Disarmament Diplomacy
Issue No. 20, November 1997
US Demining Initiative:
State Department Fact Sheet
'The Demining 2010 Initiative,' State Department Fact Sheet, 31
October 1997 Extracts
"Concept Greatly accelerate global humanitarian demining
operations and assistance efforts to end the plague of landmines
posing threats to civilians through a US-led initiative to develop,
marshal and commit the resources necessary to accomplish this goal
by the year 2010.
Situation
An estimated 100 million landmines in over 64 countries cause
about 26,000 casualties each year. The United States has committed
over $153 million in humanitarian demining programs since 1993
(leading the world in this respect) and will spend nearly $80
million in FY 1998. However, at present levels of international
effort, it will take at least several decades to remove these
non-self destructing landmines from the mine-affected countries of
the world, further hampering economic development and extending
mine casualties long into the next century. To respond to this
global humanitarian catastrophe, the United States is calling for
and will lead a global campaign, the 'Demining 2010 Initiative,' to
eradicate all landmines which threaten civilian populations by the
year 2010. This Presidential initiative does not compete with, but
complements, ongoing international efforts to assist landmine
victims.
Mission Statement
The objective is to accelerate global humanitarian demining
efforts and our goal is to increase roughly by a factor of five -
to $1 billion a year - the public and private resources devoted
worldwide to identifying and clearing landmines posing threats to
civilians by the year 2010. The Demining 2010 Initiative, through
US leadership, will seek to coordinate these efforts. ...
Approach
Special Representative
The Clinton Administration has asked Ambassador Karl F.
Inderfurth to serve as the US Special Representative of the
President and the Secretary of State for Global Humanitarian
Demining to lead the 'Demining 2010 Initiative.' ... The Special
Representative will provide leadership and a locus of coordination
for the global demining effort. He will not manage a global program
- responsibility for managing each demining program falls properly
to those closest to the problem in each country.
Advisory Board
The Administration will appoint a panel of distinguished
American leaders to provide policy advice and help to garner
national and international support, including financial support,
for the initiative.
Consultations
The Special Representative will begin immediately to consult
with other donor countries, mine-affected countries, international
organizations, involved non-governmental organizations and the
private sector...
Washington Conference
The United States will host a Washington Conference on the
'Demining 2010 Initiative' to bring together donors, recipient
nations, international demining organizations, and NGO's. At this
meeting the participants will: make firm commitments for additional
demining support; develop mechanisms to better coordinate demining
operations; and develop a global strategy to remove all landmines
that pose threats to civilians by 2010. ...
US National Program
The United States will continue to expand and enhance the US
Humanitarian Demining Program. Current plans are to increase
funding from the previously budgeted level of $68 million to $77
million in Fiscal Year 1998. We will seek to further expand our
commitment in 1999 and beyond."
© 1998 The Acronym Institute.
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