We call on all States Parties show greater transparency through timely and more detailed reporting. We do not believe it is sufficient for a state to claim compliance without providing additional details.

Niger’s armed forces and the rebel Nigerien Movement for Justice should end abuses against civilians in the conflict in the northern Agadez region of Niger. The rebels took up arms in February 2007 over the perceived economic marginalization of Tuaregs. The conflict threatens the livelihoods of tens of thousands in Niger’s vast northern desert areas.

It is unfortunate that so many important issues get lumped together under this “Transparency and Exchange of Information” agenda item—quite separate issues related to Articles 1, 2, 3, 7, and possibly other articles. It not only diminishes the importance of each issue, it discourages more extensive discussion of each topic. States Parties should consider some adjustment in this agenda item for future Meetings of States Parties, so that these articles and issues get their proper attention, especially Articles 1 and 2.

In this tenth anniversary year of the Mine Ban Treaty, it is appropriate to begin by reflecting back on the record of compliance. In 1997, as the Mine Ban Treaty was being developed and negotiated, opponents and skeptics often dismissed it as a “feel good” exercise and said it would be an unenforceable treaty, one without teeth that states were likely to ignore. Ten years later, the doubters have been proven wrong—at least thus far. The States Parties’ record for treaty implementation and compliance has been extremely impressive over the years, though not flawless. States Parties have successfully implemented and complied with the Mine Ban Treaty to a degree that few observers would have expected. It is a record that most any other multilateral treaty would envy.

By our count, 70 States Parties are retaining about 233,000 antipersonnel mines. That does not sound like a comprehensive ban on antipersonnel mines. While the treaty does of course allow retention of mines for training and development purposes, the fact is that nearly nine years after entry into force, surprisingly little is known about what many states are doing with all those antipersonnel mines. What we do know leads us to conclude that there appears to be widespread abuse of the exception in Article 3.

There is no question that stockpile destruction is one of the great success stories of the Mine Ban Treaty. We now count 147 States Parties that do not have stockpiles, including Palau who just announced its accession yesterday. A total of 81 States Parties have completed stockpile destruction, and another 66 have reported never possessing stocks. All together, States Parties have destroyed nearly 42 million stockpiled antipersonnel mines, including about 2.3 million in the past year.

The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) is here in full force in Jordan. More than 250 campaigners from more than 60 countries are participating this week, including 25 landmine survivors and 50 youth advocates. This is a strong sign of the ongoing commitment of civil society to the total eradication of antipersonnel mines and to ensuring that the rights and needs of affected individuals and communities are met. Ten years after the negotiation and signing of the Mine Ban Treaty, our determination to finish the job is unwavering.

Many states are not on course to meet their Mine Ban Treaty mine clearance obligations, according to Landmine Monitor Report 2007: Toward a Mine-Free World. The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) releases the 1,124-page report at the United Nations today. Landmine Monitor reports on the global landmine situation and scrutinizes the implementation of and compliance with the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. Landmine Monitor Report 2007 is the ninth annual edition of the report.