On First Global Mine Awareness Day, another opportunity for Russian international leadership presents itself

MOSCOW, 4 April 2006 – “One day, I went to a river with some friends,” said Nuraliev Ibragim in Chechnya, who was 11 years old at the time. “I noticed one of my friends holding a detonator. I took it from him and was going to throw it away, when someone pulled the wires and the device exploded. My friends ran away. I lost my eye and half of my hand.”

This kind of testimony is unfortunately all too common in zones affected by wars, even though the fighting may have long ended. On this first International Mine Awareness Day, The Secretary General of the UN, Kofi Annan said, “Landmines have no place in a civilised society.”

The explosive remnants of war, including landmines and unexploded ordnance, pose a huge threat to children and their communities in more than 80 countries, most of which are no longer in conflict. At least 20 per cent of the estimated 15,000-20,000 people who are killed or disabled each year by these deadly weapons of war are children.

In the Russian Federation, in Chechnya, over 3030 people have been injured or killed by landmines in the last eleven years, that is one person’s life destroyed or irrevocably altered almost everyday. Over 690 people have been killed in this period, 132 of whom were children.

Many young people affected by mines and unexploded ordnance lose opportunities to go to school, and often cannot afford rehabilitative care. The persisting threat of mines takes its toll on entire societies, perpetuating poverty and underdevelopment. Uncleared landmines, in fact, prevent access to reconstruct homes, roads, schools, health facilities and other essential services. They also deny access to farmland and irrigation. The Secretary General calls on member states “to ensure the rehabilitation and reintegration of landmine survivors, and to increase resources for mine action.”

In the Russian Federation, UNICEF has developed a comprehensive programme, with financial support from several donors (including the European Commission) and in coordination with the Chechen authorities to target the problem of mines and unexploded ordnance in Chechnya.

"Since 1997, the EU and its Member States have contributed over 1 billion euros to the fight against landmines worldwide. This represents more than half of the worldwide assistance to mine action. The first global mine awareness day is an excellent opportunity to highlight the many challenges that lie ahead of us in ridding the world of landmines", said Head of the European Commission Delegation to the Russian Federation, H.E. Marc Franco.

Recent progress has renewed hope that the threat of explosive devices can be eliminated sooner than previously thought. The number of new victims worldwide has been decreasing over the last decade, due largely to increasing efforts by governments and NGOs to destroy and clear mines and to educate communities about their dangers. In Chechnya the number of children killed or wounded has decreased by over 80% from 41 in 2003 to 7 in 2005. This encouraging result is due to the ongoing interventions in Chechnya, and particularly to the Mine Risk Education activities conducted by UNICEF and other agencies. The UN and the EC emphasised that the continued support of donors and the public is vital to these initiatives.

“Wars are not truly over until children can play safely and walk to school without fear of landmines and other explosive remnants of war,” UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman said in New York. “We cannot afford to reverse the gains that have brought us closer to making the battle against landmines a success story.”

The Mine Ban Treaty

Over three quarters of the countries in the world have already signed and ratified the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. Unfortunately, among the 40 countries which have not, are three of the five permanent members of the Security Council, including China, the USA and the Russian Federation. “Russia has demonstrated strong international leadership in the past when ratifying the Kyoto Protocol,” said Carel de Rooy, Head of UNICEF in Russia. “Children worldwide would benefit immensely if such strong leadership was once again exercised.”

***

For further information, please contact:

John Brittain, UNICEF, Tel:+7 495 937 4812, jbrittain@unicef.org

Sean Carroll, European Commission, Tel: +7 495 721 2000, sean.carroll@cec.eu.int

Note to editors:

The International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action was declared by the UN General Assembly to help raise awareness about landmines and efforts to eradicate them. UNICEF is one of 14 UN entities working together on mine action services. Activities to commemorate the day are happening in 29 mine-affected countries. In New York, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Danny Glover will join UN experts and mine activists for a panel discussion on landmines and UXO.

In Chechnya, UNICEF with the support of the European Commission humanitarian aid department (ECHO) are staging the exhibition “Mines Are Hurting Children” in the EMERCOM premises in Grozny. The Prime Minister of Chechnya has been invited.

Find out more at http://www.mineaction.org