“Each year thousands of people are harmed by explosive violence – landmines, improvised explosive Devices (IEDs), unexploded remnants of war, airstrikes and ordnance.
Many of these victims will never benefit from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals unless we are able to tackle the menace of explosive violence and also provide much needed long-term support to impacted communities.”
The Rt Hon Lord Dear QPM DL
OUR MISSION
To ensure that politicians and practitioners around the world have the information they need in order to develop effective policy and legislation to reduce explosive violence and increase support for victims.
Our vision is to see a world free of explosive threats and for victims to have access to the necessary medical care, psychological support, and empowerment to rebuild their lives, wherever they live.
WHO WE ARE
The REVIVE Campaign is an advocacy body with not for profit status. Our mission is to promote at international government level the pressing need to reduce the level of explosive violence against innocent civilians, to push for effective policy, and encourage long-term support for victims. REVIVE also supports the needs of those who work to diminish the threat of explosive weapons and those working with the victims. We are recognised as a global thought leader on explosive threat mitigation and victim assistance.
Advocating globally for victims of explosive violence
BACKGROUND
In 2018, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Explosive Threats undertook an inquiry to examine the extent of harm caused by explosive violence on an international scale. The inquiry culminated in a report published in Parliament and presented to Ministers and the Prime Minister in June of that year. We also saw the report as the subject of discussion at the United Nations in Geneva. Tangible results from this inquiry are already showing. The REVIVE Campaign was created to support the inquiry and raise awareness in the media. REVIVE became a not-for-profit organisation in 2019. Initial funding and support was generously provided by Bridge Insurance Brokers Ltd, Remeody Ltd, Disarmco Ltd. and The Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation.
To join us, contact directors@revivecampaign.org.
DEMONSTRATING LANDMINE CLEARANCE UNDER BIG BEN
BY NIGEL ELLWAY
THE 5 PILLARS OF MINE ACTION
VICTIM ASSISTANCE
This is one of the tenets on which REVIVE was created and we work closely with our partner charity the Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation who deliver long term victim assistance through local projects, such as, emergency and continuing medical care; physical rehabilitation; psychosocial support and social inclusion.
Victim assistance is an obligation of countries that have signed up to the Anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention but needs to be high on the agenda of any donor country or post conflict state. REVIVE is here to press parliamentarians around the world to ensure the political will is there to help those whose lives have been devastated by conflict and explosive violence.
MINE RISK EDUCATION
Mine Risk Education (MRE) is a vitally important part of keeping communities safe from the danger of explosive weapons. Educational packs, community liaison programmes and training for teachers are all routes to helping people identify explosive devices and to behave appropriately around them. REVIVE’s role is to ensure MRE can be delivered unhindered by political boundaries and given the support it needs at all levels of government administration.
STOCKPILE DESTRUCTION
More landmines are in storage than actually laid in the ground. Countries that sign the Anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention commit to destroy mines still unused. The danger from any stockpile of weapons is that they can be prone to accidental explosion, causing harm to local communities, or be plundered and re-used by non-state actors. REVIVE wants to see stockpiles effectively managed or disposed of.
ADVOCACY
The United Nations is the major advocate for universal participation in existing international agreements that ban or limit the use of landmines. REVIVE works with and alongside the UN, particularly on the pillar of victim assistance. However by working at the heart of the global body politic, we can ensure that individual parliamentarians are brought on side and use their influence to encourage colleagues and counterparts to make mine-action and victim assistance a political priority.
CLEARANCE
Clearance or ‘demining’ is the area that most people think of in respect to landmines. The photograph of the Princess of Wales in a minefield in Angola is seared into all our minds, and indeed, this is the activity undertaken by the majority of players in the mine-action community.
In a military context, clearance is done by soldiers to create a ‘safe path’ to advance during conflict.
Humanitarian clearance, often carried out by charitable organisations, allows people to return to their homes and everyday routines without the fear of explosive hazards.
REVIVE works with statutory bodies, partner charities and others to empower impacted communities and help them rebuild the peace and security they so desperately want.
As one of the ‘five pillars’ of mine action, the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) defines victim assistance as follows:
Assistance is provided through a number of concrete actions to meet the immediate and long-term needs of mine accident survivors, their families, mine-affected communities and persons with disabilities. Assistance includes, but is not limited to, emergency and continuing medical care; physical rehabilitation; psychosocial support and social inclusion; and laws and public policies that promote effective treatment, care and protection for all disabled citizens.
The injuries are different from any other and require long-term support which is currently not being provided. We need governments to recognise this and fund appropriate response projects.
OUR PEOPLE
The Lord Dear Kt QPM DL
Roger Mullin
Michelle Thomson
Bob Seddon
Dr. Saleyha Ahsan
OUR WORK
REVIVE acts the secretariat of the UK All Party Parliamentary Groups on Explosive Threats and Iraq. We arrange meetings, briefings and conferences, and undertake inquiries and publish reports on their behalf. We also organize sponsored events, exhibitions and demonstrations on the parliamentary estate.
On an international level we monitor, analyse and comment on relevant policy and developments relating to mine-action and victim assistance. We contribute to United Nations debates and our specialist board members speak at conferences and events around the world.
Our partner charities work with us to help victims of landmines and work to prevent more injuries and deaths in places where mines are still active.
REVIVE are delighted to welcome Stirling University’s Department of Human Rights and Diplomacy as our new academic partner. We will be announcing our joint research project in September 2021.
To become a partner or find how else you can help, contact us at directors@revivecampaign.org.
