Takoma Park, Maryland — On March 1 1999, the Ottawa Treaty banning the production, use, storage and trade of antipersonnel landmines entered into force. For the first time in history, a conventional weapon was banned by 122 States. Central to this victory was a coalition of six NGOs, including Handicap International.

Fifteen years later, we count 161 States Parties to the Treaty, representing a major step forward: there has been a fivefold reduction in the annual number of reported victims, more than 4,000 sq.km. of land has been demined, and 70 million mines stored by States have been destroyed.

This anniversary provides a reminder of the need to continue campaigning, particularly to put pressure on States that have not yet signed the treaty, including the United States, or those, like Syria, which still use these weapons.

Outraged by the use of anti-personnel mines, Handicap International joined forces with five other NGOs to form the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) in 1992. On December 3, 1997, the campaign led to the signing of the international treaty banning the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of these weapons. It was the first time in the history of disarmament that a civil society campaign had led to a ban on a conventional weapon. On December 10, of the same year, the member organizations of the ICBL were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

“The treaty is considered to be one of the most effective instruments of international humanitarian law,” explains Dr. Jean-Baptiste Richardier, executive director and co-founder of Handicap International. “Our determination has been largely successful. It has enabled us to earn the legitimacy we need to combat all uses of these weapons, even by States who refuse to sign the treaty.”

The Mine Ban Convention has 161 States Parties, with 33 countries still refusing to sign it. These countries include three of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council: the U.S., China and Russia.

The ban on anti-personnel mines has almost eliminated the use of these weapons in the field, and led to a fivefold reduction in the number of victims reported between 1999 and 2013. More than 4,000 sq.km. of land has been demined and 70 million mines stored by States have been destroyed. Following the implementation of this treaty, 27 States have completed the decontamination of their territory.

Handicap International is one of most active and comprehensive international humanitarian organizations in implementing the treaty in mined countries. Currently, Handicap International teams are conducting or providing support to anti-mine actions—demining, risk education, victim assistance, etc.—in 37 countries.

Unfortunately, these advances have been undermined by the renewed use of anti-personnel mines, such as in Syria within the last two years. Minefields in 71 countries and territories continue to kill and maim. Every two hours, a new victim of these weapons is reported somewhere in the world, 78% of these victims are civilians, and almost half are children.

Handicap International is keen to ensure that pressure continues to be brought on States that have yet to sign the treaty, such as the U.S.

The U.S. position contrasts with its otherwise exemplary behavior. The U.S. is the leading funder of anti-mine action, having donated $2 billion since 1993 to reduce the threat posed by these weapons and other explosive remnants of war. The U.S. has not used anti-personnel mines since 1991, has not produced any since 1997, and ended exports of these weapons in 1992.

“The fact that the United States is not yet a State Party to the Ottawa Treaty doesn’t make any sense,” says Marion Libertucci, Handicap International’s advocacy manager. “They must send out a strong signal that this norm is essential and lead by example. We’re concerned that major powers, like China and Russia, are hiding behind this failure to act on the part of the United States in order not to sign the treaty.”

President Barack Obama launched a landmine policy review in 2009, to determine if the country should join the Mine Ban Treaty. Since then, NGOs involved in this campaign, such as Handicap International, have been waiting impatiently for the results. The upcoming Third Review Conference of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, which will be held in Maputo, Mozambique, in June 2014, should encourage the U.S. to make a firm commitment to joining the treaty without delay.

Photo: Cluster munition victim in Libya

Takoma Park, MD—Syria was the only country to use cluster munitions in 2012 and 2013, according to the Cluster Munition Monitor 2013, which was unveiled in Geneva today. An annual review of compliance with the Oslo Convention, which bans the use, production, transfer, and stockpiling of cluster munitions worldwide,[1] the report reveals that close to 90% of reported victims of cluster munitions in 2012 were killed or maimed in Syria. This violence blighted the otherwise highly positive achievements made by States Parties to the Oslo Convention in 2012.

