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Update 2 - Clearing Mined Areas (including Mine Risk Education), 19 & 20 Sept. 2006

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MAIN POINTS OF DISCUSSION

Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education

ICBL PRESENTATIONS

  • ICBL Treaty Implementation Director Tamar Gabelnick spoke about the Landmine Monitor 2006 findings and the need for States Parties to respect their obligation to finish Article 5 obligations “as soon as possible, but within 10 years” of becoming a State Party
  • The chair of ICBL’s sub-Working Group on Mine Risk Education presented an assessment of Mine Risk Education activities over the past year.

HIGHLIGHTS FOR ICBL

  • The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia presented additional material to support their previous day’s announcement that they had finished their Article 5 obligations.
  • Nicaragua said that it intended to finish Article 5 work by the end of 2007.
  • Chad said it would do everything possible to meet its 2009 deadline.
  • Thailand said that it had released more land in the past year than in all previous years combined. It’s planning a second level survey that it hopes will reduce suspected mined area by 80%.
  • Bosnia noted that it had cleared 158km2 in the past year, largely through technical survey.
  • Ecuador and Peru both noted their joint mine clearance operations on their border as an example of confidence building through mine action.
  • Uganda and Afghanistan said that they were integrating mine action into development programs. In Afghanistan it had integrated it into its PRSP and Millenium Development Goals. It plans to finish demining in 2013 if it receives strong donor support
  • Denmark announced that it had already started to release cleared land this summer and would issue the next tender for 2007-08 in January 2007.
  • Senegal said that it hoped to finish by its 2009 deadline, and that it passed an updated mine action law in August

CONCERNS FOR ICBL

  • Peru noted that although it has plans to finish clearance of most mined areas by its deadline, it does not have deadlines for other areas and would seek an extension if necessary.
  • Zimbabwe said because of lack of funding that it no longer believed it would meet its deadline.

MORE INFORMATION

ICBL Statement - Mine Clearance (delivered by Tamar Gabelnick, ICBL Treaty Implementation Director)

ICBL Statement - Mine Risk Education (delivered by Stanislas Brabant, Chair of the ICBL Sub-Working Group on Mine Risk Education)

Landmine Monitor Report 2006, Mine Action

Landmine Monitor 2006 fact sheet, Mine Risk Education