As the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action is held on April 4, the U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines calls on the U.S. to “match its financial commitment to clearing landmines with a political commitment to ensure it never uses these indiscriminate weapons again.” It requests that the Obama Administration conclude the review of U.S. policy on banning landmines with a decision to join the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty.
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) has launched a series of floor statements to urge the U.S. to join the international treaty without delay.
In a letter to President Obama, U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines chair Human Rights Watch urged that the policy review conclude now so that the U.S. can announce the results at the Mine Ban Treaty’s Third Review Conference in Maputo, Mozambique on June 23.
Events to commemorate 2014 Mine Action Day are taking place in New York, Washington DC, San Francisco, and in countries around the world.
