FORUM: "MINE ACTION CANNOT WAIT." International Day of Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action 2023.
April 4th is the International Day designated by the General Assembly to raise awareness and seek assistance for mine action. On this occasion the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) is organizing a symposium on the theme "Mine Action Cannot Wait" to highlight decades of contamination in countries like Cambodia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, and Viet Nam, as well as draw attention to recent explosive ordnance contamination in Myanmar, Ukraine, and Yemen.
Latest estimates show that in 2021, more than 5,500 people lost their lives or were injured due to landmines, with civilians, mostly children bearing the brunt of the devastation. Today, nearly 70 countries and territories are still contaminated by landmines. Every day, explosive ordnance contamination threatens lives, curtails freedom of movement, limits access to airable land, disenfranchises communities and above all instills fear and insecurity.
Focusing on the urgent need for a world free from the threat of landmines, explosive remnants of war (ERW) and IEDs, this global campaign aims to bring attention to areas of the world that remain contaminated, needlessly affecting the lives and livelihoods of millions of people.
Mine Action Symposium 2023.
EXHIBITS
WORLDWIDE EVENTS
For the millions living amidst the chaos of armed conflicts — especially women and children — every step can put them in danger’s path.
Even after the fighting stops, conflicts often leave behind a terrifying legacy: landmines and explosive ordnance that litter communities. Peace brings no assurance of safety when roads and fields are mined, when unexploded ordnance threatens the return of displaced populations, and when children find and play with shiny objects that explode.
The United Nations Mine Action Service gathers partners together to remove these deadly weapons, support national authorities, and ensure safe access to homes, schools, hospitals and farmers’ fields. The Service also supported the design of the Black Sea Grain Initiative and the safe export of grain and fertilizer from Ukrainian ports.
Yet, broader global efforts are essential to safeguard people from mines. I urge Member States to ratify and fully implement the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, the Convention on Cluster Munitions and the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.
On this International Day, let’s take action to end the threat of these devices of death, support communities as they heal, and help people return and re-build their lives in safety and security.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.
CAMPAIGN MATERIALS
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