General Assembly Session 55 meeting 73

The President

Before giving the floor to the first speaker, I should like to inform members that, in a letter dated 6 October 2000 addressed to the President of the General Assembly, the Permanent Representative of Turkey to the United Nations, in his capacity as Chairman of the Group of Western European and other States for the month of October, requests that the General Assembly hear in plenary meeting a statement by the observer of Switzerland in the debate on agenda item 47.

In view of the importance attached to the issue under discussion, it is proposed that the General Assembly should take a decision on that request.

If there is no objection to the proposal, may I take it that the General Assembly decides to hear a statement by the observer of Switzerland in the debate on this item?

The President

I call on the representative of France, who will introduce draft resolution A/55/L.44/Rev.1.

Mr. Le Caruyer de Beauvais (France)

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the countries of the European Union. The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the European Union -- Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia -- and the associated countries Cyprus and Malta, as well as Iceland, a European Free Trade Association country that is a member of the European Economic Area.

This agenda item, "Assistance in mine action", involves a scourge that continues, day after day, to claim innocent lives all over the world. The tragedy of anti-personnel mines, which particularly affect the civilian populations of countries already suffering as a result of past or current armed conflict, continues unabated despite the efforts of the international community.

A large number of countries are, however, devoting substantial resources to mine action, such as mine-clearance programmes and landmine victim assistance operations. The amount spent on this effort in 1999 is estimated at more than $219 million. This is clearly not sufficient, however, to eliminate the unfortunately often irreversible effects of the use of this cowardly and cruel weapon. We must therefore continue the parallel diplomatic endeavour to convince an ever-growing number of countries to join our fight.

The focus today should be on the responsibility of those who are still using these mines that kill and mutilate every day. The international community must unremittingly insist that they stop using these arms and encourage them to become involved in the fight against mines.

Substantial developments have taken place over the last year in combating anti-personnel landmines. The number of States parties to the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction continues to grow. The Meeting of States parties to this Convention, held last September in Geneva, adopted several reforms that, we hope, will further enhance the effectiveness of mine action.

The European Union hopes that this fight will be waged in every way that can lead to results. As a priority, it is pushing for the comprehensive and speedy implementation of the Ottawa Convention, which unquestionably set an international standard.

In particular we support the efforts of the non-governmental organizations, whose energy devoted to advancing the fight against mines is an essential factor of progress. The progress made thus far is largely due to that positive action. The Union also supports the central role played by the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, as the sole United Nations coordinator in the area of demining.

We cannot confine our efforts to policy statements. In the more concrete field of demining and victim assistance programmes, which since 1997 have been part of a common action adopted by the European Union, the European Commission and the member States spent more than 103 million euros on operational programmes last year, making the Union the largest contributor to these activities. Its aid will continue to be focused, on a priority basis, on those countries that have acceded to the Ottawa Convention. We call on those countries able to do so to follow us in this approach, and we welcome the efforts of all the other countries that support action in the fight against anti-personnel mines.

Mr. Le Caruyer de Beauvais (France)

The Secretary-General's report again shows the scope of the task remaining to be accomplished if we are to continue and enhance the international community's efforts to combat the scourge of anti-personnel mines. We have pledged to win this fight rapidly, and it is in this spirit that the European Union is presenting a draft resolution this year devoted to mine action. We hope that it will receive very broad support and that it can be adopted by consensus, as such resolutions have been in years past.

Mr. Kolby (Norway)

Landmines endanger the safety and well-being of individuals. They prevent people from exercising basic human rights such as the right to freedom of movement, the right to food and the right to health. They ruin the prospects for economic and social development. It is important to realize the humanitarian implications and the human dimension of the landmine problem. Humanitarian mine action must be people-centred. It is a question of the socio-economic recovery of war-torn communities, reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction and, ultimately, human development.

The mine ban Convention has been invaluable in generating political momentum and providing a practical tool for the implementation of necessary action to deal with these challenges. According to the Landmine Monitor Report released by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, there have been significant accomplishments in the field during the last year. The production of anti-personnel landmines has dropped dramatically, trade has practically come to a halt, millions of stockpiled anti-personnel landmines have been destroyed, a large area of mined ground has been demined, and more importantly, there has been a significant drop in the number of new mine victims in key countries.

But the unacceptable reality remains. Landmines continue to maim and kill innocent people. Landmines continue to pose a humanitarian and socio-economic problem of crisis proportions in too many countries. Certain Governments and rebel groups continue to use anti-personnel mines. We must therefore continue our efforts to universalize the mine ban Convention, to remove mines from the ground and to better address the needs of mine victims and mine-affected communities. We urge all those States that have not yet signed and ratified the Convention to do so.

