Welcome to this important event. I thank the Kingdom of the Netherlands for co-hosting this reception with the United Nations.

We are honoured to be joined by Mr. Daniel Craig, the Global Advocate for the Elimination of Mines and other Explosive Hazards. He is known as an action hero – but at the United Nations he is a hero of advocacy. I thank him for his contributions.

Today, we reaffirm our commitment to ridding the world of landmines and other explosive remnants of war.

This may seem like a distant goal, but we can draw inspiration from how far we have travelled. The vast majority of Member States – 84 per cent –support the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty, which has 162 States Parties. We have made tangible progress, including the destruction of nearly 50 million stockpiled anti-personnel mines. More than 150 countries no longer hold stockpiles of anti-personnel mines. The United Nations and its partners have cleared vast swaths of mine-contaminated land, freeing them up to be used for agriculture, schools and other human needs.

Today mine action is about more than mines; improvised explosive devices are increasingly the weapon of terror that kill and injure civilians including children, United Nations personnel and other aid workers.

Mine action is critical as we face complex challenges and humanitarian crises of tragic proportions. It enables aid workers to respond on the ground. It ensures that homes, schools and communities are safe for returning refugees and other displaced people. And mine action starts the process of peacebuilding in communities shattered by conflict.

The United Nations Mine Action Service is a true first responder. We have seen it in action in Afghanistan, Libya, Gaza and beyond, coordinating humanitarian responses to the dangers posed by landmines and other explosive hazards in the immediate aftermath of conflict. Showing agility in responding to the increasing use of improvised explosive devices, its teams have worked to ensure that humanitarian aid workers, United Nations personnel and civilians are equipped to reduce the risks they face.

United Nations staff and partners on the frontlines need your support to continue saving and protecting the lives of civilians and reclaiming the land they deserve to use.

I count on your continued advocacy as we work to realize our vision of a world free from the threat of mines and explosive remnants of war.