#explosiveremnants

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10th Session, 21st Meeting of State Parties to Mine Ban Convention.

Twenty-First Meeting of the States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction.

Description

12. Consideration of requests submitted under Article 5

13. Consideration of matters arising from/in the context of reports submitted under Article 7

14. Consideration of requests submitted under Article 8

Failing the establishment of a cooperative dialogue and the resolution of the current status of non-compliance through the submission of an extension request by Eritrea by 31 March 2023, the 20MSP mandated the President of the Twenty-First Meeting of the States Parties to seek clarification and resolve questions related to compliance by Eritrea through the Secretary-General of the United Nations in accordance with Article 8.2 of the Convention and to report back to the States Parties at their Twenty-First meeting.

The President will report back to the States Parties on the implementation of this decision.

15. Election of the President of the Fifth Review Conference of the States Parties and of the Twenty-Second Meeting of the States Parties

The Meeting will be asked to agree that H.E. Ly Thuch, Senior Minister and First Vice-President of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) be elected to preside over the Fifth Review Conference of the States Parties.

The Meeting will be asked to welcome the offer made by Japan to preside over the Twenty-Second Meeting of the States Parties.

The Meeting will be asked to welcome the offer made by Zambia to preside over the Twenty-Third Meeting of the States Parties.

16. Duration and matters pertaining to the preparations for the Fifth Review Conference and the Twenty-Second Meeting of the States Parties

The Meeting will be asked to agree that the Fifth Review Conference take place in Siem Reap, Cambodia from 25 to 29 November 2024.

The Meeting will be asked to agree that the First Preparatory Meeting in advance of the Fifth Review Conference take place on 20 June 2024 in Geneva and that the Second Preparatory Meeting in advance of the Fifth Review Conference take place on 18 September 2024 also in Geneva.

17. Any other business

18. Consideration and adoption of the final document

19. Closure of the Twenty-First Meeting of the States Parties

The Meeting will be asked to take decisions on the requests for extended mine clearance deadlines which will have been or may be submitted by Eritrea and Ukraine.Delegations will be given the opportunity take the floor on matters that have not been covered otherwise by the meeting.The Meeting will be asked to consider and adopt its final report.The meeting will be closed by the President.

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International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action 2023 - Press Conference.

Briefing to reporters by Ambassador Sophea Eat, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Cambodia;  Ambassador Krzysztof Szczerski, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Poland; along with the Assistant Administrator and Director of the Crisis Bureau in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Asako Okai; and Ilene Cohn, Director of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) on the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action 2023.

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Highlighting the urgent need to address decades of contamination and the ongoing threat of explosive ordnance.

This year's theme, "Mine Action Cannot Wait," highlights the urgent need to address decades of contamination and the ongoing threat of explosive ordnance.

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Mine action is a vital element of the nexus between peace and security and development, and a cornerstone in preventing any relapse into future conflicts.

Mine action makes it possible for peacekeepers to carry out patrols, for humanitarian agencies to deliver assistance and for ordinary citizens to live without the fear that a single misstep could cost them their lives

Despite international efforts, the number of people killed or injured by landmines and other explosive hazards has risen following years of decline, the Security Council heard on Friday.

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For the millions living amidst the chaos of armed conflicts, especially women and children, every step can put them in danger’s path.

Global efforts are key to saving lives from the ‘terrifying legacy’ of unexploded ordnance, as it wreaks daily havoc in war-torn and post-conflict communities alike, UN officials said, as Mine Action Week kicked off on Monday.

“For the millions living amidst the chaos of armed conflicts, especially women and children, every step can put them in danger’s path, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, in a message for the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, observed on 4 April.

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The protection implications of landmines and ERW.

Landmines are relatively inexpensive and simple to use; but their effects on civilians, and in many cases humanitarian workers, are devastating. Landmines are inherently indiscriminate in the sense that they cannot be aimed: they do not distinguish between the footstep of a child and that of a soldier. In fact, most of the victims of landmines and ERW are civilians, many of them living in countries that have long been at peace.

Landmines and ERW not only kill: they also cause severe injury and long-term disability, often with grave consequences. A landmine blast can cause severe burns, blindness, loss of limbs, and shrapnel wounds. Those who survive the initial blast often require amputations, long hospitalization, extensive rehabilitation and socio-economic assistance to enable their reintegration into society. Survivors and their families often suffer from lack of medical care, limited access to education and public services, unemployment, discrimination and stigma owing to disability or disfiguration as a result of mines or ERW.

The presence of land mines and ERW, or the mere threat of their presence, may also restrict freedom of movement and block access to fields, roads, water supplies, schools, health centres and other public services. Landmines can thus impede social and economic development and have a paralyzing effect on civilian life and humanitarian operations. Where the threat is overestimated, relief efforts may be slower and more tentative than need be: where it is underestimated, significant casualties and delays can occur. It is thus critical that mine action is mainstreamed within any humanitarian or peacekeeping effort to ensure efficient, effective and timely response.

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Focusing on the impressive achievements of the global mine action community

In 2022 the United Nations Mine Action Service marks the Day under the theme “Safe Ground, Safe Steps, Safe Home.” The focus of the observance is on the impressive achievements of the global mine action community

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Overview of UNMAS work in United Nations peacekeeping and special political missions in 2019.

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Mine action takes place in highly gendered contexts where there are differences and inequalities between women, men, boys and girls, and between diverse groups. These dynamics affect exposure to risk, levels of knowledge and information, and decision-making capacities in affected communities. Gender influences the likelihood of becoming a landmine victim, and the ability to access medical attention, long-term reintegration, risk education and mine awareness resources. Structural inequalities also impact the ability to get employed, influence mine action processes and have access to land after clearance.

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E-MINE is the singular source of information related to the United Nations system engagement on mine action issues.  Managed by UNMAS, this site collates mine action related information with the aim to raise public awareness of the impact mines, explosive remnants of war, and improvised explosive devices have on individuals and communities as well as of the coordinated responses of the United Nations to this problem.