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Message
(Presented by Ambassador Bensid, Chairperson of the Conference)
I am greatly honoured to have been invited to this important conference of the OAU: Towards a Landmine-free Africa. I regret that prior commitments prevent me from being here today. Southern Africa was one of the first regions I visited as Secretary-General of the United Nations. I attach great importance to this region, which plays a vital role in promoting issues of concern to all of Africa.
During my visit to Angola in March, I was struck by the terrible legacy left to societies following the prolonged conflict in the region: the millions of landmines; the tragic civilian casualties; the huge economic impact that these weapons leave in their wake. I therefore welcome this conference, which will provide for a sharing of experiences and will facilitate your joint work in responding to the humanitarian and developmental crises posed by the presence of anti-personnel landmines, not only in the region, but on the entire continent.
The United Nations especially welcomes the growing momentum of regional initiatives, taking place under the guidance and leadership of the OAU. The co-operative endeavours of the African Land Mines Working Group, and your recent resolution, are especially commendable and can serve as examples to other continents.
I would also like to pay tribute to the work of non-government organisations, in particular to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which has been instrumental in generating massive support for a global ban on landmines. Its nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize is a testament to the importance of non-government organisations to civil society.
Landmines are a man-made disaster, one that should be preventable. While most of our day-to-day efforts go towards clearing landmines and developing measures designed to respond directly to the effects of anti-personnel landmines, the broader objective of a ban must also be met. I strongly support a total ban on the use, manufacture, production and export of landmines.
The increasing momentum towards a ban in the seven months since the convening of the Ottawa Conference, has placed the process within our reach. The Ottawa Process has received overwhelming support from the United Nations General Assembly, which urged governments to “pursue vigorously” an international agreement to ban anti-personnel landmines last December. We have a historic opportunity to tackle one of the most pernicious threats facing the world today and we should act resolutely.
The international community has invested considerable time and effort in the CCW process over the last three years. It is important for us to make sure that both the Ottawa and CCW processes are mutually supportive. The unifying purpose of our efforts is the primacy of the needs of the victims of landmines. It is about making a commitment to serve and protect the vulnerable and the voiceless.
While working towards a total ban, we must also enhance our capacity and effectiveness to clear mines and to care for their victims. The United Nations is working closely with non-government organisations, the International Committee of the Red Cross and member states, in developing more effective field-based programmes to make mine-affected countries safer. We welcome and support steps towards greater intraregional co-operation. Here in Southern Africa there are considerable experiences and resources that can be shared within the region and with the rest of the world.
The United Nations is encouraged by the emerging partnerships that the responses to this problem have generated – between multilateral bodies and national governments, donors and national institutions, non-government organisations and the private sector. Such partnerships, with the sharing of resources, skills and experience, will no doubt strengthen our collective ability to respond to the humanitarian crisis posed by landmines. Clearly, the central goal must be to create the capacity within mine-affected states to assume responsibility for the effective implementation of a comprehensive mine action programme.
It is of vital importance that we design and implement integrated mine action programmes that focus on the needs of the victims. This is first and foremost a humanitarian problem. We must never forget that responding to the threat of mines is more than just a technical task involving the eradication of mines. We must understand and address fully the human dimension of this problem. Many innocent people have little choice but to risk their lives, knowingly entering mine-infested areas to secure a livelihood. We must therefore also invest in programmes that provide viable alternatives, such as income generation or skills-training, until the land can be made safe again.
There is ample evidence that properly targeted national level humanitarian mine clearance programmes can have a significant impact in liberating the land and reducing risks for the most vulnerable. But much more needs to be done. Conferences such as this are a vital part of the process. I commend your efforts and wish you every success.
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