General Assembly Session 52 meeting 76

Mr. Hahm (Republic of Korea)

My delegation first wishes to thank the Secretary-General for his comprehensive and informative report on Assistance in mine clearance [A/52/679], which covers the mine-clearance activities being undertaken by the organizations of the United Nations system and presents a direction for our future work in mine clearance.

A shocking 110 million mines scattered in some 70 countries, mostly developing countries, inflict about 30,000 casualties every year. Every hour of every day, a person somewhere is killed by a landmine. Ten thousand are killed and twice as many injured every single year. These hidden killers not only inflict great suffering and death upon innocent civilians, especially children and women, but also pose a tremendous obstacle to the economic and social development and reconstruction of affected regions. In addition, they paralyse peacekeeping operations and humanitarian relief activities and inhibit the repatriation of refugees and internally displaced persons. In order to address this multifaceted problem effectively, my delegation believes that the international community has to increase the resources devoted to mine-clearance activities.

In this regard, the Korean delegation notes with satisfaction that the international community has continued to support humanitarian mine-clearance activities. For example, the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Clearance, launched by the Secretary-General in 1994, has become a principal mechanism for financing activities related to mine clearance. My delegation is further pleased to note that, as of 1 November 1997, more than $41 million had been contributed and pledged to the Fund.

As the Secretary-General's report indicates, the United Nations system has developed a framework for coordinated action in the cause of mine clearance that involves national Governments, non-governmental organizations and the international community as a whole. Of all the United Nations bodies involved in mine clearance, until now the Department of Humanitarian Affairs (DHA) and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) have played the most central role in working out and implementing mine clearance programmes. They have done this both through close coordination of their own activities and by coordinating with other humanitarian agencies and non-governmental organizations.

My delegation notes that as a result of the Secretary-General's initiative for reform of the United Nations, the responsibility for all demining-related activities has been transferred to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, together with the responsibility for the management of the Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Clearance. We fully believe that DPKO will be able to carry out these new tasks successfully.

We also attach importance to the enhanced ability of the United Nations to respond rapidly to mine-related contingencies. In this regard, we support further strengthening the Organization's demining standby capacity so that field operations can be initiated without delays that could lead to needless civilian casualties.

The ultimate goal of mine-action programmes is to turn full responsibility over to national staff by building an indigenous mine-clearing capacity. Any United Nations mine-action country programme should therefore be developed and implemented with that end in mind. At the same time, the mine-affected countries also need to do all they can to acquire and apply the mine-clearance know-how provided by international organs and experts, so that they can learn to help themselves.

Let me now turn to the issue of the total elimination of anti-personnel landmines, a topic which has gained acute prominence with the recent culmination of the Ottawa process. My Government, as is well known, is not at this time able to join in the Ottawa process because of the unique security situation faced by my country on the Korean peninsula. It is no secret that the narrow band of territory around the Demilitarized Zone is one of the most heavily mined places on earth. The mines we have in place there are essential to our national security. However, they are confined to a small, marked and monitored area that is at a safe remove from any civilian population and are under constant, careful supervision.

Within that context, however, the Government of the Republic of Korea is committed to supporting the efforts of the international community to eliminate the tragic human cost of landmines. We share the deep concern of the international community over this awful scourge, and we are manifesting that concern in two major ways.

First of all, the Korean Government has in place a voluntary moratorium on the export of anti-personnel landmines. Recently, that moratorium was extended for an indefinite period. In addition, we are now making the necessary preparations to accede to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, including its amended Protocol II. Secondly, the Korean Government has been and will continue to be a contributor to the Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Clearance.

In these two ways, the Korean Government will continue to contribute to the efforts of the international community to promote demining activities and end the needless suffering of innocents as a result of these weapons.

In closing, I would like to reiterate the view of my delegation that the United Nations should continue to play the central role in the global response to the landmine problem, guiding the international community in its efforts to find a comprehensive solution. Finally, let me express our appreciation for the courage and dedication of all personnel involved in mine clearance activities, including those from the United Nations, non-governmental organizations and other international organizations.

