States Parties 161 States Not Party 36
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Intervention by Youth Leaders Forum 20th anniversary informal session 11th Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty Phnom Penh, Cambodia30 November 2011
I am Nyambura Gichuki from Kenya. In my two years of involvement with the campaign to ban landmines I have been inspired by the accomplishments made through partnership between government, civil society and international institutions to create a mine-free world for us all. The past 20 years have been marked by incredible progress and that push for progress continues. Still there is a lot to do to reach out with assistance to all victims, to clear the land, and ensure all mines are destroyed and never used again. For this we need to join our forces and sustain our common efforts. We need to listen to the survivors and our colleagues from mine-affected countries as we plan for the future. Despite the difficult economic times, we need to make sure we have sufficient and predictable resources to be able to carry on and finish the work. We are calling on you today to remember that your decisions in this room and actions outside of the room will affect real people and their communities. And the very reason this movement came into being is to stop the suffering of people, families and communities from affected countries. In my lifetime, I want to see the last stockpile destroyed, the last community unable to farm its land and the last new landmine victim.
And I am Kamran Khan from Pakistan. I share Nyambura's vision of a world without landmines. The mine ban movement, which includes all of us here today and many more outside of this room - civil society, governments,international organizations - has committed to making this vision a reality.
I come from a region that unfortunately has very few states parties to the Mine Ban Treaty. This makes me even more determined to promote the treaty and support survivors. I am not alone in this pursuit - today in Phnom Penh - we are with 40 other youth forum colleagues, who represent 32 countries - affected and non-affected, from states parties and states not party. We, young people, inspired by the past achievements of the mine ban movement, are working together to continue fulfilling the promise of the treaty and to supporting survivors through our fundraising project: In Our Lifetime
Legacy.
These partnerships and our passion make this movement and this treaty so different and successful. Twenty years into the movement to ban landmines, there are still many people who have been working since the beginning. We are the newcomers, the fresh blood, and energy and this is what we want to bring to the movement. We the youth from around the world ask you to work with us for a better and safer world, for a world free of landmines and cluster munitions. We are passionate, we are engaged, we are determined! We are and will continue pushing for progress.
Will you join us?
