Workshop on awareness of landmines and sharing experience in the Arab region
Regional-Syria, Economics, 2/22/2003

A workshop was held in Damascus on February 19 and 20 at the Damascus Union of Physicians on disseminating awareness and sharing experience within the Arab states. It was organized by the Arab Network of Research on Landmines and Remnants of War; and the Syrian ministry of health with the support from the Canadian embassy in Damascus.

Landmines and other remnants of war constitute a great challenge hindering social, health and economic development in the Arab states. This issue, however, was not given due interest by Arab establishments concerned. However, disseminating awareness at the social level over this problem is but a starting point ahead to eliminate the catastrophic outcome of landmines on the individual, the family and the society as a whole.

The workshop debated some awareness experiences on the consequences of landmines, especially in Lebanon, Egypt, Kuwait, Yemen, Sudan and Syria.

An touching experience was related by one Syrian citizen Omar al-Heibah, who lost his eye- sight in his village in the Golan, by a landmine implanted by the Israeli army forces in the occupied Syrian Golan, when he was just 13 year old.

In a statement to Arabic News (ArabicNews.com), UNICEF program Coordinator Narindar Sharma said "I am pleased to be here with this workshop on awareness of mines and sharing the experience within the region." He added that it is an established fact that millions of land mines are laid in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Sudan and other Arab states and that in any kind of war, during and after, women and children are the main sufferers and Syria is not an exception, where children become the victims of the Israeli landmines in Quneitra area.

He said to help in this regard, UNICEF initiated the first campaign in Quneitra with the "healthy villages program" with the Ministry of Health, Governorate of Quneitra, the Revolution's Youth Union and the General federation of women in order to start the mine awareness campaigns, also creating safe playgrounds for the children, within the same initiative to address the issue of disability in Quneitra, a center to assist disabled children is planned, to be operational this month, February.

He added that UNICEF welcomes any initiative regarding mine awareness and prevention of accidents where children can be saved.

In her presentation, Mrs. Aliya Mawan, the third secretary at the Canadian embassy in Damascus said that for many years, Canada has been deeply committed to the global fight against landmines. She added that five years ago, the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti- Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, was opened for signature in Ottawa. The Ottawa Convention was signed on that occasion by a record 122 states, and subsequently ratified and brought into force in a record 15 months.

She indicated that this achievement was an extraordinary response to a concentrated effort by a global coalition of civil society organizations and individuals, governments and international organizations who had concluded that the human toll and the social and economic devastation wrought by these indiscriminate weapons could not possibly be justified by any legitimate military purpose.

She hinted that one of the reasons that the efforts of the international community to alleviate the landmine crisis have been successful is that there have been tremendous efforts from members of civil society who are so deeply committed to this issue. It is evident, she said, that without such dedication from civil society, the response would not have been as effective as it has been.

Outlining the achievements attained worldwide in meeting the challenge wrought by anti- personnel mines, Mawan said that to date 131 states have formally joined the Convention, with another 15 signatories yet to ratify; Global use and production of anti- personnel mines have dropped dramatically, and the trade has virtually halted; large stockpiles ( over 34 million to date) have been destroyed, with 35 countries now having announced the complete elimination of their stockpiles; and vast tracts of mined land ( over 1.5 billion square meters to date according to Landmines Monitor ) have been cleared, noting that this is land that can now be used for productive purposes such as agriculture and industry, roads and footpaths, schools and playgrounds.

Highlighting Canada's key role in the campaign to eliminate landmines, Mawan said that the Canadian government takes great pride in the contribution it has made to this cause. She elaborated that in 1997, the Canadian prime minister announced the establishment of the Canadian Landmine Fund, committing 100 million dollars in support of programs that are making a difference in the lives of people in mine affected communities, in every region of the world. She said that this commitment was reaffirmed in December 2002 when Bill Graham, Canada's minister of foreign affairs, who announced that the Fund would be renewed for an additional 4 years in the amount of $ 72 million.

She explained that this funding which is explicitly devoted to mine action, will allow Canada to continue to deliver on her commitment to doing her part in the work that remains to clear mined land, assist landmine survivors, and bring an end to the use, production, stockpiling and export of anti-personnel mines.

Highlighting the implications of landmines at the world level and Canada's concerns to that effect, Mawan said Canada is all too conscious that much work lies ahead, adding that anti- personnel landmines are still used in at least nine countries and fourteen countries are said to produce them. Two hundred and thirty million mines remain stockpiled in ninety four countries. More than seventy- five countries still need help reclaiming their land. And thousands of innocent people still fall victims of these weapons each year.

As landmines is the big issue in areas of conflicts in the world, Mawan regretted that one region where many challenges remain is the Middle East. She recommended that among the most pressing needs is a common platform for action throughout the region, a plan to effectively tackle supply and demand factors, the requirement for both states and non- state actors to be effectively engaged, and the incorporation of both curative and preventive action. She indicated a type of partnership on which the Ottawa Convention is built in that it is imperative that international financial aid and technical help be sustained and that the recipient states themselves provide sufficient resources towards mine action.

Previous Stories:
  UN: Israel rejects to hand over maps of mines planted in South Lebanon   (1/21/2003)
  Children of Quneitra Needs a Healing Touch   (11/15/2002)
  Lebanese receive lands demined with UAE's help   (9/18/2002)
  Syrian- Lebanese cooperation dismantling landmines   (7/20/2002)
  $250 million, costs of removing 23 million mines in Western Desert   (7/5/2002)
  One person wounded of a land mine in South Lebanon   (6/27/2002)
  Some 12 million landmines implanted in Yemen   (6/12/2002)
  Some 400,000 Israeli mines implanted in south Lebanon   (5/28/2002)
  Israel continues to violate Lebanese airspace; Israeli landmine wounds UNIFIL officer   (5/14/2002)
  Land mine blows off in a sheep herd in south Lebanon   (4/23/2002)
  One Lebanese killed by Israeli landmines, 35 Israeli violations of the Lebanese sovereignty in one week   (2/28/2002)
  Egypt calls on international community to help remove 23 million mines   (11/24/2001)
  Egypt's loss due to Alamin minefields estimated at LE 300 billion   (10/25/2001)
  One Syrian killed in the Golan by an Israeli mine   (6/7/2001)
  World War II mines still hinder development in Egypt's Northern Coast   (5/7/2001)
  Land mines between Ethiopia and Eritrea   (10/4/2000)
  Land mines removal strategy approved by the Cabinet   (9/18/2000)
  Libyan- Italian technical committee   (5/15/2000)

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