Mr. Elsiddig (Sudan)

The delegation of Sudan has carefully read the report of the Secretary-General on assistance in mine clearance contained in document A/52/679.

We would like to take this opportunity to commend the activities of the organizations of the United Nations system and other bodies and organizations involved in demining. We call for more cooperation and coordination between them, and we wish the Department of Peacekeeping Operations every success in shouldering the responsibilities relating to demining and the management of the Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Clearance that have been transferred to it from the Department of Humanitarian Affairs.

The signing of the Ottawa Convention on banning landmines clearly reflects the will and determination of both the official sectors and the public sectors of the international community to put an end to this crisis which faces humanity because of landmines. We once again congratulate the Canadian Government for this achievement. Sudan has signed the Ottawa agreement on banning landmines because it is aware of its international responsibility and of the humanitarian, social and economic problems of great impact resulting from landmines. Sudan at an early stage has joined all international efforts to eliminate mines.

As we all know, the issue of landmines is highly complex and there is no definitive quick fix for the problem. Despite the signing of the agreement, which we consider a great achievement, we still have a long and arduous road ahead. The mines in place all over the world must be cleared, their victims must be assisted and those injured must be rehabilitated.

It is no secret that this represents a heavy burden on affected countries owing to the magnitude of the task, the scarcity of resources and the paucity of technical equipment, above and beyond geographic and other natural impediments. We therefore appeal from this rostrum for merging our efforts at the Government and organizational level, both inter-State and voluntary, to galvanize our will and generate our energies, both official and at the mass level, in order to provide material and technical resources to implement practical and well-considered programmes to achieve this end.

The Government of the Sudan has drawn up a comprehensive programme to address this problem in all its humanitarian, social and environmental dimensions. Within a framework of integrating our efforts, a National Committee on Demining has been set up, comprised of both Government bodies and non-governmental organizations relevant to this question. Its tasks are threefold: one, to enhance citizen awareness of the risks of mines and to protect the population from their dangers; two, to undertake demining projects, including comprehensive surveys to demarcate mined areas and to train young people and students in demining activities; and three, assistance to victims and the disabled and their rehabilitation, psychologically and socially. Here, we salute the efforts being made by the International Committee of the Red Cross, which helped us set up a factory to make artificial limbs at Khartoum for rehabilitation of the disabled.

In conclusion, the delegation of Sudan would like to take this opportunity to commend the Secretariat's Department of Humanitarian Affairs, which sent a mission to evaluate the mine problem in the Sudan. Sudan looks forward to greater cooperation with all competent authorities in the United Nations system and to their assistance in all possible ways for the implementation of the national demining programme in the Sudan.

Miss Patterson (Australia)

Australia is determined to achieve a comprehensive and lasting solution to the global landmines crisis. At the beginning of December we were one of more than 120 countries that signed the Ottawa Convention on banning landmines. Three countries have already ratified it. This gives us cause for hope. By signing the treaty, a large majority of the international community has entered into a legally binding commitment forswearing the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel landmines. This is an achievement of major international significance.

Australia attaches great importance to finding concrete ways to universalize the treaty. For this reason, we will continue to engage the countries concerned in the Conference on Disarmament and at meetings of parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.

The Ottawa treaty is not the end of the battle. A signature on paper, while important, goes only part of the way in dealing with the immediate threat posed by the millions of landmines currently in the ground or those which, regrettably, will be laid in the future. It is our support for programmes which remove, reduce or ameliorate the threat of landmines which gives the most immediate, substantial and practical effect to Australia's commitment to rid the world of landmines.

Support for demining programmes straddles the boundary between relief and development. Demining saves lives and prevents suffering. But demining also provides an important precondition for rebuilding livelihoods. It has been estimated that without landmines, agriculture production would increase by 88 to 200 per cent in different parts of Afghanistan, 11 per cent in Bosnia, 135 per cent in Cambodia, and 3.6 per cent in Mozambique. At the micro level, it has been estimated that households with a mine victim as a member are 40 per cent more likely to experience difficulty in providing sufficient food for the family.

