15 October 2002
Text: Bloomfield Says Landmines Threaten Stability of Fragile Nations
(Demining efforts are showing results across the world, he says)
(1330)
Landmines left behind from previous wars make it harder for societies
to recover from conflict because they threaten the stability of
fragile governments, and they "hinder the ability of peacekeepers and
humanitarian aid workers to assist people in communities that have
been torn apart by war," says Assistant Secretary of State for
Political-Military Affairs Lincoln Bloomfield.
"The good news is that in recent years a lot of work has been done
around the world to address this problem, including clearing landmines
from the ground, a process known as humanitarian demining," Bloomfield
said October 11 during the People to People International's 15th
Worldwide Conference. People to People recently became an official
partner with the Department of State in its global humanitarian
demining program that includes non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Bloomfield said that through the State Department's humanitarian
demining program, the United States now provides major assistance to
more than 40 mine-affected nations.
"Between the U.S. government's official efforts and investment in
humanitarian mine action totaling over $600 million dollars since 1993
alone -- and tens of millions of dollars contributed by the private
sector in the last few years -- Americans have joined with donors
around the world to lower the rate of civilian landmine casualties,"
Bloomfield said. "It was estimated in 1993 that as many as 26,000
people were being killed or injured by landmines every year. We now
think the number is much closer to 10,000 casualties per year. Of
course, that is still 10,000 too many."
Following is the text of Bloomfield's remarks:
(begin text)
Lincoln P. Bloomfield, Jr.
Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs
Remarks at People to People International's 15th Worldwide Conference
Kansas City, Missouri
October 11, 2002
Mary, thank you very much for that generous introduction. Good
evening, everyone. Your Royal Highness, distinguished guests, ladies
and gentlemen, I d like to thank our distinguished hostess, Mary
Eisenhower, and her excellent staff here in Kansas City for making it
possible for me to join you this evening.
Tonight it is my sincere pleasure to welcome People to People
International as an official partner of the United States Department
of State in our fight against the global tragedy of landmines. Our
partnership will be an important example of citizens and their
government working together. We are all part of the larger
international culture of caring about other people. It is my belief
that we -- your fine organization and the Department of State -- can
accomplish more by working together than we can working separately.
Landmines are small but deadly weapons that armies use to keep enemy
forces away from a certain area. They are designed to explode when a
soldier steps on them. The explosion is powerful enough to kill a
small child. Adults often lose a leg, or a hand; many are blinded by
the explosion. In over 60 countries, on almost every continent,
hundreds of thousands of people have been killed or injured by these
exploding munitions left behind from previous wars. Millions of
landmines today lie in wait for victims. These landmines make it much
harder for societies to recover from conflict. They threaten the
stability of fragile governments, and hinder the ability of
peacekeepers and humanitarian aid workers to assist people in
communities that have been torn apart by war.
The good news is that in recent years a lot of work has been done
around the world to address this problem, including clearing landmines
from the ground, a process known as humanitarian demining.
In 1988 the United States government helped to launch the first
international humanitarian demining project when we deployed demining
teams to Afghanistan. In 1993, we formally established a worldwide
Humanitarian Demining Program, and through it we now provide major
assistance to 40 mine-affected nations. But governments alone cannot
solve this enormous problem -- there is a lot of important work to do.
That is why we have been enlisting the help of private citizens, and
private organizations, who are reinforcing governmental efforts to
make the world "mine safe," so people everywhere can live and work,
and walk, without fear of injury or death.
"Mine action" is the term we use to describe all these efforts. There
are three main pillars of mine action:
-- humanitarian demining, which includes surveying and marking
minefields and safely removing mines from the ground;
-- mine risk education, which helps prevent injury and death by
teaching people who live in mine affected areas about the dangers to
be avoided; and
-- landmine survivors' assistance, which includes medical care,
therapy, prosthetics (or artificial limbs) and retraining for people
injured by landmines.
The first goal is for survivors to believe in themselves and work hard
to ensure their future. We want to help them develop skills to enable
them to provide for themselves and their families, and lead productive
lives in spite of their injuries.
In 1997, the State Department established our first mine action
partnership when we officially supported the Adopt-A-Minefield program
of the United Nations Association of the USA. This innovative effort
allowed private individuals, clubs, schools or towns to raise funds
for specific towns overseas in desperate need of help to clear
minefields. Adopt-A-Minefield already has successfully cleared
minefields in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Cambodia, Croatia and Mozambique.
We in the State Department now have over 20 private partners who are
doing wonderful work in the different fields of mine action. This
public-private partnership concept is still a relatively new way to
solve problems. So People to People International is in the forefront
of an important new innovation in our nation's foreign relations
activities. And let me tell you, although our mine action partnership
program is only 5 years old, it is working and working well.
Between the U.S. government's official efforts and investment in
humanitarian mine action totaling over $600 million dollars since 1993
alone -- and tens of millions of dollars contributed by the private
sector in the last few years -- Americans have joined with donors
around the world to lower the rate of civilian landmine casualties. It
was estimated in 1993 that as many as 26,000 people were being killed
or injured by landmines every year. We now think the number is much
closer to 10,000 casualties per year. Of course, that is still 10,000
too many.
But we can succeed with enough effort. In Kosovo, site of a recent
conflict, the demining efforts of the U.S. and other members of the
international community have worked, and this war-torn Yugoslav
province was declared "mine safe" last year.
A number of specialized non-government organizations have been working
for years, as we have, to address the landmine problem. You can learn
about some of them at our display here at your conference. We are
committed to supporting their work because each organization has
something unique and valuable to contribute to the task of solving
this urgent problem.
People to People International can make a big difference as well, with
your long history of working to promote international friendship
through humanitarian work. Your Committees on Education, Community
Service Programs, and People with Disabilities can raise public
awareness of the landmine problem and help mobilize resources to
address needs around the world. Your outreach activities overseas will
demonstrate to people in mine-affected communities that you care about
their problems and that you are willing to help them overcome their
challenges.
The Department of State, as your partner, would like to equip you with
the tools, both individually and on a global scale, to embrace mine
action as one of your humanitarian missions.
So I ask all of you tonight to learn about mine action, and to bring a
message of interest, hope and commitment to your families and friends
back in your home chapters. The State Department is proud to call
People to People International its partner, and I am grateful to every
one of you for opening you hearts and minds to this terrible, and yet
terribly rewarding, humanitarian endeavor. With your interest and
commitment and help, we can accelerate the process of making the
entire world "mine safe."
Thank you.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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