Princess Diana’s support for a Manchester charity helped millions - but 25 years later there is so much more to do

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

It was a courageous gesture that made global headlines and changed the lives of millions. The image of Princess Diana walking through a minefield in Angola was seen the world over - a turning point for the charities who were working to ban the deadly devices.

By adding her voice to the call for a ban, the Princess was instrumental in bringing the campaign to the attention of the world. READ MORE: Moment dad is gunned down in broad daylight as little girls play in princess dresses - a suspect is still on the run And her work with a Manchester-based charity is still having an incredible impact 25 years later. “Diana's bravery in speaking out on the landmine issue 25 years ago was a decisive catalyst for so much positive change,” says Darren Cormack, CEO of the Mines Advisory Group (MAG). “Angola and the world will never forget her work and the role she has played in helping to free millions of women, girls, boys and men from the daily fear of landmines." Working with MAG just before her death, the Princess was pictured visiting a minefield in Huambo, Angola.

After seeing the indiscriminate horror of landmines up close, the Princess of Wales lent her support to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), run by a coalition of organisations, including MAG.

At an event co-hosted by MAG in the summer of 1997, Diana lamented "the waste of life, limb, and lands which anti-personnel landmines are causing amongst some of the poorest people on earth.” She added: “The mine is a stealthy killer, long after conflict has ended its innocent victims die or are wounded." In November 1997, just months after Diana’s death, 122 governments signed up to the Ottawa Treaty - which aimed to push forward a ban on the use, production and