OTTAWA – Today marks the 10th anniversary of an international treaty signed in Ottawa that bans anti-personnel landmines.
In the past decade, millions of landmines have been rendered harmless, about 38 countries have stopped making them and countless lives have been saved.
Former Liberal foreign affairs minister Lloyd Axworthy, who was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his instrumental role in the treaty, told the Star it is an anniversary that should be celebrated around the world.
“A number of lives have been saved, there has been a substantial drop in the fatality rate. There has been a virtual cessation in trade amongst mines, they have cleaned off 41 million to 42 million mines, (and) stockpiles are down,†Axworthy noted. “There are only two or three countries that actually manufacture them and only two that use them, Burma and Russia.â€
Axworthy, who will be in Ottawa for the celebration, said the situation is a far cry from what it was.
“Compared to where we were 10 years ago, I think there were more than 30 countries manufacturing and the fatality rate was around 60,000 a year and now it’s down to about 10,000 a year,†said Axworthy, who is president of the University of Winnipeg.
The treaty was also seen as sea change for diplomacy that would later be applied to proliferation of small arms and the use of child soldiers.
“It was a partnership between some like-minded governments: ourselves, Norwegians and Austrians, Swiss and South Africans. It was a partnership aimed at re-establishing standards of humanitarian law and it led to a number of follow-up models based on the Ottawa process,†Axworthy said.
“Not only did it have a direct result saving lives, it also provides an alternative way to managing international affairs compared to the flex your muscles, might makes right, policy at the end of a gun (way of doing things).â€
In 1997, 121 countries signed the total ban on anti-personnel mines in Ottawa. Since then, 155 countries have signed on.
The global landmine crisis is one of the most pervasive problems facing the world today, with landmines continuing to kill thousands of civilians each year, according to the Canadian Landmine Foundation. It estimates there are still between 45 and 50 million landmines in the ground in at least 70 countries.
Fifty-four countries have produced more than 340 models of antipersonnel landmines. Each costs as little as $3 to make, but between $300 and $1,000 to locate and destroy.
The late Princess of Wales is also remembered for her campaign for banning landmines.
Axworthy lamented that the current Conservative government has dulled Canada’s zeal for eradicating landmines and emphasized that while it is fair to mark the 10th anniversary, there is still lot to do.
“One concern that I really have is that several governments, including ours, are losing their commitment to the treaty,†he said. “There are about 30 countries outside the treaty. I’d like to see the whole thing done in another 10 years where there is no more landmines,†he said.
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