MEDIA RELEASE
Released By:
Gambaro
Australia's commitment to addressing the scourge of anti-personnel land mines and their impacts on human lives and livelihoods has been outlined as part of a five-year Mine Action Strategy.
In releasing the Strategy, new Special Representative on Mine Action and Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Teresa Gambaro said the program was designed to reduce worldwide suffering and the negative socio-economic impacts caused by landmines.
Funding for the $75 million Mine Action Strategy was announced by Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Downer in July last year.
'This renewed pledge will enable Australia to broaden its mine action efforts over the next five years. It follows the $100 million that Australia has spent on mine action since 1997,' said Ms Gambaro.
The Mine Action Strategy aims to reduce suffering and the negative socio-economic impacts of landmines by focusing on three objectives: support for survivor rehabilitation; reduction of the threat of explosive remnants of war to civilian populations; and improvement to the efficiency and effectiveness of mine action.
As part of the Strategy, Australia is currently spending more than $4.5 million over three years on initiatives to improve the livelihoods of people living in two of the most mine-affected areas of Cambodia.
One of the aims of the $2.1 million CARE Australia Australia-Cambodia Integrated Mine Action (ACIMA) project in the city of Pailin is to reduce landmine/unexploded ordnance injuries and deaths. In Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey province the $2.6 million AUSTCARE Integrated Mine Action and Development Program (AIMAD) will help to clear mines to free up land for poor communities.
'A key component of the Mine Action Strategy will be to address the significant impact mines have on development. Land cultivation is almost impossible due to landmine contamination, and communities can be faced with the long-term burden of caring for survivors,' said Ms Gambaro.
The launch of the Government's Mine Action Strategy coincides with Landmine Action Week, from May 20 to 26, 2006.
The Australian Government's Mine Action Strategy is available at www.ausaid.gov.au.
Media contacts:
Damien Cocks (Parliamentary Secretary's Office): 0438 171 330
AusAID (Public Affairs): 0417 680 590