MEDIA RELEASE
Released By:
Smith
Australia will mark International Mine Action Day on 4 April with an expanded contribution to landmine and unexploded ordnance clearance in Afghanistan.
We will provide $10 million to help continuing efforts to clear mines, assist survivors and provide education to mine-affected communities, reducing the threat of landmines and explosive remnants of war to the Afghan people.
This funding, through our international development agency, AusAID, will support the work of the United Nations Mine Action Program for Afghanistan, one of the largest global mine action programs.
AusAID's Mine Action Strategy has committed $75 million from 2005 to 2010. Mine Action has a focus on the heavily mine-affected countries of the Asian region.
Afghanistan is one of the world's most heavily mined countries, having endured decades of conflict. Landmines and explosive remnants of war kill or injure over 60 Afghans each month - approximately two people every day. Tragically, half of these victims are children.
Australia's assistance will make a significant contribution to one of Afghanistan's Millennium Development Goals: to destroy all anti-personnel landmines and other explosive contaminants by 2015.
Our funding will support mine action activities along Afghanistan's border with Pakistan and in the province of Oruzgan, where Australian troops are deployed. The program will encourage economic activity in disadvantaged provinces by releasing de-contaminated land to communities for agriculture, pasture, and housing and reconstruction projects.
Australia is a leading contributor to international mine clearance, mine risk education and survivor assistance. Our assistance is part of a wider package of humanitarian and development measures for Afghanistan of up to $66 million in 2007-08. This assistance underlines our commitment to helping Afghanistan on its journey to become a viable and stable member of the international community.
Today's announcement takes Australia's commitment to around $25 million in 2007-08 for global mine action activities and builds on our strong support for mine action, focussing on heavily mine-affected countries of our region.
High priority mine-action partner countries such as Cambodia have achieved significant progress with Australian support including the clearance of almost 8 million square metres of land, the provision of over 6000 prosthetics to landmine survivors and the reduction, by more than half, of the number of land mine accidents since 2005.
Background
The Mine Action Strategy: Australian Mine Action Programs
- Mine action is a significant part of Australia's aid program.
- AusAID's Mine Action Strategy has committed $75 million from 2005 to 2010. Mine Action has a focus on the heavily mine-affected countries of the Asian region.
- Under the strategy, Australia will spend an estimated $25 million in 2007/08 on de-mining, survivor assistance, mine risk education, and Mine Ban Convention advocacy activities.
- Survivor assistance is a key component of the strategy. It responds to the needs of victims and their communities, by providing a range of disability support services, including medical, rehabilitation, psycho-social and socio-economic assistance. Where possible, support is integrated into existing health and disability services.
Afghanistan ($10 Million)
- Australia will provide $10 million for de-mining, mine risk education and survivor assistance to reduce the threat of landmines and explosive remnants of war to communities in Afghanistan.
- The funding will be provided through the United Nations Mine Action Program for Afghanistan.
Cambodia ($6.4 million)
- Australia works at the international, national and local level in Cambodia on de-mining, mine risk education and survivor assistance:
- We work with the government's Cambodian Mine Action Authority to improve service provision to landmine survivors and people with disabilities.
- Australia supports the United Nations Development Program Clearing for Results program in Cambodia ($12 million from 2007-2010). The fund focuses on aligning mine clearance with national and provincial development plans. Land is cleared for productive use, with priority given to land for roads, agriculture and resettlement.
- The Landmine Survivors Assistance Program will provide $2.5 million between 2007 and 2009 to landmine survivors in Cambodia. The program is managed by the Australian and Cambodia Red Cross. The Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance, Mr Bob McMullan, will open a photography exhibition at the High Court on 14 April that focuses on this program.
- Australia works with other non government organisations including AustCare to improve livelihoods and improve service to people with disabilities and landmine survivors.
Laos ($2.9 million)
- This program focuses on demining and survivor assistance:
- Australian works with the Foundation Suisse du Deminage ($1.5 Million) to deliver community based unexploded ordnance risk and improve livelihoods of ethnic communities in Sekong and Savannakhet provinces in the south of the country.
- We provide technical support to the Laos National Regulatory Authority to allow better coordination, prioritisation and strategic planning of Mine Action activities.
- Australia also works to enhance access to and the capacity of existing national and provincial rehabilitation services and to integrate the needs of people with disabilities into the Laos-Australia NGO Cooperation Agreement.
Iraq ($2 million)
- This program focuses on demining:
- Australia will work with the United Nations Development Program and the Danish Demining Group to facilitate demining activities in the south of Iraq.
Lebanon ($1 million)
- We provided funding to the United Nations Mine Action Service in Lebanon for explosive remnants of war clearance following the 2006 conflict. This program is not ongoing.
Vietnam ($500,000)
- This program focuses on survivor assistance:
- Australia contributes to the International Red Cross' Special Fund for the Disabled
- This activity supports nine rehabilitation centres in Vietnam producing and providing prosthetics and orthotics and training local counterparts.
Sri Lanka ($220,000)
- This program focuses on demining:
- We work with the United Nations Development Program to support the National Mine Action Programme in Sri Lanka in coordinating mine action activities and developing national capabilities to implement and manage effective mine action activities that are targeted to the resettlement and reconstruction goals of the country. We also provide technical expertise.
- Australia supports the Swiss Foundation for Mine Action to clear mines in the Vavuniya and Mannar districts in the north of the country.
Media contacts:
Courtney Hoogen 0488 244 901
AusAID Public Affairs 0417 680 590