The Cluster Munition Monitor 2013 noted that Syria deployed cluster munitions on at least four occasions: July and October 2012 and January and March 2013. A total of 165 Syrian cluster munition victims were recorded in 2012, accounting for 90% of cluster munition victims worldwide. Handicap International strongly condemns the use of these barbarous weapons.

“Cluster munitions were used in Syria in areas with a high population density,” says Marion Libertucci, Handicap International’s weapons advocacy manager. “On March 1, 2013, they were used in a residential neighborhood at 11:30 a.m., when children were playing outside in gardens. The attack exacted a heavy toll: at least 19 people were killed and 60 were injured. The unexploded cluster munitions will continue to pose a lethal threat to civilian lives for years to come.”

More than 110 countries condemned Syria’s use of cluster munitions, including dozens of non-States Parties, such as the U.S. “The international outcry against the use of these weapons underlines the fact that the Oslo Convention is now an indisputable international norm, even if the country using them has not ratified the Convention, as is the case with Syria,” says Libertucci.

Handicap International has been working with the victims of the Syria conflict in Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria since June 2012. To prepare refugees for their eventual return to Syria, Handicap International has also taught refugees how to identify and avoid explosives and other weapons they might encounter.

“When the conflict finally ends, there can be no doubt that Syrians will face the same fate as Libyans and Iraqis, among others, who still live with the risk of being killed or injured by cluster munitions that failed to detonate on impact,” says Elizabeth MacNairn, Executive Director of Handicap International U.S. “As our experience clearing weapons in other countries has shown us, it will take years or decades before Syrians will be safe from this threat.”

In a separate statement on August 28, Handicap International urged the U.S. government to keep the protection of civilians in sharp focus and to avoid any use of cluster munitions. Reports suggest the U.S. Navy could use Tomahawk missiles to strike Syrian targets, missiles which can be fit with the deadly BLU-97 cluster munition.

The use of cluster munitions by Syria has unfortunately marred an otherwise fairly positive report on the application of the Oslo Convention:

• More than 27 million cluster munitions stockpiled by States Parties were destroyed in 2012. Since the signing of the Oslo Convention, more than 120 million cluster munitions, some 70% of stockpiles held by States Parties, have been destroyed.
• 42 countries and territories are still contaminated by these weapons, but weapons clearance is advancing at a rapid pace: 30 square miles of land was cleared in 2012, a 40% increase compared to 2011.
• New States contaminated by these weapons, including Chad and Iraq, signed the Oslo Convention.
• Most victims now live in countries that are States Parties to the Convention, which means the countries are under an obligation to meet their needs.

These advances underline the importance of continuing our efforts against cluster munitions. This report comes days before the Fourth Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which will be held in Lusaka, Zambia, from September 9-13. A delegation from Handicap International will be present.

Download Cluster Munitions Factsheets: Word | PDF

About Handicap International
Co-winner of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize, Handicap International is an independent international aid organization. It has been working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster for 30 years. Working alongside persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, our actions and testimony focus on responding to their essential needs, improving their living conditions, and promoting respect for their dignity and basic rights. Since 1982, Handicap International has set up development programs in more than 60 countries and intervenes in numerous emergency situations. The network of eight national associations (Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States) works constantly to mobilize resources, jointly manage projects and to increase the impact of the organization's principles and actions. Handicap International is one of six founding organizations of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, and winner of the 2011 Hilton Humanitarian Prize. Handicap International takes action and campaigns in places where “standing tall” is no easy task.

Takoma Park, Maryland — With the U.S. and other nations planning military interventions in Syria, Handicap International stresses that the population must have access to humanitarian aid. The organization also calls on all parties to the conflict to respect the international ban on the use of cluster munitions or any other indiscriminate weapons.

