Since 1994, the United States has committed approximately $400 million to worldwide humanitarian demining efforts. With its sights set on 2010, the U.S. Office of Global Humanitarian Demining is working to establish partnerships in the private sector

Cramer, Elizabeth A.

English

James Madison University

Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction Volume 5 Issue 1 The Journal of Mine Action Article 18 April 2001 U.S. Office of Global Humanitarian Demining Works Toward Demining 2010 Goals Elizabeth A. Cramer Center for International Stabilization and Recovery at JMU (CISR) Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal  Part of the Defense and Security Studies Commons, Emergency and Disaster Management Commons, Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, and the Peace and Conflict Studies Commons Recommended Citation Cramer, Elizabeth A. (2001) "U.S. Office of Global Humanitarian Demining Works Toward Demining 2010 Goals," Journal of Mine Action : Vol. 5 : Iss. 1 , Article 18. Available at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol5/iss1/18 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery at JMU Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction by an authorized editor of JMU Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact dc_admin@jmu.edu. 1Cramer: U.S. Office of Global Humanitarian Demining Works Toward Demining 2010 GoalsPublished by JMU Scholarly Commons, 2001The current special represen-tative, Ambassa-dor Steinberg. Asia & the Pacific to improve the effecriveness of the global humanitarian demining effort. The Special Representative's primary responsibility is to coordinate and lead the 20 l 0 Initiative. This is achieved by working with other nations and organizations to coordinate and accelerate international demining efforts. The Special Representative also works to increase the public and private resources dedicated to identifying and clearing mines, promote public awareness about mines, and improve the means of detecting and removing mines. GHD Mission Statement The Office of the Special Representative for G HD seeks to create conditions that will eliminate the threat of landmines to civilians around the world by the year 2010 . The office supports efforts in the U.S. and abroad to accelerate landmine detection and clearance programs, promote landmine awareness in affected nations, assist survivors of landmine accidents, enhance research and development of new demining technologies, and develop public-private partnerships to support these programs (From the Office of the Special Representative of the Presi-dent and Secretary of Scare for Global Humanitarian Demining). • 128 • :iHD Objectives The objectives of GHD are achieved through the combined efforts of U.S. government agencies, foreign governments, nongovernmental agencies, private corporations, international agencies and the United Nations. The ultimate goals are to empower mine-affected countries to assume their own leadership over mine action programs and to speed the pace of demining. The goals ofG HD depend upon partnerships with the private sector and the availability of adequate resources from appropriated U.S. funds. While, contriburions have already been made to mine action by corporations, NGOs, philanthropic foundations, civic foundations, educational institutions and other private groups, public-private partnerships are needed both presently and for the future to speed the demining efforts. Ambassador Steinberg's Recent Address On Nov. 28, 2000, rhe current special representative, Ambassador Steinberg, addressed the U .N . General As-sembly with an update on the progress in the fight against landmines. Ambassador Steinberg reassured the audience that the United Scare s is pleased to support the effort to reduce the danger of over 70,000 land mines that threaten individuals and the peace, democracy, and national recon-ciliation of one-third of the world's nations. He outlined GHD's progress since 1997 . Since then, the United Scare s has destroyed 3.3 million landmincs. In 1997, rhe coun-try unilaterally banned the export and transfer of APLs, and by 2003 it will end the use of all APLs outside Korea. Ambassador Steinberg also stated that the Unit ed States i  seeking alternatives to landmines. The United States has committed to joining the Ottawa Treaty by 2006 if effec-tive alternatives can be found and deployed by char time. H e stated that the United Scares is currently working with more chan 36 nations in mine clearance, mine awareness education and mine clearance training. Although the programs cake place worldwide, the largest programs are in Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia, Cambodia, Central America, Laos, Mozambique, and Rwanda. The United States is using the best scientific talent available to identify new demining and clearance techniques. GHD continues to advise and support mine action centers such as the Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) and James Madison University's Mine Action Information Center. In his speech, Ambassador Steinberg also outlined some of the exciting efforts of GHD to help establish public-private partnerships to support the Demining 20 l 0 Initiative. The United