At the sidelines of the 8th Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Convention
Speech by
Mr. luc stevens, UN Resident coordinator
at the
HEADS OF DELEGATIONS LUNCH
Dead Sea
18 November 2007
Your Royal Highness Prince Mired bin Raad,
Mr. Ad Melkert, UN Under Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of you and would like to spend the next few minutes touching on what I see as one of the key reasons behind the UN engagement in mine action in Jordan. More importantly, I would like to give some examples that demonstrate the impact of our activity, and the extent of its success.
Many of you, who have had the opportunity to see stretches of the Jordan Valley and the peri-urban areas of Amman, would have noticed that the natural resources stock has been drawn out. Arable land, access to water and soil erosion are all issues confronting the people and the Government of Jordan. Therefore the clearing of land and the resulting availability of additional natural resources – even if they may not be used in the short-term – is a real concern to the Government of this country, and by extension to the UN system.
We in the UN family are committed to helping the countries we serve to meet their self-defined development challenges and goals. In addition, we strive to help in making the process of demining and mine action more efficient, effective, and one that carries with it real development outcomes.
In Jordan, we have done this through the capacity development efforts at the National Committee for Demining and Rehabilitation (NCDR) which began in mid 2004.
Jordan has clearly become an example of how bold leadership and strong partnerships can really lead to amazing results. The fact that Jordan is close to meeting its 2009 mine clearance deadline, and that we are sitting here on the shores of the Dead Sea at the 8MSP, is a testament to the progress that has been made by Jordan, especially when we think that this area was once a concentration of landmines.
The work that the UN has done in the various areas of mine action, spearheaded by UNICEF and UNDP, has contributed to fulfilling NCDR’s vision of ‘safeguarding life and promoting development.’ Indeed, as sister agencies in Jordan, I believe this is an area where we have ‘delivered as one UN’ and have had a real impact in developing true and lasting national capacity.
I feel my intervention would not be complete without mentioning the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)! I realise that in mine action, the overarching policy architecture is the Mine Ban Convention, which brings us together today. For us as UN, it is the Millennium Declaration that is the fundamental guide. The MDGs which resulted from the Declaration are the ambitious targets we want to reach. We intend to eradicate extreme poverty, halt the spread of HIV/AIDS, provide universal primary education, improve maternal health, decrease child mortality, promote gender equality, ensure environmental sustainability and create a global partnership for development.
From my perspective, mine action can be another instrument in the achievement of the above last two areas because by increasing the access to natural resources, we reduce environmental stress in certain areas. Also, with our joint initiatives involving UN agencies, the Government, international organisations and civil society, we provide an excellent example of how we can partner to achieve development.
Furthermore our work promotes the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Mines and explosive remnants of war affect certain political, economic, social, civil and cultural rights. Through demining, we intend to ensure the right to life and to personal integrity, freedom of movement, the right to food and the right to an adequate standard of living. With rehabilitation initiatives, we make sure that survivors of mines can exercise their existing rights without discrimination.
Your Royal Highness
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to conclude by saying that there is a strong link between human welfare, development, and mine action and that this relationship is not always one that you can place an economic value on. In the case of the NCDR, the UN is very proud of its partnership with this institution with the active leadership of His Royal Highness Prince Mired, and of its role in helping the Committee to become, not only a model mine action organisation, but also an institution that all Jordanians can be proud of.
Finally, I would like to thank the Government of Jordan because without its vision and continuous support we would not be here today.
Thank you.