28/10/2005
More landmines come out of the ground than are planted each year, UN official says

More landmines come out of the ground than are planted each year, Assistant Secretary-General Jane Holl Lute told the General Assembly's Special Political and Decolonization Committee last week.

"UN mine action supports Security Council mandates in Afghanistan, Burundi, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of Congo, the temporary security zone between Ethiopia and Eritrea, Southern Lebanon and in Sudan, where mine action is an integral component of the comprehensive peace agreement," she said.

She cited the UN's work in Cyprus as an example of "how mine action can contribute to peace-building." There, the UN peacekeeping force (UNFICYP), UN Development Programme (UNDP) and UN Mine Action Service are working together to try and eras the physical barrier between the two people at war.

In Colombia, the only nation in Latin America where mines are still being sown, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) leads the UN effort. It is also at work in Nepal, where improvised explosive devices present the main threat.

In Sudan, the UN programme has been integrated into the UN peacekeeping mission (UNMIS). "The MRE activities coordinated by the Sudan mine action programme assist local populations live in close proximity with mined areas and assist refugee and displaced populations avoid accidents as they return to their homes," the Assistant Secretary-General said.