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Speeches - UNDP Associate Administrator

Ad Melkert, UN Under-Secretary General and Associate Administrator, UNDP: Address to the 2007 Meeting of States Parties to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention

Royal Highnesses, Prince Mired Raad Al-Hussein, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the United Nations and our Mine Action Team, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to the 2007 Meeting of States Parties to the Anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention. I would like to thank the Government of Jordan for so generously hosting the meeting.

Today at the shores of the Dead Sea, ten years since the signing of the Mine Ban Treaty, we have reason to be proud of the achievements of the international community. In a world mired by war and violence the Treaty is proof of constructive diplomacy in action. 155 States, international organisations and civil-society have all worked collectively to advance a common agenda for development and human security. I welcome the announcement today of Palau joining the Treaty, congratulations to the 156th State!

The figures speak for themselves. Since systematic humanitarian mine action began, more than 1 billion square metres of land has been cleared of more than 4 million anti-personnel mines, 1 million anti-vehicle mines and 8 million pieces of unexploded ordnance (UXO). These efforts have saved lives and limbs. In 1999, the casualty rate was around 26 000, in 2006 it was around a quarter that figure, which is still astonishingly high in the aftermath of conflict when safety and security are supposed to prevail for everyone.

But it is not only casualties that we should reflect upon: it is the direct and indirect social-economic impact of landmines and explosive remnants of war. This year not only marks the 10th anniversary of the Mine Ban Treaty, but it is also the half-way point to the global campaign to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Today is a stark reminder how landmines and explosive remnants of war slow progress to achieving the goals by further reducing poverty. In many developing countries landmines contribute to household food insecurity through land denial and loss of livestock. In Afghanistan and Cambodia for example, it has been calculated that agricultural harvests would have doubled had farmers had access to contaminated land. The mines prevent access to shelter, water and sanitation thereby exacerbating health and hygiene problems. In Chad, it has been reported that children do not go to school for fear of explosive remnants of war. It is children that we need to pay attention to as in some of the more severely affected areas they are the majority of casualties: 59 percent in Afghanistan; 53 percent in Nepal; 66 percent in Somalia, with boys between 5 and 14 years of age as a particularly high risk group.

The impact of landmines and explosive remnants of war has the potential to go far beyond these direct effects. When a parent or caregiver is killed or maimed, children also suffer due to increased family hardship and this is exacerbated in single-women-headed households where women constitute the breadwinners. Survivors of accidents face lifelong disabilities and economic constraints to access adequate physical and socio-economic assistance. Access to rehabilitation may not be available for all, and a child survivor may be deprived of schooling as the household does not have the money to pay for hospital and medical bills as well as the cost of education. Increased vulnerability will typically persist into adulthood, and social and community discrimination against disability may negatively affect a child’s psychological well-being. These are aspects covered by the provisions in the Mine Ban Treaty but now also further strengthened by the new Convention on Rights for Persons with Disabilities.

Simply put, landmines are undermining the fundamental human rights to peace and security for women and men, boys and girls and slowing human development progress.

It is for these reasons that we cannot afford to become complacent. Allow me to propose three concrete calls for mine-related action.

First, I call on those States that have not yet accepted the Convention to become part of this process without delay. According to the Landmine Monitor there are 40 countries that have not yet acceded to the Treaty, collectively storing 160 million antipersonnel landmines. This is an occasion to reaffirm our commitment to the practical roadmap adopted at the Review Conference in Nairobi in 2005, and to support mine and ERW affected states to implement the 70-point Action Plan. Landmine Monitor reports that 78 nations are still affected by landmines and more than 85 by explosive remnants of war. I also call on those States that have either not begun, or are nearing the deadlines, to take up their obligation to complete clearance to provide safety and security for their populations. We know that mine action is labour, time and resource intensive. But without the political will of all parties, affected states and donor countries alike, we will not be able to overcome the problems posed by landmines. It is in all our interest to enable affected states to meet international treaty obligations.

Second, with the Mine Ban Treaty framing our work, the United Nations is currently working in support of mine action and clearance efforts of all sorts of explosive remnants of war in some 40 countries, including the difficult clearance of cluster munitions. To further strengthen our response, we strongly encourage urgent efforts to develop a new legally binding instrument prohibiting cluster munitions that cause unacceptable and unspeakable harm and pain to civilians.

Third, I would like to call on all countries to renew effort to ensure that the Mine Ban Treaty contributes to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. In many places social and economic development opportunities will be defined by decisive mine clearance action. The United Nations is committed to work in partnership with affected countries and communities, non-governmental organisations, donors and other entities, including non-state actors, to address the threat posed by landmines, cluster munitions and other explosive remnants of war, to build national capacities to manage the current and residual problems, and to support efforts by national authorities to assist survivors.

But it is worth the ongoing collective effort, step by step. As many of you witnessed yesterday, at the banks of the Jordan River, demining has enabled pilgrimage and tourism to ancestral sites and holy places held in common by a number of faiths. Demining has contributed to a sense of coexistence in an otherwise troubled region.

It is in places such as this that we are able to reflect on the progress made in the past 10 years. Today is a day of mixed feelings. Undoubtedly the Convention has contributed to raising awareness and setting up effective action. Still, too many places are either inaccessible or are a residual threat to innocent citizens. And new conflicts more often than not bring in new explosive remnants of war. In this spirit, we reiterate our commitment to eradicate the threats posed by anti-personnel mines, cluster munitions and other explosive remnants of war. While there is still a long way to go, we look forward to the next decade to envisioning a world free of the threat of mines.

Today, I had a crash course on everything that has to do with mine action. The experience of everyone here is an inspiration when seeing the commitment withheld over such a long time; a good example of good work and that there is more to come on the issue of cluster munitions. A strong hint of this is perhaps that Norwegian salmon is the first dish of our lunch here today.

Thank you.