Two more countries are needed to turn an international treaty to ban landmines into international law, which would substantially reduce the 25,000 deaths and injuries globally every year.
The 150 delegates from around the world attending a landmine conference in Dublin Castle this week expect at least two more countries to ratify the treaty within days, with consequent implications for the armaments industry and governments using the 100 million still active landmines in 70 countries.
At this week's Dublin conference, delegates from governments, aid agencies, the UN and non-governmental organisations, all part of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), aim to establish an effective system to ensure that governments and military regimes around the world comply with the agreement to destroy landmine stocks and end production.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrews, opened the conference with the announcement of a £102,040 Government donation towards the monitoring system, which will include an international reporting network and database.
Since the Ottawa Treaty was agreed last year, 130 countries have signed the agreement to eliminate landmine production but only 38, including Ireland, one of the co-authors of the treaty, have ratified it. Forty nations must ratify the treaty for it to become international law and once that happens, governments and manufacturers have four years to destroy their stockpiles of landmines and 10 years to clear all mined areas.
Mr Andrews signed and ratified the treaty in December last year, making Ireland one of the first three countries to do so. Asked afterwards was it not easy for Ireland to get involved in the landmines issue because the State had no involvement in the arms industry, he replied that "it would be just as easy for us to say `don't get involved'."
Other delegates have praised the Irish contribution and pointed out that the State received a lot of "flak" from Britain, France and Germany, who were initially opposed to the ban but who are now signatories.
Delegates included Ms Jody Williams, who received the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the ICBL, for her contribution in turning the campaign to ban landmines into an international treaty.
She said the treaty represented "civil society" which forced governments to recognise the "moral imperative that these landmines are illegal".
Ms Williams was hired in 1991 to run the landmine ban campaign, which in seven years grew to involve 1,000 NGOs in 75 countries. Governments would have neglected to ban the mines if they had not been forced to do so by the NGOs and other aid agencies, she said.
The conference was organised through Pax Christi, the Catholic peace movement, and its general secretary, Mr Tony D'Costa, praised the Government's contribution and that of previous Ministers, including the late Mr Brian Lenihan and Mr Ray Burke. Mr D'Costa said Mr Burke introduced "a private member's Bill in the Dail for a unilateral ban on landmines. This Dail debate had a significant impact on the Irish position".