The largest part of Australia's assistance to mine-action programmes is for direct mine-clearance activities. This includes support for surveys and clearance using detectors, sniffer dogs and, to a limited degree, mechanical clearing devices. In recognition of the long-term nature of the landmine problem, Australia also provides substantial support for mine-awareness activities. This assistance aims to reduce the risk to people who, out of necessity, continue to live in mined areas. We have also been active in providing assistance for the treatment and rehabilitation of mine-accident victims. In addition to directly mine-related assistance, Australia has provided and will continue to provide assistance to address some of the broader problems associated with the presence of landmines. Countries such as Cambodia and Mozambique are major recipients of Australian food aid, which is required partly as a result of arable land being heavily mined.

Australia's demining assistance is focused on five of the countries most heavily infested with mines and unexploded ordnance: Cambodia, Laos, Afghanistan, Angola and Mozambique. Australia is the largest donor to the Cambodian demining program. In Laos, we are the third-largest donor. Our support for mine-action programmes is not only in the form of financial assistance; our military has provided technical assistance to a number of countries. For example, Australian military advisers were instrumental in establishing the mine-action programme in Afghanistan.

The ultimate aim of Australia's demining assistance is to build local capacity in affected countries to implement and sustain demining programmes. This is, I believe, a goal shared by everybody. It requires a long-term commitment, because landmines are a long-term problem for many countries and because many of the heavily mine-affected States have been weakened institutionally and financially by years of conflict. In this context, the sustainability of our assistance is realized through support for both institutional and technical development within counterpart organizations, initial support for recurrent costs, provision of technology and careful use of long-term technical assistance. It is gratifying to note the progress made by the demining programmes in countries such as Cambodia and Afghanistan towards this goal of sustainability.

Sustainability of mine-action programmes requires effective approaches to building human capital in demining programmes. Foreign technical inputs are often crucial in the formative stages. But it is vital that processes are put in place, from the earliest stages, to build and empower local organizations to manage their own demining programmes as soon as possible.

In the area of mine awareness, lessons need to be learned regarding the best ways to increase knowledge about mines in affected communities. Particular focus needs to be given to the best way to reach the most vulnerable groups in communities in danger.

Finally, we must work collectively to ensure that the fast-expanding pool of demining resources is coordinated in a way which maximizes its impact in the field. Above all, we owe it to past and future victims of landmines not to allow the current swelling in donor funds to make us complacent about the task ahead. Nor should we be distracted from the basic principles of good aid, in which the key to success is coordination, both globally and at the country level. The United Nations has proven itself over time best placed to undertake this coordinating role. We should ensure that it receives the support necessary to enable it to continue to do so. The current world focus on the landmines problem presents -- I believe, and my country believes -- the best opportunity the world has to put in place long-term solutions for sustainable development. We must not allow insufficient coordination, much less donor competition, to waste this opportunity.

It is Australia's hope that, in the search for better demining outcomes and the flush of new donor funds, these important elements of effective demining programs are not overlooked.

Clearly, a major focus for the future of demining must be the development of new technologies that make demining faster and safer. An awareness of the appropriateness of any new technology on the ground must be central to the search for better mine-detection and clearance techniques. The capacity of resource-poor local institutions to use and sustain any new technology must be gauged. Australian companies are at the forefront of this research, and I am proud to note that a new form of mine detector developed in Australia is already in use in Cambodia.

In conclusion, Australia is contributing more than we ever have to global mine clearance. Our efforts will continue to be guided by our determination to maximize the practical impact of our contributions. We will continue to scrutinize programmes to ensure their appropriateness, their effectiveness in reaching those most in need and their progress in building local capacity. And we will work hard to ensure that our inputs complement and reinforce, rather than cut across, the efforts of others on the ground. In Ottawa, our Foreign Minister announced that Australia anticipated providing 100 million Australian dollars for mine-clearance and victim-rehabilitation assistance over the period 1995-2005. This we do willingly, though we do regard it as our duty, in common with that of other countries wanting to see an end to this tragedy forever.

Ms. Coelho Da Cruz (Angola)

As one of the most mined countries in the world, Angola shares the deep concern of the international community with respect to the use of anti-personnel landmines, taking into account not only the loss of innocent civilians but also the obstacle landmines present to reconstruction, development and freedom of movement during the post-conflict peace-building process.

