Suchergebnisse

In 2016, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and the Cluster Munition Coalition (ICBL-CMC) played a vital role in universalizing and promoting the implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty and the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Progress was achieved through systematic and clear articulation of state-by-state challenges and advocacy at the national and international levels, and through regular support to campaigns members by staff. With a strong focus on reinforcing the stigma associated with the use of antipersonnel landmines or cluster munitions, the ICBL-CMC tracked the useof these weapons, providing the evidence needed to support an international outcry against instances of use. Based on the evidence collected by ICBL-CMC members, success was achieved in restricting the types of cluster munitions used by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen –first through the suspension of cluster munitions transfers from the United States and later through pressure by the UK government on Saudi Arabia to prevent the use of UK-made cluster bombs. This work also contributed to the decision by Textron, the world's largest cluster munition producer, to stop producing this weapon, thus ending all cluster munition production in the United States. The CMC also contributed to the further universalization of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, playing an instrumental role in adding two new States Parties--Cuba and Palau--and in advancing the ratification or accession process in several other countries. Through ongoing clearance, stockpile destruction and programs to address the needs of landmine and cluster munition victims, steady progress was made in 2016 in eliminating the impact of these weapons. However, this progress occurred despite a challenging global context of armed conflict and insecurity. Comprehensive monitoring and reporting carried out by the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor alerted the international community to the increased use of improvised landmines by non-state armed groups and the rise in annual casualties from landmines and explosive remnants of war, largely stemming from protracted and acute conflict, and helped to sustain and rally international support to tackle these challenges with a renewed focus.

These principles are based on Article 6 of the Mine Ban Treaty and Articles 5 and 6 of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, the Oslo Action Plan and the Lausanne Action Plan,2 the International Mine Action Standards on Victim Assistance, as well as previous ones and other existing legal obligations and political commitments of States Parties under relevant International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law, foremost the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). They are guided by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and rely on outcomes of the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS), including principles of localisation and equitable engagement in humanitarian response. These guiding principles recognize the vital role played by national and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including survivors networks, that resulted in the Grand Bargain Commitment made by donors to victim assistance to support National and Local Responders as well as the Charter on inclusion of persons with disabilities in humanitarian action and its related guidelines.

The movement to end the suffering caused by cluster munitions succeeded not only in establishing a legal ban in the form of the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), but also in decisively reshaping the global perception of these weapons. Over the past decade, the awareness-raising and political mobilization surrounding cluster munitions have led to an understanding among states that any use would be associated with unnecessary human suffering and would most certainly provoke considerable international criticism. In other words, the political movement and legal ban have created a powerful stigma associated with the use of cluster munitions, a stigma that is now strong enough to dissuade most stockpilers from using or transferring the weapon, even those that are not part of the Convention. This paper lays out the reactions, both by the international community and the user itself, to the relatively few incidents of known or suspected use in the past several years.

The Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) was established to put an end for all time to the suffering and casualties caused by cluster munitions. It is the most significant humanitarian disarmament treaty of the past decade, with far-reaching obligations. It is adhered to by more than half the world. Its entry into force was triggered by 30 ratifications, which were achieved in a very short period of time – just 14 months. So far the Convention has made great progress, with 97% of States Parties' stockpiles destroyed, and a notable increase in the clearance of cluster munition-affected land and assistance provided to cluster munition victims. The Convention's ultimate success will depend, however, on states' wide acceptance of it as a legal standard and global norm. The CMC believes that every country in the world can and should join the CCM. It is a question of political will and placing a priority on the protection of civilians over outdated and indiscriminate weapons. This paper describes why it is urgent for all countries to join the Convention, beginning with those that have used, produced, or stockpiled the weapon and those affected by cluster munitions, and then looking at those states that do not fall into these categories. It also presents the steps states need to take to ratify or accede.

Preliminary Material /Frank Faulkner -- Emergence of a New Superpower Polity /Frank Faulkner -- Landmines, Theory, and Security: An International Relations Perspective /Frank Faulkner -- Grass Roots Politics: Regime Theory and Moral Entrepreneurism /Frank Faulkner -- Mine Warfare: Evolution of a Military Force Multiplier /Frank Faulkner -- Victims, Volatility, and Violence: The Moral Rationale for a Complete Ban /Frank Faulkner -- Progress and Passion: The Rise of the ICBL /Frank Faulkner -- Legal Authority and Ethical Platforms: The Ottawa Treaty Comes to Fruition /Frank Faulkner -- Empirical Analyses: Fieldwork Data Gathering and Interpretation /Frank Faulkner -- Concluding Remarks: Progress or Retrogression and Possible Futures /Frank Faulkner -- BIBLIOGRAPHY /Frank Faulkner -- INDEX /Frank Faulkner.

Selected statements and documents from Norwegian, Swedish, UN, and US sources on the Sept. 1997 diplomatic conference on landmines, held in Oslo, Norway, and the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize award to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL).

Selected official statements from Canadian sources. Includes remarks to the Mine Action Forum by Nobel Laureate Jody Williams, coordinator of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) and Canadian and US officials.