CIVIC is proud to join the Steering Committee of the U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines and the U.S. Cluster Munition Coalition (USCBL-USCMC), the U.S. arm of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines – Cluster Munition Coalition (ICBL-CMC).

Every year, thousands of civilians are killed and injured by explosive remnants of war, including from landmines and cluster munitions. Rather than taking steps to protect civilians from these indiscriminate weapons, the United States has in recent years enacted policies that put civilians at further risk. In November 2017, the Trump administration reversed a policy commitment to ending the use of unreliable cluster munitions despite the fact that these weapons killed and harmed thousands of civilians globally. Earlier this year, the administration reversed another standing policy that had largely banned the use, production, and acquisition of anti-personnel landmines (APLs).

“Landmines and cluster munitions have devastating and long-lasting implications for civilians in conflict zones. Incapable of distinguishing between civilians and combatants, these explosive remnants of war cause high numbers of civilian casualties – many of whom are children – and threaten civilian life long after conflicts end,” says CIVIC Executive Director Federico Borello. “U.S. policies in recent years have sent the wrong message to the millions of civilians caught in conflict around the world: that their protection is not a priority in U.S. foreign policy. The U.S. is an important norm-setter on the issue of civilian protection, and we look forward to working with the U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines and the U.S. Cluster Munition Coalition to improve U.S. policies on these issues.”

As a member of the USCBL-USCMC Steering Committee, CIVIC will continue to advocate for U.S. policies that protect civilians from explosive weapons, including reinstating the ban on APLs and ending the use of cluster munitions.