| Media Note Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC April 3, 2008 Third Annual International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine ActionIn 1993, the United States established the inter-agency U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program, the world’s largest such program, and has invested over $1.2 billion dollars to clear mines, foster mine risk education, render assistance to mine survivors, train foreign deminers, and advance mine clearance techniques. U.S. assistance has helped Costa Rica, Djibouti, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Macedonia, Namibia, and Suriname to become free from the humanitarian impact of landmines (i.e. “impact free”). All significant explosive hazards have been cleared in these countries, and they now have the capacity to deal effectively with any remaining mines and explosive remnants of war that may be found. Our efforts are reflected in a major decrease in the number of landmine and explosive remnants of war casualties around the world. From an estimated 26,000 casualties four years ago, 5,751 were reported worldwide in 2006. By working together, the United States, other donors, and the mine action community can continue working toward an “impact free” world. The United States has also set an example in balancing military requirements with humanitarian considerations. We ratified the Amended Mines Protocol to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (http://ccwtreaty.state.gov/keydocs.html), banned export of anti-personnel landmines, destroyed over 3.3 million of persistent anti-personnel landmines (those remaining lethal for an indefinite period of time), removed our last permanent minefield, launched a new landmine policy barring the use of persistent anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines after 2010; and banned the use of non-detectable mines. To learn more about the U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program, visit www.state.gov/t/pm/wra; www.humanitarian-demining.org/; www.wood.army.mil/hdtc/ and www.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/the_funds/lwvf/. A list of events commemorating International Day for Mine Awareness is available on the United Nations’ Electronic Mine Information Network site at http://www.mineaction.org/overview.asp?o=2147. 2008/245 |
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![A Vietnamese deminer carefully searches for explosive remnants of war. [Photo courtesy of John Stevens, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20081104071659im_/http://www.state.gov/cms_images/landmines_vietnam140.jpg)
Tomorrow marks the third year the United States observes the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. This year also marks two decades of United States leadership in battle area remediation and conflict prevention that began in 1988 with the launch of “humanitarian demining” in Afghanistan.