The Syrian conflict has been marked by a severe lack of access to affected populations. The UN estimates that more than 100,000 people have been killed and 4.25 million people have been displaced from their homes in Syria. These statistics do not take account of all the victims, as humanitarian actors cannot gain full access into the country. Outside Syria, the UN has registered more than 1.9 million Syrian refugees, and estimates that one million children are among them.

“There has been no let up for the Syrian people, war is their day-to-day life, with no respite and no alternatives,” said Thierry-Mehdi Benlahsen, Regional Emergency Response Coordinator for Handicap International. “Our team and our partners, working with refugees in Lebanon and Jordan, as well as inside Syria itself, have witnessed the ordeals these families, who have no hope, are put through. The most vulnerable people—people with disabilities, elderly people, pregnant women—are the worst affected by the shortage of humanitarian aid.”

Even when attempting to flee, Syrians fall victim to the fighting. This was the case for Najah, a 16-year old Syrian girl hit in crossfire while trying to cross the border into Lebanon. Now a paraplegic, she is supported by Handicap International’s teams.

Handicap International has been working with the victims of the Syria conflict in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, since June 2012. It provides assistance to the most vulnerable populations, providing specific assistance such as physical therapy and psychological support, and ensuring they can access other humanitarian aid.

To prepare refugees for their eventual return to Syria, Handicap International has also conducted munitions risk education. Staff meet with refugees in camps and host communities to teach them about the dangers of the explosive weapons left over from conflict—how to identify them, and how to react if they encounter dangerous devices.

In a separate statement on August 28, Handicap International urged the U.S. government to keep the protection of civilians in sharp focus and to avoid any use of cluster munitions. Reports suggest the U.S. Navy could use Tomahawk missiles to strike Syrian targets, missiles which can be fit with the deadly BLU-97 cluster munition.

About Handicap International

Handicap International is an independent international aid organization which has been working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster for over 30 years. Working alongside people with disabilities and vulnerable populations, we take action and raise awareness in order to respond to their essential needs, improve their living conditions and promote respect for their dignity and fundamental rights. Since its beginnings in 1982, Handicap International has gone on to work in more than 60 countries worldwide and has worked in numerous emergency situations. There are 8 national associations in the Handicap International network (Germany, Belgium, Canada, USA, France, Luxembourg, UK and Switzerland) working constantly to raise funds, co-manage projects and promote the organization’s principles and actions. Handicap International was co-recipient of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize as a one of the six founding members of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBM) which led to the signing of the Mine Ban Treaty and winner of the Conrad N. Hilton prize in 2011. Handicap International works and tries to promote action wherever people struggle to “walk tall”.

Takoma Park, Maryland — As President Obama weighs the possibility of launching strikes on Syria following the Syrian government’s alleged use of chemical weapons, Handicap International urges the United States government to avoid any use of cluster munitions.

For more than three decades, Handicap International has witnessed and responded to the devastation wrought by cluster bombs. Designed to break open in mid-air, cluster bombs release hundreds of bomblets, or submunitions, over an area that can be as large as several football fields. When submunitions explode, they fire hundreds of fragments of metal that travel at the speed of a bullet. Not only are cluster munitions indiscriminate weapons that kill and maim innocent men, women, and children when deployed, but many submunitions fail to explode on impact and become de facto landmines that continue to pose a fatal threat to civilians decades after conflict has ended.

An August 27 New York Times article noted that any U.S. strikes “are expected to involve scores of Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from American destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean Sea…” Tomahawk missiles can carry different types of payloads—including cluster submunitions. One particular missile model type—which has been reportedly used by the U.S. in Afghanistan, Iraq, Serbia, Sudan, and as recently as 2009 in Yemen—can carry a payload of 166 BLU-97 cluster bomblets.

“Make no mistake: a BLU-97 cluster bomb is not a targeted weapon, and the submunitions that fail to detonate will haunt Syrians for years after the conflict ends,” said Elizabeth MacNairn, Executive Director of Handicap International-US. “Such unexploded bomblets, which look like toys to children and can tempt those searching for valuable scrap metal, will result in death and disabling injuries.”

