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Working for a world free of landmines and cluster munitions                                    View this email in your browser

30 April, 2014                                                                                       

News from the International Campaign to Ban Landmines - Cluster Munition Coalition                                                                              
 

The latest news from ICBL-CMC includes updates from the Intersessional meetings of the Convention on Cluster Munitions and the Mine Ban Treaty, and from the Second Preparatory Meeting for the Third Review Conference – three meetings that took place 7-11 April 2014 in Geneva, Switzerland.  Also included is a visit by the Zambian Presidency of the Convention on Cluster Munitions to Laos – the most cluster contaminated country on earth - and a sample of ICBL-CMC actions around International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.

Mine Ban Treaty Intersessional Standing Committees Meeting 2014 and Second Preparatory Meeting for the Third Review Conference
The meeting of Intersessional Standing Committees of the Mine Ban Treaty and the Second Preparatory Meeting for the Third Review Conference took place 9-11 April 2014 in Geneva, Switzerland. The next time that governments, the ICBL and international organizations gather will be at the Mine Ban Treaty’s Third Review Conference, 23-27 June 2014, in Maputo, Mozambique.

Convention on Cluster Munitions Intersessional Meeting 2014
The Convention on Cluster Munitions Intersessional Meeting took place 7-9 April in Geneva Switzerland, against the backdrop of ongoing cluster munitions use in Syria by government forces resulting in mounting casualties. Read CMC’s summary for highlights from the meeting. Further information, including CMC statements, can be found on the Intersessional Meeting webpage.

ICBL Members call for mine free world on International Day of Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action
On 4 April, International Day of Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, ICBL members around the world kicked off actions calling on governments to complete their obligations under the Mine Ban Treaty and finish the work remaining to achieve a mine free world.

Allegations of Russian Use of Landmines in Ukraine: ICBL Update
The ICBL calls on Russia and Ukraine, as well as States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty, to make further efforts to clarify the situation, in order to make a definitive determination about whether antipersonnel mines have been used.

As of now, there has not yet been confirmation of use of antipersonnel mines in Crimea, while indicators point more toward use of antivehicle mines. Ukraine has accused Russian forces of laying antipersonnel mines, but has not been able to identify the types or provide photographic or other tangible evidence. Russia has denied use of antipersonnel mines, indicating only 

Zambian President of the Convention on Cluster Munitions visits most heavily affected country Laos
In his capacity as President of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, Zambian Minister Hon. Wylbur C. Simuusa paid a visit to Laos. Laos is the country most heavily contaminated by cluster munition remnants, left over from bombings during the Indochina War of the 1960s and 1970s. During this period the United States dropped over 2 million tons of ordnance over Laos in 580,000 bombing missions.

When the ground isn’t safe – playing football in the shadow of cluster bombs
On International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, the Cluster Munition Coalition in London, in collaboration with filmmaker Gareth Carter and the Swedish Embassy, screened the film On Safer Ground. The film shows the journey that Mini, a Laotian football-mad teenager, and his team members make to compete in the Gothia cup in Sweden and the power of sport to overcome the challenges faced by the legacy of war in Laos. Read more on Mini’s story.

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