Second Review Conference of the Convention
Place des Nations, Geneva
Monday 2 March, 13:45 to 15:౦౦
Let me begin by thanking the campaigners and advocates who have been fighting against landmines for more than a decad
e. They have all my admiration. They saved the lives of thousands of children, women and men. They stopped the human catastrophe caused by landmines, and they brought hope to thousands of survivors, their families and communities.
Today, the use of antipersonnel mines is the exception rather than the rule, and the trade in these weapons has virtually stopped. Thanks to the advance of mine clearance and risk education programs, the number of new landmine casualties is steadily decreasing.
You might know about a country that is highly affected by landmines and where the tragedy is still ongoing. That is Afghanistan, the country where I was born, where I grew up and where I lost my legs to a landmine. Ten years ago, in some central parts of Afghanistan, about 60 people were killed or maimed every day in explosions from landmines and explosive remnants of war. Millions of civilians were affected by landmines. Blast victims would often die due to lack of treatment and health care. Because of landmines, civilians would be displaced and even lose the use of their properties.
Now in 2009, many Afghans can clearly see the impact of Mine Ban Treaty.
- Over a billion of square meters of contaminated land are cleared from landmines., which paved the way for reconstruction, farming, and education, created a peaceful living environment and decreased the psychological pressure.
- Since 1990s over sixty percent of the population received mine risk education which helps to decrease causalities and avoid further tragedies.
- And some progress has been made in assisting the survivors, their families and communities. A national legislation has been developed to protect the rights of survivors and persons with disabilities. These steps have opened windows of hope, and have helped to create confidence and maintain dignity.
- Nearly nine thousand Afghans are employed in mine action projects. In Afghanistan normally the head of a household should work and support the rest of family members which ranges from 5 to 12 people, so mine action projects contribute to supporting around one hundred thousand people.
Despite these achievements, an average of 55 to 60 people are still killed or injured by landmines and explosive remnants of war each month. But in comparison with ten years ago, the casualty rate has significantly decreased.
As a survivor, I found the Mine Ban Treaty useful and vital. The direct and indirect impact of the Mine Ban Treaty has changed my personal and family life and those of many other survivors i know in Afghanistan. 
In 1996 when I lost my legs in a landmine accident, my life was turned into disappointment, my hopes were taken away, my friends left me and I was even unhappy to survive. But today that is not the case, I live as normal a life as I used to live before the accident, I am regaining my hopes, I found best friends and I am married. These changes didn’t happen automatically. They happened because the Mine Ban Treaty guaranteed my rights, they happened because Afghanistan had a responsibility to support me or at least to avoid discriminations which could have affected my life, and it happened because the treaty provided me with several job opportunities with Handicap International, United Nation Mine Action Center for Afghanistan and currently with International Campaign to Ban Landmines, opportunities to advocate for the rights other victims, opportunities to urge and challenge the producers and users of landmines to join the treaty, and the opportunity to address you about the huge challenges and problems caused by landmines.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is not the case for hundreds of thousands of other survivors and persons with disabilities. They still suffer from inadequate health care, they still don’t have access to education because of physical barriers or discrimination, they are still discriminated against when it comes to finding a job, they still suffer from trauma, they are still denied their basic rights and they still remain among the most vulnerable people.
We all know that survivors and persons with disabilities do not claim new rights, what they all need is to be equally treated and to see their special needs taken into consideration. Responding to them is not a complex issue; but it does require a strong and lifelong commitment and adequate resources from states.
For example:
- Making a school accessible is not a complex or costly endeavor, but it can certainly help building a barrier-free society. This will definitely impact the life of a wheelchair user.
- Providing jobs to persons with disabilities neither decreases the quality of work nor slows down the work.
People from around the world, particularly landmine survivors and people affected by landmines; expect to hear about the progress made on all components of Mine Ban Treaty in the period of five years from the First to the Second Review Conference taking place late this year in Cartagena. So, the States Parties have to get ready and report on all their achievements and challenges.
The ICBL believes that the Second Review Conference should reaffirm a “mine-free world” as our ultimate goal, meaning one in which the Mine Ban Treaty is universally adhered to and implemented, with all stockpiles destroyed, all known mined areas cleared, and rights of landmine survivors ensured. The road ahead may still be long, but with the lessons learned over the past 10 years we strongly believe achieving this goal is “Mission Possible.”
In conclusion, I would like to call on all 39 countries remaining outside the treaty to join the Mine Ban Treaty without further delay and to renounce the use of landmines forever.
And once again, I would like to call on the States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty to honor their commitment to a world free of landmines and to empowering landmine survivors, their families and communities.
It is “Mission possible”!
Thank you.
Firoz ALIZADA
Treaty Implementation - ICBL
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