Mine Ban Treaty Celebrates Fourteenth Anniversary: U.S. Will Soon Conclude Landmine Policy Review

    March 1 marks the fourteenth anniversary of the entry into force of the Mine Ban Treaty, and campaigners from around the world continue to call on the United States to announce the conclusion of its landmine policy review. The Obama administration initiated a review of U.S. landmine policy in late 2009 in response to the outcry of the global community. At the Mine Ban Treaty’s December 2012 Meeting of States Parties, the United States observer delegation stated that the U.S. will be announcing the outcome of its three year review of its landmine policy “soon.” Hopes are high that the United States will embrace the Mine Ban Treaty and announce concrete plans for a comprehensive ban on antipersonnel mines. The administration should take steps now to begin destruction of landmine stockpiles and guarantee that the U.S. will never again use this weapon that has been condemned by the vast majority of the world’s nations, including every other NATO member. Click here to read the press release.

    U.S. Delegation Makes Anticipated Statement at December 2012 Mine Ban Treaty Conference

    In its December 6th statement at the Twelfth Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty, the United States observer delegation said, “We have not made a decision on United States accession to the Convention. Our review has identified operational issues related to accession that require careful consideration. This consideration is ongoing, and we expect to be able to announce a decision soon.” In response, the USCBL held a briefing to discuss the statement and the status of the review in which the head of the U.S. delegation indicated that “soon” meant—at the least—that an announcement of the decision of the review would take place no later than the next Meeting of States Parties in November 2013. Civil society campaigners at the conference recognized that this was the first time the administration has indicated publicly that the review is nearing conclusion, but were disappointed that there was no mention of an actual end date for the review; information about the current stage of the process; or what “operational issues” had been identified—and what strategy was being implemented to overcome them. Click here to read more about the statement.

    Tell President Obama to Announce the Conclusion of the U.S. Landmine Policy Review!

    President Barack Obama announced in December 2009 that the administration had initiated a comprehensive review of its U.S. landmine policy. However, the U.S. has still not announced the outcome of this review process. U.S. citizens, landmine survivors and campaigners from every corner of the globe have been calling on the U.S. to join the treaty for the last fifteen years. The world has waited long enough. We need your help to ensure that the outcome of the review process is announced and that the treaty is submitted by the administration to the Senate for consent now. Please use our CapWiz tool to write your own letter to the administration to tell the U.S. that it’s time to join the Mine Ban Treaty and to ban the use of this barbaric weapon once and for all! Join the call to action now!