The inter-sessional work programme under the Convention was established in order to facilitate and support the effective functioning of the Convention by creating an arena where Governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and academic institutions could meet to exchange information, experiences and expertise and to mobilize resources to meet the needs in the field. The first year of this programme has been successful. It was encouraging to see the large number of participants from mine-affected areas and organizations working in the field. The active participation of the relevant United Nations agencies during this work programme is welcome.

Norway welcomes the report of the Secretary-General on assistance in mine action. We fully share the approach by which from an early stage mine action constitutes an integral part of the Organization's broader response to humanitarian crises, development and reconstruction efforts in the aftermath of conflict. Mine action cannot be perceived as a mere technical operation. In carrying out its role in mine action, the United Nations must acknowledge the implications of the problem and the urgency with which it has to be addressed. Most United Nations agencies, and in particular the United Nations Development Programme, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Food Programme, are in some way or another affected by the landmines problem on a daily basis through their various programmes. The need to deal effectively with landmines is increasingly also being realized in relation to peacekeeping operations. Greater coherence of efforts related to landmines within the United Nations is required. In this regard we support the continuous development and role of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) as the focal point for mine action within the United Nations system, in close cooperation with the relevant agencies and programmes. We have contributed to the Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Action in support of the activities of UNMAS, and support efforts to put UNMAS on a more secure and stable financial footing.

We attach great importance to the revision of the international standards for humanitarian mine clearance and the development of international test procedures and guidelines for the use of mine-detection dogs and mechanical mine-clearance equipment. This will make mine-action programmes more effective and reduce accident rates and instances of incomplete clearance.

Predictable and stable funding is necessary to carry out mine-action programmes effectively. Norway has made a commitment of $120 million over a five-year period. Since 1998 more than $63 million has been allocated to mine-action projects in the field.

I would like to highlight a few points that Norway regards as being of particular relevance with regard to the implementation of mine-action programmes for next year.

The first is dissemination of information. We must continue to focus on improving the dissemination of relevant information. This includes enhancing transparency in mine-action funding; continuing the level I impact surveys; continuing the development and implementation of the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA); promoting transparency in victims assistance programming and highlighting gaps; relevant guidelines for mine action; exchange of information regarding stockpile destruction; and encouraging States parties to the mine ban Convention to comply with the reporting obligations in accordance with article 7.

The second point regards coordination and flexibility. We should make better use of coordination mechanisms at the country and local levels. It is preferable that these mechanisms be headed by the national and local authorities. Coordination groups should include donors, international organizations and national and international non-governmental organizations, and the groups should work closely with mine-action coordination centres. The United Nations Mine Action Coordination Centre in Kosovo is a special case, but it has managed to encompass all major mine-action actors in one homogeneous structure. This experience should be shared with other mine-action programmes, bearing in mind that each situation is different.

The third point concerns implementation. We must continue to focus on progress in the field. The only sound goal is to further improve the figures on cleared land and to achieve a decline in the number of new landmine victims. To this end, we will continue to give priority to the full implementation of the mine ban Convention as the only international instrument for addressing mine action in a comprehensive way.

Finally, as regards victim assistance, existing structures within the health and social sectors should be reinforced and services and programmes aimed at mine victims should include all persons with disabilities, regardless of their cause. International organizations, donors and affected States should examine further ways of enhancing mine-victim assistance, including socio-economic reintegration.

Norway looks forward to continuing its close collaboration with all relevant actors in meeting the challenges ahead.

Mr. Livermore (Canada)

Canada wishes to express its appreciation to the Secretary-General for again providing such a comprehensive report on mine action. He has clearly highlighted the central issue before us: a global landmine problem posing challenges to us all. Equally, however, the report records impressive progress. We are grateful for the important role that the United Nations has played in achieving this progress.

In particular, Canada applauds the activities of the United Nations Mine Action Service in its important coordination role and in assessing the threat of landmines in numerous countries. We thank the United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs for its work in supporting the Meetings of the States parties to the Ottawa Convention and in ensuring the effective transparency of reports submitted under article 7 of the Convention. We extend our appreciation to the United Nations Development Programme for its commitment to develop long-term capacity to manage and coordinate mine-action programmes. And we acknowledge and appreciate the important role of other United Nations agencies in addressing the insidious effects of landmines.

Mr. Livermore (Canada)

The Secretary-General has pointed out that landmines continue to cause tremendous suffering in many of the world's countries. We now know, however, that the novel measures that have been taken at the global level to address this problem are beginning to make a difference. The Ottawa Convention, which has now been officially accepted by a majority of the world's States, provides the international community a general framework for resolving the problem of landmines. In 1999 we celebrated the early entry into force of this important humanitarian instrument. This year, the partnership between Governments and civil society, which is essential, was strengthened in an effort to bring about the full implementation of the Convention.

