3 April 2010 - Dozens of deminers wearing crisp blue uniforms and face-protecting helmets lined up to greet the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Afghanistan, Staffan de Mistura, ambassadors and donors today at a compound devoted to mine awareness and filled with the detritus of war.

“Today all over the world, particularly the countries with mines, there is special celebration, but also a special commitment,” said SRSG de Mistura, honouring the fifth anniversary of International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action (4 April). “I am delighted to be with the donors who are helping the Afghans to continue to confront what is one of the biggest problems Afghanistan has had for more than 30 years.”

More than 10,000 deminers and associated staff work in Afghanistan, many for implementing partners of the UN-supported implementing partners of the The Mine Action Programme of Afghanistan (MAPA). De Mistura, who was himself involved with clearing areas of mines for the return of Afghan refugees when he worked here 22 years ago, noted that since then, more than 15,000 minefields and battlefields, have been cleared, and millions of Afghans have received mine risk education throughout the country.

”Afghanistan can be proud of being on the side of example, rather than the problem. Afghanistan needs this feeling these days in particular, not only on demining, but in many other fields. They must feel this pride that helps us to go forward,” he added.

De Mistura joined Dr Abdul Martin Adrak, general director of the Afghanistan Natural Disaster Management Authority, United States Ambassador Karl Eikenberry and Canadian Ambassador William Crosbie in saluting deminers and other mine action staff at a ceremony held at the compound of the Organization for Mine Clearance and Afghan Rehabilitation (OMAR). Featuring retired helicopters and fighter jets converted to classrooms, a museum of various weapons used throughout conflicts in the region and a workshop where staff disabled by mines produce demining tools, OMAR functions as a theme park for mine awareness, education, prevention and rehabilitation, on the outskirts of Kabul.

Five demining implementing partners were represented at the event: Afghanistan Technical Consultants, Mine Clearance and Planning Agency, HALO Trust, the Demining Agency for Afghanistan and OMAR.

These organizations have removed hundreds of thousands of landmines and millions of other explosive remnants of war, helping some 1,370 Afghan communities to be declared mine-free.

Currently, about 40 Afghans a month are injured or killed by mines, about one quarter the number for 2002.

For more information, please contact:

Kangying Guo, Public Information Officer, UNAMA, guok@un.org, 93 (0) 796 002 643
Flora Sutherland, Senior Communications Officer, MACCA, flora.sutherland@macca.org.af,

93 (0) 705 966 371