On 30 July 2012, Pham Quy Thi, a cluster bomb survivor from Vietnam, visited the Mine Action Visitor Center (MAVC) on the occasion of the second anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention on Cluster Munitions. At MAVC, Thi met with visitors and briefed them about the CCM and the unacceptable harm caused by this indiscriminate weapon as well as explained his role as a Ban Advocate.
Two...
Campaigners from Tajikistan, including Ban Advocates, are celebrating second anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) by urging the government to join the global cluster bomb ban.
Vientiane, Lao PDR, 1st August 2012. As in former years, the National Regulatory Authority for UXO/Mine Sector(UXO-NRA) organized and coordinated a celebration for the Entry into Force of the CCM in Vientiane.
The Oslo Convention on Cluster Munitions entered into force on 1 August 2010. It bans the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of these devastating weapons. It also includes innovative articles on victim assistance (98% of recorded victims are civilians). Two years on, 75 States are party to this convention and 111 have signed it. Over half of stockpiles of cluster munitions have been...
The Serbian documentary film of the Media Research Center "13 years after where are we today" won Honorable Mentions of the Jury of 18th International Festival of Local Televisions "Golden Beggar Košice 2012" in Kosice, Slovakia.
Violaine Fourile is Handicap International’s head of mission in Laos, the country most polluted by cluster munitions in the world. Handicap International has worked in Laos since 1996 clearing dangerous areas and educating the population about the risk of mines and explosive remnants of war.
After studying law and social anthropology, Stéphanie soon developed an interest in education, non-discrimination and equality issues. Following a four-year stint as the manager of education research projects in Burkina Faso, in conjunction with stakeholders and beneficiaries in the sector, she worked on several local development projects in France before deciding, in May 2010, to join the...
Handicap International's team in Casamance, Senegal knows the country's southern soils intimately. These 23 individuals spend plenty of time on their knees, inspecting the region's abandoned paths, fields and orchards. The soil we work in is much richer than other areas of the Sahel, perfect for planting or for nourishing grazing animals. Casamance is even considered to be the barn of...
On Wednesday 11 July, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a brief stop in Laos on her Asia tour. At an artificial limb center, Mrs. Clinton was introduced to Phongsavath Manithong, a 20 year old cluster munitions survivor and member of the Lao Ban Advocates, who told her how he lost his hands and eye sight in a ‘bombie’ explosion. The United States has not signed the Convention...
On Wednesday 11 July, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a brief stop in Laos on her Asia tour. At an artificial limb center, Mrs. Clinton was introduced to Phongsavath Manithong, a 20 year old cluster munitions survivor and member of the Lao Ban Advocates, who told her how he lost his hands and eye sight in a ‘bombie’ explosion. The United States has not signed the Convention...