Angola, therefore, is among the 122 States which signed in Ottawa the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction. The Convention will be an instrument in the joint efforts to end the suffering caused by anti-personnel mines.

We wish to emphasize the role of the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations in the field of mine clearance, namely in the context of defining policies and priorities as well as in operational and coordination activities.

We would like also to commend the important role played by the non-governmental organizations. However, as a recipient country, my Government is concerned about the reduction of contributions each year to the Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Clearance, which was set up to support demining programmes. We would like to appeal to the international community to continue its support to the Fund and to create additional new resources for this noble cause.

The lack of improved mine-detection and mine-clearance technology is critical. If we want to prevent or reduce the tragedy of landmines and promote reconstruction and development in mine-infested countries, new technology should be developed to expedite mine-clearance activities and increase their effectiveness.

According to United Nations statistics, 1.5 per cent of the population has been injured in mine or unexploded ordinance (UXO) incidents, and there are 70,000 amputees in Angola. Demining operations were carried out in 1991 along major roads, though some are still mined. As the report recognizes, Angola has limited capacities to address the enormity of the mine problem affecting the country.

We sincerely hope that the joint project document signed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Angola for a two-year United Nations programme for Angola to support the development of the National Institute for the Removal of Explosive Devices will succeed for the benefit of the vulnerable populations. We would like to pay tribute to all the Governments and non-governmental organizations for their contributions to the Trust Fund for Demining Activities in Angola and for their assistance in mine-related activities.

It is encouraging to note that efforts in mine-action programmes by the United Nations, individual countries and non-governmental organizations have been intensified. Moreover, governmental and non-governmental organizations have launched a campaign to provide resources and technology for mine clearance, and a number of international conferences have been held to examine ways and means to tackle this problem effectively. More needs to be done both within the United Nations system and the international community at large.

The international community should join hands in helping mine-infested countries develop the national capacity to manage and execute comprehensive programmes for the rehabilitation of victims of landmines and their full participation in society, as called for in the General Assembly resolution 51/149.

Draft resolution A/52/L.69 reflects the concern felt by the Member States on this important issue and stresses the need for coordinated efforts by the international community. My delegation is honoured to join the list of sponsors of the draft resolution and hopes it will be adopted without a vote.

The Acting President

We have heard the last speaker in the debate on this item.

We shall now proceed to consider draft resolution A/52/L.69.

I should like to announce that since the introduction of the draft resolution the following countries have become co-sponsors: Bulgaria, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, El Salvador, Kazakhstan and South Africa.

The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft resolution.

May I take it that the Assembly decides to adopt draft resolution A/52/L.69?

The Acting President

Before calling the first speaker in explanation of vote, may I remind delegations that explanations of vote are limited to 10 minutes and should be made by delegations from their seats.

Ms. Wang (China)

As before, the Chinese delegation has joined the consensus on the resolution on "Assistance in mine clearance". China supports the main thrust of the resolution and is in favour of this humanitarian effort of the international community aimed at preventing casualties among innocent civilians caused by the indiscriminate use of landmines.

Over the years, it has conducted fruitful work both in mine-sweeping operations inside the country and in international assistance in mine clearance. In the future, China will continue to participate actively in international efforts in mine clearance and will contribute to the Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Clearance. We are also ready to assist countries with landmine problems in the areas of mine clearance, related training, technology and equipment.

We have noted that some countries have concluded and signed the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction. China respects the sovereign choice made by those countries and understands their humanitarian aspirations and concerns. We are of the view, however, that the issue of security is of itself a humanitarian concern. The general principle guiding the approach to the landmine problem should take balanced account both of humanitarian concerns and of the legitimate military needs of sovereign States for self-defence.

China supports appropriate and reasonable restrictions on mines, especially anti-personnel landmines, but countries differ in their national conditions and defence needs. For many countries, especially those lacking advanced defensive weapons, anti-personnel landmines remain an effective means of self-defence while they seek alternative means. In the context of any ban on anti-personnel landmines, we should also abide by the principle of upholding the right to national security.