Landmine Monitor Report 2005: Toward a Mine-Free World.

Landmine Monitor Report 2005: Toward a Mine-Free World, by International Campaign to Ban Landmines, publ. by Mines Action Canada, Ottawa, 2005, ISBN 0-9738955-0-0, 1,081 pages, paperback. The complete report can be found online at http://www.icbl.org/ Im/2005/findings.html. Residents of Canada can order a bound version of the report by contacting Mines Action Canada, 1 Nicholas St., Suite 1502, Ottawa, ON K1N 7B7, Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail].

Landmine Monitor Report 2005, the seventh annual report, contains information on 112 countries and areas with respect to landmine ban policy, use, production, transfer, stockpiling, mine action funding, mine clearance, mine risk education, landmine casualties, and survivor assistance. While Landmine Monitor reports issued between 1999 and 2004 reported on every country in the world, Landmine Monitor Report 2005 focuses on mine-affected countries, States Parties with continued treaty implementation obligations, and non-States Parties. Information on mine action donor countries is included in a funding overview. Appendices with information from key players in mine action, such as UN agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross, are also included.

Landmine Monitor Report 2005 reports in detail on progress and challenges remaining in over 100 countries, including all the most mine-affected countries and those with substantial stockpiles of antipersonnel mines, and the dwindling minority of states that have not yet joined the Mine Ban Treaty.

As of 30 September 2005, 147 countries were States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty, and another seven had signed but not yet ratified, constituting well over three-quarters of the world's countries. Since the last Landmine Monitor report, four countries have joined the treaty: Ethiopia, in which there has been substantial use of antipersonnel mines in the recent past, Bhutan, Latvia, and Vanuatu.

In this reporting period, at least three governments continued using antipersonnel mines: Myanmar (Burma), Nepal and Russia. There is also evidence that Georgia used antipersonnel mines in 2004, although the government denies it. Opposition groups are reported to have used antipersonnel mines in at least 13 countries.

In 2004, well over 135 square kilometers of mine-affected land were cleared in 37 countries and areas. In addition, more than 170 square kilometers affected by unexploded ordnance were cleared through battle area clearance. Afghanistan cleared the largest amount of mined land (33.3 square kilometers), followed by Cambodia (32 square kilometers). More than five square kilometers of mined land were also cleared in 2004 in Angola, Croatia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Mozambique, and Poland.

Twenty-four States Parties have been identified as having significant numbers of mine survivors. It has been acknowledged that all States have a responsibility to assist mine survivors. International mine action funding totaled US$399-million in 2004. The top four donors were the United States, the European Commission, Japan, and Norway.

In January 2005, Mines Action Canada (MAC) assumed new responsibilities as the lead agency and global coordinator for the Landmine Monitor, a task previously undertaken by Human Rights Watch. MAC is responsible for implementing all decisions taken by the Editorial Board and for coordinating the production and dissemination of the annual report and other related research products.

By assuming the role of Lead Agency, MAC has significantly increased its international profile in the landmine ban movement. Project Ploughshares is a member of MAC.