In the run-up to the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, Kazumi Ogawa, Director of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), and two other UNMAS speakers appeared at the 31 March Noon Briefing at UN Headquarters in New York.
The trio called for recognition of the importance of explosive hazard awareness.
Ms. Ogawa said that humanitarian workers in post-conflict environments have, each one of them, a sad story about a child who picked up an explosive ordinance. These incidents, she said, not only end the lives of children and adults, but also destroy the communities around them.
Her colleague, Nick Pond, Chief of Mine Action Section in Afghanistan, pointed to the devastating numbers in the region, with casualties every day. The majority injured or killed are children, typically boys tending to fields or playing in unsafe areas.
Mr. Pond emphasised the biggest challenge: the lack of funding, paired with ongoing conflicts and climate-related strains. He ended on a hopeful note. With enough funding, he said, Afghanistan could become free of contamination.
Paul Heslop, Senior Mine Action Advisor to the Resident Coordinator and United Nations Country Team in Ukraine, noted that the contamination across Ukraine has grown in scale unseen on the European continent since the Second World War. Mr. Heslop showed 3D-printed props to show the scale of these explosive ordnances.
He advocated for victim assistance, to help heal the trauma of shattered bodies and lives after a conflict.
The three speakers highlighted that “children bear the consequences most” and “the international community walks away” when new hostilities emerge.
Yet, hopefully, with enough funding and support, UNMAS can achieve its mandate of “Invest in Peace; Invest in Mine Action”.
More information about Mine Awareness Day can be found at UNMAS.org.
