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UN / MINE ACTION AWARENESS
STORY: UN / MINE ACTION AWARENESS
TRT: 3:30
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 04 APRIL 2023, NEW YORK CITY / RECENT
RECENT – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters
04 APRIL 2023, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, press briefing room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Sophea Eat, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Cambodia:
“As you all know, Cambodia is among the most heavily contaminated country by landmine, and explosive remnants of war. And fully realized that mine action is not only a humanitarian issue, but it is also a precondition for sustainable development that leaves no one behind.”
4. Wide shot, press briefing room
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Sophea Eat, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Cambodia:
“The achievement has contributed to the significant casualty drop from 4,320 person per year in 1996 to an average of 57 casualty per year in the last six years.”
6. Wide shot, press briefing room
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Sophea Eat, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Cambodia:
“We are very committed to the Ottawa Convention. We have contributed to demining activity under the UN umbrella. I don't need to go into details of that and most recently, we have contributed to the humanitarian demining training to Ukraine. And we are hoping to do more.”
8. Wide shot, press briefing room
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Krzysztof Szczerski, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Poland:
“We commend the leading role of the UN in fostering worldwide efforts in mine actions that emphasize the role of the humanitarian demining plays in the past conflict context, reconstruction and paving the way to a social and economic recovery.”
10. Wide shot, press briefing room
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Krzysztof Szczerski, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Poland:
“Demining is this number one step to ensure delivery of humanitarian aid. Without demining, we cannot think about the reconstruction of Ukraine, and therefore, all our efforts should take this necessary step into account. Poland strongly believes that the mine action is crucial for the achievement of 2030 agenda and the key in assisting communities in regaining safe and dignified lives.”
12. Wide shot, press briefing room
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Asako Okai, the Assistant Administrator and Director of the Crisis Bureau in the UN Development Program (UNDP):
“The UN and our partners are working hard to support the Government of Ukraine to clear land and help people return home safely. We have been able to reach 3.5 million people's mine actions but so much more need to be done. We call on the international community to sustain and scale up its support on mine action in Ukraine, and in the countries affected by mine around the world. The latest trends in mine action financing have been downwards and critical work remains to be done to achieve a world free from the threat of mine and other explosive remnants of war.”
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Ilene Cohn, Director of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS):
“In mine action, if you don't have women on the team, you're going to do a poor job in planning how to reach women in the communities that are affected. And if you don't do that, you'll miss out on information about where the hazards are. Because women will have different information about the hazards than men or boys or girls. And you'll miss out on an opportunity for conveying messages to men and boys and girls that women are at best places to deliver.”
15. Wide shot, press briefing room
Cambodian Ambassador Sophea Eat, whose country is among the most heavily contaminated by landmine, and explosive remnants of war, told reporters, “Mine action is not only a humanitarian issue, but it is also a precondition for sustainable development that leaves no one behind.”
A press conference was held in New York today (04 Apr) to mark the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.
Ambassador Eat said achievements have been made in deming in her country. She said, “the achievement has contributed to the significant casualty drop from 4,320 person per year in 1996 to an average of 57 casualty per year in the last six years.”
The Cambodian Ambassador reiterated, “We are very committed to the Ottawa Convention. We have contributed to demining activity under the UN umbrella,” adding that “most recently, we have contributed to the humanitarian demining training to Ukraine. And we are hoping to do more.”
Polish Ambassador Krzysztof Szczerski also spoke to the reporters.
He commended “the leading role of the UN in fostering worldwide efforts in mine actions that emphasize the role of the humanitarian demining plays in the past conflict context, reconstruction and paving the way to a social and economic recovery.”
Ambassador Szczerski also said, “Demining is this number one step to ensure delivery of humanitarian aid. Without demining, we cannot think about the reconstruction of Ukraine, and therefore, all our efforts should take this necessary step into account.”
He reiterated, “Poland strongly believes that the mine action is crucial for the achievement of 2030 agenda and the key in assisting communities in regaining safe and dignified lives.”
Senior official at UN Development Program (UNDP) Asako Okai, told reporters, “The UN and our partners are working hard to support the Government of Ukraine to clear land and help people return home safely.”
She explained, “We have been able to reach 3.5 million people's mine actions but so much more need to be done.”
She called on the international community to “sustain and scale up its support on mine action in Ukraine, and in the countries affected by mine around the world.”
Okai added, “The latest trends in mine action financing have been downwards and critical work remains to be done to achieve a world free from the threat of mine and other explosive remnants of war.”
Ilene Cohn, Director of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) told reporters, “In mine action, if you don't have women on the team, you're going to do a poor job in planning how to reach women in the communities that are affected. And if you don't do that, you'll miss out on information about where the hazards are. Because women will have different information about the hazards than men or boys or girls.”
She continued, “And you'll miss out on an opportunity for conveying messages to men and boys and girls that women are at best places to deliver.”
Tuesday 4 April is the International Day designated by the General Assembly to raise awareness and seek assistance for mine action.
In 2023 the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) will acknowledge the day under the campaign “Mine Action Cannot Wait”, highlighting decades of contamination in Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Viet Nam, as well as draw attention to recent explosive ordnance contamination in Myanmar, Ukraine and Yemen.
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