Landmine Monitor Report 2002: Toward A Mine-Free World. (Book Notice).

Landmine Monitor Report 2002: Toward A Mine-Free World, an initiative of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, published by Human Rights Watch, 2002, ISBN 1-56432-277-7, 923 pp. For information on how to acquire a copy in Canada, contact Mines Action Canada, email [e-mail], telephone [phone].

Landmine Monitor Report 2002 addresses these questions:

* Who is still using antipersonnel mines?

* Do production and trade of antipersonnel mines continue?

* Where are the largest stockpiles of antipersonnel mines found?

* Who is destroying their stockpiled mines and how?

* Where do uncleared mines still continue to pose a threat?

* What action is being taken to remove and destroy these mines?

* How many mine casualties still occur? Where?

* What measures have been taken to assist the mine survivors?

Focusing on a reporting period from May 2001 to mid-2002, Landmine Monitor Report 2002: Toward a Mine-Free World is the most comprehensive report available on the global landmine situation, containing information on every country in the world. It monitors implementation of and compliance with the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, and more generally assesses the efforts of the international community to resolve the landmines problem. It also provides a basis for evaluating progress in the five years since the Mine Ban Treaty was negotiated in Oslo in September 1997 and initially signed in Ottawa in December 1997.

The Mine Ban Treaty and the ban movement are making great strides in eradicating antipersonnel landmines. This progress is shown by:

* Widespread international rejection of any use or possession of antipersonnel mines. A total of 125 countries are States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty, and another 18 have signed but not yet ratified.

* Cessation of mine use in key countries. Since May 2001, nine governments have used antipersonnel mines. This compares to use by at least 13 governments in the previous reporting period.

* Dramatic reductions in antipersonnel mine stockpiles. More than 34 million antipersonnel mines have been destroyed by 61 states, including some 7 million in this reporting period.

* Fewer new mine victims. The estimated number of new landmine and unexploded ordnance casualties is now between 15,000 and 20,000 per year. This represents a significant reduction in the longstanding and commonly cited estimate of 26,000 new casualties each year.

* Expanding mine action programs. Mine action funding has totalled over $1.4 billion in the past decade, including some $700 million the pat three years. In recent years, there have been expanding programs for mine clearance, mine risk education, and mine survivor assistance, as well as a major initiative to carry out Landmine Impact Surveys.

* Decreased production and trade. The number of antipersonnel mine-producing countries has dropped from 55 to 14.

Key concerns that emerge from Landmine Monitor Report 2002 include:

* Massive new mine-laying operations by India and Pakistan. Since late December 2001, both countries have placed large numbers of antipersonnel mines along their common border.

* Stagnating funding for global mine action.

A total of 115 Landmine Monitor researchers in 90 countries systematically collected and analyzed information from a wide variety of sources for this report. The book also includes appendices with reports from major actors in the mine ban movement, such as UN agencies, regional organizations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Survey Action Center, and the Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining.

The Landmine Monitor initiative is coordinated by a Core Group of five ICBL organizations: Human Rights Watch, Handicap International Belgium, Kenya Coalition Against Landmines, Mines Action Canada (of which Project Ploughshares is a member), and Norwegian People's Aid.