The Ban Bus

Photographer John Rodsted has documented the humanitarian impacts of landmines, cluster munitions and other unexploded ordnance in some of the most war torn regions on earth. In 2006, he spent weeks in southern Lebanon documenting the civilian impact of impacts of cluster munition strikes by Israel. Rodsted’s work has been widely exhibited in prestigious venues including the Royal Geographical Society (London), Smithsonian Institute (Washington, DC), Sydney Opera House, and the United Nations (Bangkok, Geneva, Nairobi, New York). As the official photographer of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), Rodsted documented the Ottawa Process leading to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty and subsequent Nobel Peace Prize. Born 1961 in Melbourne, Australian.

Mette Sofie Eliseussen is a Norwegian campaigning for her government to establish a treaty in 2008 to ban cluster munitions. She has extensive experience working in development and conflict situations including Afghanistan where Eliseussen established Save the Children USA’s Kabul office in 1995. She was responsible for the safety and security of the development agency’s 60 staff when the city became the scene of major fighting between the Northern Alliance and Taliban forces. During this difficult time, she designed and implemented several landmine awareness projects for Kabul’s youth including the establishment of 18 mine-free playgrounds throughout the city. Eliseussen also helped establish the Afghan Campaign to Ban Landmines to ensure that Afghan civil society had a strong voice in the global movement to establish the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. As part of this campaign, she collected and delivered thousands of postcards from Afghan children calling for a total ban on landmines. Eliseussen has worked for social service groups in her native Norway providing therapy, trainings and leading wilderness awareness programs. She is also a skilled journalist with experience working for Norwegian media and publishing houses. Born 1965 in Oslo, Norway. Languages: Farsi, German, Spanish, Norwegian.