ICBL Campaigners in 60 Countries Call on the U.S. to join the Mine Ban Treaty!

"A mine took both my legs and cut my dreams short when I was a teenager. Now I have to use a wheelchair ‘to walk’. My country went through a long civil war that left dozens of thousands of people dead and injured, many by mines. I am happy that my country has joined the Mine Ban Treaty. But we want all Americas and all the world to be free of landmines. And this is why we want the U.S. to join the treaty now. The U.S. has many times proven its leadership and support to humanitarian causes and now is the time it can and should prove it again. Using mines for defense purposes is not effective and causes only pain and poverty. We do not want these anymore!" Jesus Martinez, Red de Sobrevivientes, El Salvador.

Starting on 1 March 2011, which marked the 12th anniversary of the entry into force of the Mine Ban Treaty, ICBL campaigners have been contacting U.S. embassies in 60 countries/areas around the world to request meetings to talk about the ongoing U.S. policy review on landmines and to urge the U.S. Administration to join the Mine Ban Treaty without delay.The ICBL's global action on the United States complements ongoing domestic advocacy efforts of the United States Campaign to Ban Landmines.

Meetings already held or scheduled at U.S. embassies: Australia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, Cambodia, Colombia, Denmark, El Salvador, France, Georgia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Kosovo, Mozambique, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Peru, Serbia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, Uganda, United Kingdom, Vietnam.

Meetings requested with U.S. embassies or U.S. Administration: Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, Burundi, Canada, Chile, D.R. Congo, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Fiji, India, Iraq, Italy, Mali, Mexico, Nepal, Norway, Pakistan, Russia, Senegal, Somalia, Switzerland (Geneva), Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, U.S., and Zambia.

What you can do: Tell President Obama to ban landmines (Human Rights Watch's online action). Tell the U.S. Administration to join the Mine Ban Treaty (USCBL's online action). Show your support on Facebook and Twitter.