Baghdad, Iraq, 5 April 2011 – To commemorate Global Mine Action Day, the Iraqi Ministry of Environment and the United Nations in Iraq held today a press conference on mine action in Iraq at the UNAMI Headquarters in Baghdad. Representatives of national, regional and international media outlets in Iraq listened and interacted with the Deputy Minister of Environment, Dr Kamal Latif, the Head of Humanitarian and Development Office at UNAMI, Mr. Daniel Augstburger, and Major General Hadi Athab, Director of Military Engineering at the Ministry of Defence, who briefed them on Iraq's continued commitment to building awareness on the dangers of landmines and clearing the country from explosive remnants of war, while supporting the victims who have been affected by them.
"Contaminated sites cover 1,730 square kilometres in Iraq and affect around 1.6 million people in over 1,600 communities in Iraq. Landmines and explosive remnants of war are a major threat to the people of Iraq's right to life, liberty and security, and pose a particular threat to the country's economic development", said Ms. Christine McNab, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq. "The United Nations is committed to working with the Government and our partners in Iraq to address these extraordinary challenges, and support the Iraqi people in their path to a better future", Ms. McNab added.
"With a quarter of the world's mines in our country, we have seen how severely it affects the economic, political and social development of Iraq", said Deputy Minister, Dr. Latif while announcing at the press conference the implementation of a national development strategy this year. Dr. Latif briefed the media on the Government's efforts that contributed to 71 projects over the last few years. Raising concerns over the difficulty in clearing contaminated land, "there are no maps to indicate where the landmines are and with the random nature of distribution, it greatly slows down progress", he added.
Major General Athab provided the media with an overview of the activities carried out by the Ministry of Defence in this field, especially the landmine training school, located outside Baghdad, which trains the civilians and the military to work together to rid the country from this scourge.
With an estimated 20 million landmines under ground, according to the United Nations Development Programme, Iraq is still one of the most contaminated countries in the world. In addition to the efforts being exerted to clear the country from landmines and make it safer, many projects are being implemented to improve the lives and the livelihoods of the victims of landmines in Iraq. "Over the past three years, it has been possible for over 9,500 victims of landmine incidents to receive support from three orthopaedic rehabilitation centres in the north", Mr. Augustburger, told the press, while adding, "these centres have provided more than 8,500 ortho-prosthetic devices, 17,000 physiotherapy services, 7,000 mobility aids, as well as rehabilitation and business training".
Landmines and explosive remnants of war have a devastating impact on Iraq's children with around 25 percent of all victims being children under the age of 14 years. UNICEF's Representative to Iraq, Mr. Sikander Khan said: "Iraq's 15 million children have the right to grow up in a safe environment that protects their lives and well-being. Without urgent action to clear Iraq of all landmines, the thousands of children currently living in areas contaminated with mines and unexploded ordinance across Iraq will continue to be at risk of being maimed or killed as well as having restricted access to education, health care and water and sanitation they need to survive and grow up to realise their full potential".
Today's event also included an exhibition of photographs by acclaimed landmine photographer Giovanni Diffidenti and well-known Iraqi photographer Jamal Penjweny. The exhibit illustrates the impact of landmines and explosive remnants of war on the people of Iraq. It also shows how, with support from the international community, the government and the people of Iraq are working to overcome the tremendous difficulties caused by unexploded devices.
Iraq joined the Ottawa Treaty in 2007, which requires the country to eradicate landmines and explosive remnants of war from their land, by 2018. A great deal of work and commitment is needed in order for Iraq to achieve this. Priority must be given to this issue to allow an increased number of projects to be implemented throughout the country, to enable Iraq to develop and become safe. Through the combined efforts and cooperation of the government of Iraq and Kurdistan, NGOs and civil society over the past few years, an opportunity for change started showing signs of progress in Iraq with renewed vigour and energy.
For more information contact:
UNDP James Howlett UNDP Iraq james.howlett@undp.org +962 79 731 1156
UNICEF Jaya Murthy, UNICEF Iraq, +962796926190, jmurthy@unicef.org
Salam Abdulmunem, UNICEF Iraq, +9647809126782, sabulmunem@unicef.org
About Mine Action There are five project areas for mine action.
Survey and marking and clearing of affected land is an important first step in validating local concerns. With a site marked, this enables communities to avoid such areas and focus their efforts in places where that they know is unaffected, until such a time that the contaminated land is cleared.
Mine risk education who have been identified as living in dangerous areas helps warn people of the dangers, particularly children, who may find metallic objects partially visible from the ground very curious, and want to play with them.
Victim assistance helps those who suffered injuries from explosive remnants of war to deal with the issue where livelihoods have been severely affected due family member's incapacity. Centres like the Diana Orthopaedic rehabilitation centre in Erbil both help people deal with their disability and getting their lives started again through vocational training and small grants which can enable them to start a private enterprise.
Advocacy Actively supports a world free from the threat of landmines and encouraging countries to participate in international treaties and conventions designed to end the production, trade, shipment or use of mines and to uphold the rights of persons with disabilities.
Stockpile Destruction Helps Iraq destroy stockpiles of mines as required by international agreements, such as the 1999 anti-personnel mine-ban treaty.
About UNDP's mine action programme
UNDP supports the Iraqi Government and mine action organisations in clearing explosive remnants of war. So far 18.7 million square meters of land have been cleared from late 2007 till July 2010, helping 1,500 families return to their farms, and getting 2,400 children back to school. UNDP supports rehabilitation centres in the three Kurdish governorates that have given over 17,000 physiotherapy sessions, 7,000 mobility aids and over 8,500 ortho-prosthetic devices to mine victims. UNDP also facilitated income generation projects for 330 persons with disabilities. UNDP also supports the government in integrating Mine Action into national and local reconstruction and development work.
About UNICEF's mine action programme
Since 2007 UNICEF have been educating children and community members in highly contaminated areas across Iraq on the risks mines pose to their survival and well-being. To-date, over 300,000 people, including more than 150,000 children, have received mine risk education; 2,800 teachers have been trained to educate children on how to better protect themselves from mines and unexploded ordnance; 200 community volunteers have been trained to liaise with communities and monitor mine-related incidents ; and 60,000 public information materials on the risks mines pose have been distributed to high-risk communities. In coordination with the Mine Action team, UNICEF will continue to work towards the inclusion of MRE in the school curriculum as well as working with children, families, and communities, in highly contaminated areas across Iraq to empower them to better protect themselves from the menace mines pose to their survival and healthy development.