines laid during the Second World War.
 

  pdf file 
  Sub-Saharan Africa: Overview and Country Profile 
(PDF file/656 kb)   
Africa remains a continent severely affected by anti -personnel mines. Twenty-two sub-Saharan African countries suffer the consequences of anti -personnel mine contamination. It is encouraging that all but two of these affected States are now parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti –personnel Mines. African states were one of the driving forces behind the development and successful conclusion of the Convention.
 

  pdf file 
  Americas: Overview and Country Profile 
(PDF file/117 kb)  
Several countries in Latin America are mine-affected due to past or on-going armed conflicts.Today anti-personnel mines affect some 9 countries in the region, nearly all of them States party to the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-personnel Mines. Colombia and Nicaragua are among the most heavily mine-affected countries in the region. In January 2003,Costa Rica was the first mine-affected State party to the Convention to declare that it had fulfilled its clearance by the end of 2004.
 

  pdf file 
  Asia: Overview and Country Profile 
(PDF file/232 kb)  
Anti -personnel mines have been used in many Asian armed conflicts. Today, some 15 countries in the region are affected by anti -personnel mines.
 

  pdf file 
  “Hungry people can’t afford to be afraid.” 
(PDF file/445 kb)  
Angola, 2004 - In the village of Bairro Fatima the early morning sunlight beat s down on four farmers intently working in the fields. No one speaks. A couple of hundred meters away, behind barriers of red and white sticks and mine warning signs, 20 deminers are crouched on their knees, focusing on t he soil with the same intense concentration as the farmers.
 

  pdf file 
  Enabling loans for the disabled,  
(PDF file/212 kb)  
Afghanistan, 2004 - With the onset of summer,31-year -old Mohammad Rahim’s ice creams sell in the twinkling of an eye. Made from a bowl of crushed ice topped with a thick, sweet, dark-brown syrup, they cost a mere one Afghani (two US cents ) each – a price that even the neighbourhood children can afford.
 

  pdf file 
  Eight hours and forty-five minutes waiting for treatment. 
(PDF file/186 kb)  
Colombia, 2004 - I was happy living in my house in the countryside. I j us t wanted to go on growing bananas and maize and ferrying people and goods up and down t he river in my boat. But that’s all in the past .I live a different life now.
 

  pdf file 
  Fields of death turned to sites of prosperity. 
(PDF file/338 kb)  
Jordan, 2004 - The view from t he hills over looking t he Jordan Valley is spectacular. However, not too long ago people could not enter the valley without risking life or limb. The lush green fields on either side of t he river that winds through it used t o be mined. Most of these “fields of death ” have now been transformed into sites of prosperity.
 

  pdf file 
  “You Survived the War, Now Survive the Peace.” 
(PDF file/1085 kb)  
Bosnia & Herzegovina, 2004 - The teams of 12 to 14 year-olds were lined up for one of the final events at this Bosnia &Herzegovina national competition. One by one, the teams claimed as pot behind the yellow tape that surrounded a large patch of grass, their eyes intensely fixed on the ground. At the signal of the judges, the youth began shouting out what they saw concealed among the patches of grass and flowers.
 

  pdf file 
  “I only pray that nothing happens to the children.” 
(PDF file/584 kb)  
Bosnia & Herzegovina, 2004 - The war in Bosnia &Herzegovina ended nine years ago, yet some people are still not free from fear. Mines and explosive remnant s of war remain hidden throughout the old conflict zone. Their threat has become a part of the every day reality of the people who live here.
 

  pdf file 
  “Higher and higher risks just to survive.” 
(PDF file/638 kb)  
Cambodia, 2004 - The people of Cambodia understand only too well the devastation wreaked by anti-personnel mines. Along the border with Thailand, west of Pailin city, not a week goes by without another person falling victim to these hidden menaces .Each incident is a stark r eminder that almost a decade after the last mine was laid, daily life in Cambodia remains fraught with danger.