VIENNA, 3 November 2025 – The documentary Mineland, directed by Christian Ossa, brings to light the tragic stories of Colombian landmine victims — each from their own perspective. Colombia remains plagued by the often undetectable threat of landmine contamination. Through his documentary, Ossa not only raises awareness of the persistent danger posed by landmines in Colombia but also makes a powerful statement about resilience and inclusion by involving survivors directly in the creative process of the film.
Following the screening, a panel discussion with experts took place, moderated by Anne Thomas, Public Information Officer at UNIS Vienna.
Rebecca Jovin, Chief of UNODA Vienna, emphasized the pivotal role of civil society in shaping international treaties like the 1997 Mine Ban Convention. She emphasized that “individual citizens are more powerful in all of this than they might imagine [which is why] public consciousness and keeping the issues high on the agenda by having discussions like this is an important stepping stone.”
Reflecting on the experience as a UN Peacekeeper and his work in the field, Peter Trost highlighted the critical role of grassroots awareness efforts. Whether word-of-mouth or educational initiatives, he stressed the urgency of this outreach by pointing to the devastating impact of landmines. “As the film proves, landmines are some of the most cruel means we have in a conflict that do not differentiate between civilians and combatants”, he said.
Siavash Eshghi, Programme Coordinator for Human Security at the Heinrich Böll Stiftung, spoke about the legal and ethical dimensions, accentuating the role of international law. Despite its imperfections, international law has helped cultivate a shared language rooted in human dignity through awareness of the need for accountability. He said: “In a context like this, where law and human security overlap, law becomes a powerful tool to pursue our goal of peace, prevention and root cause assessment.”
All panel members echoed the importance of the Ottawa Convention as well as further mine prevention efforts, in light of current global affairs and the 2025 UN Secretary-General’s campaign on Humanitarian Disarmament and Mine Action.
