18th International Meeting of Mine Action National Programme Directors and United Nations Advisers, entitled “More than Mines: The Evolution of Mine Action”

Ladies and Gentlemen
Dear Colleagues and Friends:

I am pleased to join you and I would like to thank our colleagues in UNMAS and the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining for inviting me to close this annual meeting, which is now a fixture on our International Geneva calendar.

Geneva is the home of international mine action. Geneva is not only the place where most major conferences and expert meetings on mine action take place, but this city also hosts the secretariats of the five instruments of international humanitarian law, which form the core pillars of mine action, together with key mine action NGO coalitions. The broken chair that stands in front of the Palais des Nations a bit further up the street from here is a reminder of what landmines and explosive remnants of war have meant for millions of victims and is also a constant inspiration to us to take forward the work in their service through all of these instruments.

Mine action is an issue particularly close to my heart. I have seen first-hand in the field the incredible difference that mine action can make to affected communities, and I am very pleased to be able to lend my support to your work.

Mine action cuts across the three key dimensions of our work in International Geneva - peace, rights and well-being - drawing on the expertise of a wide variety of the actors here. We value the strengthened presence in Geneva of UNMAS, which allows us to capitalize to an even greater extent on the resident expertise and to build stronger partnerships.

This meeting, the biggest annual meeting of the mine action community, also has the unique particularity of gathering affected states and donor countries, United Nations entities involved in providing support and solutions to the complex challenges that explosive hazards are posing to civilians, peacekeepers and humanitarian workers alike, and also representatives of civil society organizations without whom no progress would be possible. A very good example of a multi-stakeholder partnership that has already delivered for victims across the world.

As we are about to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the General Assembly’s designation of 4 April as International Mine Awareness Day, I welcome the theme of this years’ meeting: “More than Mines”. It is an invitation to all of us to consider mine action from a broader perspective, to hear from States and territories affected by conflicts how they cope with increasing volumes of ERW, new types of explosive hazards, the increasing use of IEDS, and suffering caused by the easy availability of tonnes of weapons and ammunitions open to looting or at risk of explosions in unsafe depots. It is also a reminder of the importance of addressing these challenges in a holistic manner.

I understand that the Mine Action Directors Meeting has had a very busy and also thought-provoking agenda, which has provided good opportunities for sharing experience, good practices and offers of support on issues such as:

• the explosive remnants of war which today bring more death and sorrow than antipersonnel mines;
• the increased threat of improvised explosive devices in many affected States;
• the management of weapons and ammunition stockpiles, in particular in light of several recent tragic accidents which took the lives of innocent people around the world, including in Europe;
• the still unfinished business of how to address the humanitarian impact of the anti-vehicle mines, which the CCW has been working on for over 15 years now and where new important developments are taking place;
• and, of course, the more global issues of the evolution of mine action in the current international context, to highlight just a few.

Today, mine action is at a crossroads. On the one hand, our major humanitarian goal is not achieved yet: mines and ERW continue to kill or maim innocent people around the globe and considerable areas of land are still not accessible for peaceful use and development. On the other hand, and as already mentioned, new threats and challenges are emerging and require new approaches. Worryingly, we also experience a certain degree of mine action fatigue that can be observed in the international community which also results in less funding for this crucial activity. Mine action today faces challenges and constrains which require modernization, flexibility, increased efficiency and effective cooperation.

Going forward, a collective challenge for all of us will be to keep mine action high on the international agenda, as an essential part of our humanitarian response and broader efforts for peace and development. This meeting has provided valuable and much-needed space for reflection on how to achieve this by working better together - and I appreciate that your agenda has included a large number of the humanitarian colleagues from our United Nations family here in Geneva.

New international treaties on conventional weapons and international humanitarian law will continue to be negotiated and concluded in International Geneva. All of you have a critical role to play in bringing comprehensive data and first-hand knowledge from the field to inform those processes. It is only through accurate and available field, legal and political expertise that the United Nations will continue to be the major player in the application of international humanitarian law and mine action and allow us to “deliver as one”.

Mine action is a key protection sector and represents a crucial contribution to humanitarian action. My Office and I support all efforts at strengthening the integration of mine action in humanitarian action, including meetings such as this one.

As you prepare to leave Geneva, I wish you success in your work to rid this world of mines, explosive remnants of war and other improvised explosive ordnance. And I look forward to meeting you again next year for the 19th edition of the International Meeting of Mine Action National Programme Directors and United Nations Advisors.

Thank you very much.