The U.S. is not a States Party to the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions an international treaty signed by 112 countries banning the use, production, transfer, and stockpiling of cluster munitions. 

Handicap International is an impartial aid organization, and does not make comment on whether or not the U.S. should take military action. However, MacNairn noted that any use of cluster munitions would “put the very Syrians the U.S. is hoping to protect in serious danger.  A full recovery in Syria would be stalled until all unexploded bomblets could be cleared—a careful, dangerous process that would take years to complete.”

About Handicap International
Co-winner of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize, Handicap International is an independent international aid organization. It has been working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster for 31 years. Working alongside persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, our actions and testimony focus on responding to their essential needs, improving their living conditions, and promoting respect for their dignity and basic rights. Since 1982, Handicap International has set up development programs in more than 60 countries and intervenes in numerous emergency situations. The network of eight national associations (Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States) works constantly to mobilize resources, jointly manage projects and to increase the impact of the organization's principles and actions. Handicap International is one of six founding organizations of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, and winner of the 2011 Hilton Humanitarian Prize. Handicap International takes action and campaigns in places where “standing tall” is no easy task. Handicap International has been working with Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan since the summer of 2012. www.handicap-international.us

Bombs under the rubble — Study of awareness of explosive remnants of war among the populations of Gaza (2015)

This baseline assessment was undertaken by Humanity & Inclusion in October 2014 in Gaza.The focus was to collect baseline data related to the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding explosive remnants of war contamination in communities impacted by the recent conflict. View report here.

Victim Assistance in Cambodia—The Human Face of Survivors and their Needs for Assistance (2011)

This paper examines the lives of victims/survivors of landmines by tracking their historical background, the accident and their present conditions. A broader victim assistance and disability framework serves as the backdrop of analysis in this report. View report here

Knowledge, attitudes and practices for risk education: How to implement KAP surveys (2009)

This guide provides a systematic basis for the implementation of a KAP (knowledge, attitudes and practices) survey on landmines and explosive remnants of war. View report here

Recommendations for national action plans on victim assistance (2009)

Humanity & Inclusion recommendations to support stakeholders involved in creating and updating National Action Plans on Victim Assistance (2010-2014), in accordance with international humanitarian and human rights standards. View report here

Circle of impact: The fatal footprint of cluster munitions on people and communities (2007)

Ninety-eight percent of people killed or injured by cluster submunitions are civilians living in the aftermath of war. This Humanity & Inclusion report documents the impact of cluster munitions on the lives of people and communities in 25 countries and territories. View the report here.

Knowledge, attitudes, practices related to landmine and unexploded ordnance: North West zone, Somalia (2007)

This study evaluates the impact of the Mine Risk Education project implemented by Humanity & Inclusion in Somaliland, by gathering information on the evolution of the population’s knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding mine and unexploded ordnance safety and awareness. View report here

Recommendations for the victim assistance provisions in a treaty banning cluster munitions: A practitioners’ perspective (2007)

This document provides common recommendations for victim assistance provisions, which should be included in a future treaty to ensure that its implementation will respond to the needs and rights of cluster munition victims. View report here

What rights for mine victims? Reparation, compensation: From legal analysis to political perspectives (2005)

This study examines different areas of international law in order to compile the potential legal means which could be claimed by landmine victims, allowing for compensation. View report here

Acting Against Landmines: The Position of Handicap International (now known as Humanity & Inclusion) (2001)

Humanity & Inclusion helped to initiate and run an international movement aimed at the total prohibition of landmines: the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL). View report here

Towards Real Assistance to Landmine Victims: the Position of Handicap International (now known as Humanity & Inclusion) (2000)

By banning antipersonnel landmines, States Parties committed themselves to providing assistance to landmine victims. Despite the efforts first made and the declarations of intention, much remains to be done in the area of victim assistance. View report here

Iraq joins global cluster bomb ban.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Arms Trade Treaty today, with 154 Member States voting in favor.