Nations Association of the USA's (UNA-USA) Adopt-A-Minefield program generates private contriburions to de mine the 100 worst mine fields in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Cambodia, Croatia and Mozambique, in coordination with Ted Turner's U.N. Foundation. The U.N. Foundation is also supporting the Survey Action Center to produce mine surveys of a dozen countries. DC Comics created more than 1 million mine awareness comic books for children in Bosnia, Central America and Kosovo. An especially exciting operation is the joint effort of the Marshall Legacy Institute and the Humpty Dumpty Institute to purchase, train, and deploy mine detecting dogs worldwide, including a dog team recently sent to Lebanon. Wheelchairs for the World is helping disabled people regain mobility throughout the world. GHD Efforts m 2000 Besides spearheading efforts to promote private-public partnersh ips, Ambassador Steinberg worked to raise domestic awareness of the landmine issue. In December 2000, he addressed over 600 high school students from 27 schools at the 17th Prince William Model United Nations Conference ar C.D. Hylton Senior High Schoolin Woodbridge, Va. In his speech tided "Humanitarian Demining: To Walk the Earth in Safety," Steinberg described U .S. and U.N. mine clearance efforts. The conference was designed for students to model actual foreign delegations to the United Nations in attempt to address world issues through diplomacy, debate, negotiation and parliamentary procedure. An ongoing partnership arranged by the special representative between the U .S. Department of State and Roots of Peace, a California-based NGO, has evolved into a new mine awareness campaign. Passengers of public transportation in the San Francisco Bay Area are now seeing bright orange advertisements with the message "What if landmines were in the USA?" The signs are designed co provoke commuters to imagine the effects of landmines and provide information about how they can participate in making the Balkans mine-safe through Roots of Peace and the Slovenian International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victim Assistance. The District of Columbia Students Against Landmines (DC SALaaM) Project was created in January 2000 as part ofTed Turner's U.N. Foundation outreach program to the District. This project incorporates the UNA-USA Adopt-A-Minefield Program. On Nov. 16, 2000, Ambassador Steinberg was the keynote speaker at Bell Multicultural High School to helplaunch DC SALaaM's campaign to raise funds to clear a mine field in Mozambique. The U.S. Office of GHD ambassador shared his experiences in Angola and Kosovo, where he saw firsthand the effects oflandmines on civilians. Two Texas chapters of the UNA-USA also launched drives to clear select mine fields in Bosnia and Herzegovina as part ofUNA-USA's Adopt-A-Minefield program. On Sept. 21, 2000, Ambassador Steinberg was a keynote speaker at the GHD conference held by the Austin Chapter of UNA-USA to promote public awareness for humanitarian demining, particularly to "adopt" a mine field in the village of Praca, Bosnia and Herzegovina. T he Ambassador then proceeded ro help the Houston Chapter launch its Adopt-A-Minefield drive to clear another mined area in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He also spoke at four schools while in Texas. The ambassador and GHD cominue to plan evems to promote public awareness of the landmine problem. GHD Plans for 2001 Since former President C limon's 1994 call to the United Nations to eliminate the threat of landmines, the U.S government has donated about $400 million to humanitarian mine action efforts worldwide. In his address to the U.N. General Assembly, Steinberg announced that the United Stares is committed ro conrinue support through the provision of approximately $100 million in 2001. As 2001 gets underway, GHD is working with Warner Brothers on a pilot project for public service announce-ments using animated Looney Tunes characters combined with real footage from mine affected countries. The purpose is to foster greater mine awareness among threatened populations, particularly children, and to demonstrate that mine victims continue to be valued citizens. Following up on Ambassador Steinberg's public outreach in Texas last summer, G HD is now working with a consortium of leading citizens from Austin to galvanize that city's practical support for mine action overseas. Through these and other efforts the GHD strives to build public-private partnerships to support the Demining 2010 Initiative and to create a mine-safe world for all. • ~ontact Information John Stevens Office of the Special Representative for Global Humanitarian Demining Tel: (202) 647-0676 Fax: (202) 647-2465 E-mail: stevensje@r.state.gov Website: www.state.gov/www/global/arms/pm/hdp • 129 • 2Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction, Vol. 5, Iss. 1 [2001], Art. 18https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol5/iss1/18

U.S. Office of Global Humanitarian Demining Works Toward Demining 2010 Goals

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U.S. Office of Global Humanitarian Demining Works Toward Demining 2010 Goals

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