Mr. Livermore (Canada)

This positive change is measurable. According to the International Campaign to Ban Landmine's Landmine Monitor Report, the number of producers of anti-personnel mines has dropped sharply in recent years, from 54 to 16. Today, of the 34 nations known to have exported anti-personnel mines in the past, all but one have at least made a formal statement that they have ceased to export. And more than 22 million stockpiled landmines have been destroyed in recent years by more than 50 nations.

In the most mine affected States in the world, more land is being freed from its deadly bondage and is being returned to productive use in communities that need it the most. While the inhumanity of antipersonnel landmines continues to claim new victims, we also know that casualty rates are declining -- largely due to efforts to deliver risk-reducing mine awareness programmes. The guidelines for the delivery of mine awareness education developed by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) should go a long way to improving the effectiveness of this important aspect of mine action. We encourage both the implementation of these guidelines and regular evaluations to ensure the effectiveness of mine awareness education.

Landmine survivors and their communities are now receiving more and better services and support. We commend organizations like the Landmine Survivors Network for continuing to be at the forefront of delivering services to landmine victims and encouraging Governments to honour commitments to those whose lives have been changed as a result of the horrors of landmines.

More information and better ways of managing this information are leading to effective international priority-setting. Over the past year, an impressive amount of progress has been made in undertaking socio-economic impact surveys and assessment missions and in the deployment to date in 11 countries of the Information Management System for Mine Action, developed by the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining.

Possibly most important of all, increased efforts are being undertaken to ensure the sustainability of mine action efforts. In Canada, for example, the Canadian Landmine Foundation has been established to promote ongoing private sector involvement in addressing the global landmine problem. In other countries as well, resource mobilization efforts have given the international community new tools to carry out vital programmes.

While heartened by this progress, we are reminded on a daily basis of the challenges that remain. We therefore recognize that achieving the promise of the Ottawa Convention means continuing the struggle against the production, use, stockpiling and transfer of these insidious weapons. We call upon those States that remain outside of the framework of the Ottawa Convention to join the majority of the world's States that have chosen to eradicate these weapons -- in years, not decades.

We reiterate our call to those in a position to do so to provide technical and financial assistance to meet the enormous challenges of mine action and, where relevant, to integrate mine action efforts into development planning and programming. In a similar vein, we call upon the Security Council, when establishing mandates for peacekeeping operations, to express its readiness to consider articulating objectives for mine action in the context of its mandates.

To ensure continued progress towards the universalization of the Convention, we need to set practical deadlines. For example, with the Convention's third annual meeting, scheduled for Managua in September of next year, we should commit ourselves to the total destruction of stockpiled mines in the Americas by that time. We should strive to ensure that at least 120 States have ratified the Convention by that date, and we should ensure that all States parties are in compliance with the Convention's transparency reporting requirements.

To meet these targets, we need to identify and address impediments. For example, at a recent seminar on stockpile destruction held in Buenos Aires, delegations from signatory countries of the Americas agreed on a practical, achievable work plan. Experts will be coordinated to provide technical assistance on stockpile destruction in a timely manner. Assistance will be provided to help States in completing transparency reports.

While the meeting in Managua next year will rightly place a spotlight on the Americas, we are equally committed to making progress in other parts of the world. To maintain the momentum in Africa, for example, Canada, France and Mali are supporting a conference to take place in Bamako in February 2001. At that time, we hope to develop plans of action and means to undertake these actions in the African context. Similarly, Canada and Hungary will be sponsoring a regional seminar on the special problems of PFM landmine destruction to be held in Budapest in early February of next year. This will draw upon the special expertise of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and some of its member States.

Mr. Livermore (Canada)

We all share a common cause to find a common solution to the problem of landmines in the world. It is our joint responsibility to honour the memory of those who have lost their lives as a result of the use of these weapons, and it is our obligation to help the victims of landmines. We await the day when we can declare the world free of the scourge of mines.

Mr. Livermore (Canada)

In all of this work, the role of the United Nations, its agencies and its partner organizations is absolutely central. Through international cooperation, effectively coordinated and implemented, we can get the most out of limited resources. Through the leadership of the United Nations, we can move forward collectively, in keeping with common standards. Through the moral suasion of the United Nations, we can make the Ottawa Convention the standard of universality and comprehensiveness necessary for the total eradication of the scourge of landmines.

I applaud the leadership of the Organization. Canada looks forward to continued cooperation on mine action in the years ahead.

Mr. Kobayashi (Japan)

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