States Parties 161 States Not Party 36
Delivered by Katleen Maes, Thematic Research Coordinator & Editor (Victim Assistance) for the Landmine Monitor Report 2006, and Tun Channareth, ICBL Ambassador and landmine survivor
Geneva, 20 September 2006
Thank you for giving ICBL this opportunity to speak and to comment on the efforts made to assist mine survivors, their families and communities this year.
I was at the first national victim assistance workshop in Afghanistan a short while back. I saw a whole group of motivated, capable people - survivors, practitioners and government -working hard to make objectives SMART-er, define concrete activities to match the needs of survivors and other people with disabilities and set a realistic budget to implement these activities in a sustainable way. Other countries did similar things, which give us the hope.
We can draw an important lesson from these initiatives: a lot can be achieved with improved Communication, Collaboration and Coordination. Interministerial coordination, integration into development programs and national ownership are key instruments to reach sustainability.
We are hopeful that we will emerge out of this paper paradise and that we will move from words to reality.
However, last year we recorded 7328 new casualties, more than 5,000 of them joined the ranks of up to 500,000 survivors world-wide and their situation on the ground remains largely the same:
Leaving mine survivors and persons with disabilities among the poorest of the poor.
The deadline to move from words to action is today.
Survivors needs do not only exist on paper I will stop right here to let my colleague Reth continue.
I would like to ask all the delegates to close their eyes and imagine their own life with one leg. Would you accept what your country has to offer if you stepped on a mine?
(Silence)
How would you change your country so you could have a life of dignity as a mine survivor? Zeljko from Bosnia and Herzegovina reminds us that we don?t want charity, we want your awareness that we were once like you. We ask that you imagine yourself as us.
We, landmine survivors and friends, asked ourselves the same question from a different perspective. A couple with unlimited resources, told us, ?We will give you all the money you need for survivor assistance, if you can tell us what you will do in your country right now. What would you answer??
Some of our answers were:
The gift of 1% of the world?s income could eliminate world poverty so we were told recently. It is true poverty is the basic cause of many of the problems of survivors. Build a quality prosthetic and wheel chair center with trained local staff and an endowment to provide raw materials.
I would build up the capacity of villages to give direct services in education, in health and to ensure the people without houses, water and food security are helped. Motivate richer villages to help other villages.
I would build personal strength and confidence through training and awareness raising.
For me, economic reintegration is a priority. I will create two strands:
I will eliminate all physical barriers and completely renew our transport system and access to it.
I will build a quality rehabilitation center, train local staff and have an investment fund for raw materials and transport for survivors.
I will promote coordination and capacity development of disabled persons organizations to present unified front.
I would begin to convert all the money spent on creating new weapons of war to eliminating poverty, including that of survivors.
I would ensure the Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities is incorporated into national law and that government officials, police, service providers and survivors are trained to implement it. There would be independent monitoring, which would include persons with disabilities.
We realize poverty does not only mean a lack of financial means, but also includes a lack of social freedom, justice, participation and equal opportunities. Money is essential to ensuring the inclusion of survivors. However more than money is required: increasing government goodwill, depoliticizing victim assistance, changing perception of communities, and changing structures that perpetuate the exclusion of survivors.
If the survivors have enough food and have capacity to rebuild their own lives and participate in society they will contribute to building a community of peace and compassion and this is what the world needs.
