MAG heads to Geneva for Mine Ban Treaty meeting

1. The extensive use of locally produced landmines in Iraq and Syria

Families are in urgent need of help as they try to return home to villages littered with landmines in Iraq and Syria. It is a race against time. MAG has found landmines in Iraq which are powerful enough to cripple a tank and yet sensitive enough to be triggered by a child’s footstep.

The complexity of the conflict does not make a humanitarian response straightforward. There is no sign of an end to the fighting, but the need of these families is immediate and we have to respond quickly and safely.

2. Angola’s minefields must be cleared and not forgotten

Angola is an iconic country of this treaty. When Princess Diana walked through Angola’s minefields, it captured the conscience of states, civil society and the public. This helped inspire the final push to achieve the ground breaking Mine Ban Treaty. And yet, if international support does not increase for Angola, it will leave generations that have never known conflict trapped in fear and poverty.

There is still time for states and individuals to make sure that Angola’s minefields are cleared and not forgotten. We are calling on them to make that choice and make 2017 a historic year towards achieving a #LandmineFree2025.

3. #LandmineFree2025

This was a pivotal meeting on the road to a Landmine Free 2025. Families have lived in fear of indiscriminate, brutal landmines for far too long. Enough is enough, we have to destroy landmines before they destroy any more lives.

Together we can create a landmine free future where no one is killed or injured by landmines and children can grow up free from fear. We can create a #LandmineFree2025.

Download and read MAG`s Statement read by Chief Executive, Jane Cocking