The New Zealand Campaign Against Landmines (CALM) is calling on the Minister of Foreign Affairs to continue New Zealand’s strong support for the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. March 1, 2012, marks 13 years since the treaty banning antipersonnel landmines became binding international law. Continue Reading…

The New Zealand Campaign Against Landmines (CALM) welcomes the New Zealand government’s decision to provide US $1.05 million (NZD $1.3 million) to clear landmines in north-west Cambodia. New Zealand announced the funding contribution today in Phnom Penh during an annual meeting of state parties to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. Continue Reading…

The New Zealand Campaign Against Landmines (CALM) welcomes the government’s decision to contribute $2.8 million to mine clearance efforts in the West Bank of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. It is disappointed that at the same time a long-standing contribution of New Zealand defence personnel to the United Nations mine action headquarters in New York has been terminated. Continue Reading…

The New Zealand Campaign Against Landmines (CALM) is fundraising for Cambodian landmine survivors ahead of the Mine Ban Treaty’s annual meeting to be held in Phnom Penh in seven weeks time. Continue Reading…

The New Zealand Campaign Against Landmines (CALM) welcomes Tuvalu’s accession to the Mine Ban Treaty and calls on the United States to stop pressuring Pacific nations against joining the international treaty banning antipersonnel landmines. “Tuvalu has come through on its long-held promise to ban landmines,” said Mary Wareham, CALM Coordinator. Continue Reading…

The New Zealand launch of Landmine Monitor Report 2007 took place today (12 November) at Rangitoto College in Auckland. Landmine Monitor’s Pacific researcher, Mary Wareham of Oxfam NZ, handed the report over to David Hodge, principal of the high school, at the conclusion of a day of activities on landmines and cluster bombs. Rangitoto College hosted the launch to mark the conclusion of a school term that had seen all 640 of the school’s Year 10 (Form 4) students learn about mines as part of a national curriculum piece on social action that drew on Wareham’s “Disarm” documentary film and other resources relating to landmines.

National television network TV 3 covered the report launch. Sincere thanks to Peter Harwood of Rangitoto for putting together the day’s events as well as for preparing the teaching unit on landmines.

Phil Goff squeezing tomato sauce from the CALM fundraising sauce sachet on to his fish and chips at the 2006 Landmine monitor launch.

The New Zealand Launch was held at the Beehive in Parliament Buildings at 0600 hrs GMT on 13 September 2006. We took the opportunity not only to launch LM 2006 but also to launch an Appeal for funds for the British Mine Action Group who are now clearing landmines and unexploded cluster munitions in Lebanon.

Speeches

The CALM Convenor, David Zwartz welcomed guests and in his speech talked about the Report and confirmed that the information in this report was exhaustively checked and referenced and this provided an outstanding example of how an NGO can provide verification for an international treaty. He drew the Minister of Disarmament and Arms Control, Hon Phil Goff’s attention to the drop in Mine Action funding by the New Zealand Government quoting from the LM page 81 and asked the Minister for an assurance that this drop in funding will be corrected. Continue Reading…

Landmine Monitor Report 2006: Toward a Mine-Free World will be launched by the Minister for Disarmament, Hon Phil Goff, at Parliament today (13 September) to coincide with the international release of this year’s report on the global landmine situation and the implementation of the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty.

The treaty comprehensively prohibits use, production, and trade of antipersonnel landmines. It requires clearance of mined areas within 10 years and the destruction of stockpiled antipersonnel mines within four years.

Continue Reading…

Reports of deaths and injuries from unexploded cluster munitions used by Israel in the recent fighting in Lebanon underline the need for all governments to declare an immediate moratorium on the use of cluster munitions.

Early in the conflict, the New Zealand Campaign Against Landmines (CALM) alerted government ministers to the use of cluster munitions and urged them to call for use of the weapons to stop. CALM joined international calls for Israel to refrain from using cluster munitions due to the unacceptable risk to civilians both during and after attacks. Israel has refused to heed the calls.

Israeli cluster munitions killed and injured civilians during attacks, as Human Rights Watch reported in the village of Blida last month, and now people devastated by war are being killed and injured as they return to their homes only to find unexploded cluster submunitions littering their houses and their land.

Continue Reading…

A team of staff from Write Group Limited in Wellington recently chose to support a landmine survivors’ project based in Thailand. The project, which is managed by Handicap International, will assist people in the provinces of Sisaket and Ubonrachtani in the North Eastern region of Thailand. This region shares a border with Cambodia, so people living here face the ever-present danger of landmines laid during historical border disputes with the Khmer Rouge.

The team sent $1000 (New Zealand) to Handicap International to support self-help groups for landmine survivors and disabled children. The project has been running for about 18 months, but still needs more support to make sure they are well managed and able to operate independently. This on-going activity equips participants with vocational ideas and suggestions on how to improve accessibility in their living environment. A significant part of the project is community education aimed to reduce the stigma experienced by people injured by landmines. It is hoped this will improve the level of their acceptance, and increase their participation in the local community.

The Write Group team selected the project after their director decided to fund a company sponsorship programme. Staff teams selected for themselves a project or agency they could build an ongoing connection with during the year. The team said, ‘when there are so many projects to choose from it is important to know that our contribution will make a real and practical difference for the people we want to help. We have regular contact with the programme coordinator and there by with the people the project is funded to assist.’

Details of this project, and others managed by Handicap International in Thailand can be seen on http://www.handicap-international.or.th.