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Reports
on Nepal's Civil War: Landmines
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United
Nations Mine Action
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United
Nations Mine Action Service (Department of Peacekeeping Operations)
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APRIL
4 IS FIRST INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR MINE AWARENESS AND ASSISTANCE IN MINE
ACTION
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| World
free from threat of landmines achievable in years, not decades |
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NEW
YORK, 31 March 2006
The
UN General Assembly has declared April 4 the International Day for Mine
Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.
The
battle against landmines is being won, with some countries already achieving
mine-free status. But victory will depend on the unflagging commitment
of the governments of those countries where mines still exist and on the
sustained support of the international community, according to Max Gaylard,
director of the United Nations Mine Action Service.
"The
task of eliminating landmines is enormous, but it can be completed in years,
rather than decades, as long as mine-affected countries do everything in
their power to become mine-free, and donor countries and organisations
maintain their interest and financial support," Gaylard adds. "Unlike so
many of the global problems of our day, this one can be solved. April 4
is an opportunity to remind the world that there is light at the end of
the tunnel."
In
addition to tackling the landmine problem, the international community
must also tackle the problem of explosive remnants of war, which in some
countries, are an even greater threat, Gaylard says. Explosive remnants
of war include unexploded ordnance (such as cluster munitions that did
not detonate on impact) and abandoned explosive ordnance (such as grenades
and missiles that were left behind by retreating armed forces). April 4
provides an opportunity to raise awareness about this problem too.
According
to the Landmine Monitor Report 2005, 84 countries are affected to some
extent by landmines and unexploded ordnance, which together kill or maim
between 15,000 and 20,000 adults and children annually, down from an estimated
26,000 in the late 1990s. Fourteen United Nations agencies, programmes,
departments and funds are together helping find and destroy these devices
and providing other mine-action services in 30 countries and three territories.
"Mine
action" refers to a range of efforts to clear landmines and explosive remnants
of war and to mark and fence off dangerous areas. It also includes assisting
victims, teaching people how to remain safe in a mine-affected environment,
advocating for universal participation in international treaties related
to landmines, explosive remnants of war and their victims, and destroying
landmines stockpiled by governments and non-state armed groups.
Source:
United Nations Mine Action Service (Department of Peacekeeping Operations)
2006
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