The Afghan Student
Organization's Fundraising Event: Landmine
Remarks by the Ambassador Said T. Jawad
George Washington University
04/24/2004
I would like to thank the Afghan Student Organization
at George Washington University, and the International Campaign
to Ban Landmines for organizing this fundraising, and every
one of you for contributing to make Afghanistan and the world
a safer place.
Today there are tens of millions of landmines
contaminating 70 countries around the world. The overwhelming
majority of those mines are killing poor people in the developing
countries. Where the violence is common, the governments do
not have the resources to clean up the mess, and the people
are not properly educated to avoid mines.
No place is worse than Afghanistan. Afghanistan
is littered with perhaps nine million landmines. During the
Soviet invasion, up to 30 million landmines and the so called
butterfly mines were scattered throughout Afghanistan. This
means one mine for each Afghan citizen. Today this number is
reduced to a mine for each Afghan family. You can find any type
of mine ever made in Afghanistan. Covering an area of 780 square
kilometers, 32 out of 34 provinces of Afghanistan are contaminated
with landmines. So far, we have successfully cleared 1/3 of
the minefields.
Landmines are killing the most innocent civilians,
mostly kids. Once laid, the landmine never recognizes peace.
The war ends, but the landmines continue to kill. Sometimes
they literally come to a village to kill people. In June of
2003 in the province of Baghlan, heavy flooding scattered landmines
that were previously buried- into populated areas. Every month
about 200 people are falling victim to landmines and other unexploded
ordinances. Half of the victims of landmine victims die from
their injuries before reaching a medical facility.
The Afghan Government is a champion of efforts
to ban landmines regionally and globally. We are fully committed
to make Afghanistan landmine free. In September 2002, we joined
several other nations in signing the Mine Ban Treaty. This past
March, Afghanistan hosted the regional meeting of the International
Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL).
Today peace has returned to Afghanistan, and the
reconstruction has started. Last year we reached a 30% economic
growth rate according to the IMF. 3.5 million refugees have
returned to their homeland. So far 3.4 million returnees received
mine risk education.
We are grateful to our friends and supporters
at the international community for the assistance provided to
us to clear Afghanistan from mines. Your contribution and efforts
help us return our land and our country back to its people so
they can rebuild it.
Let’s hope and work for a day that not only
Afghanistan, but our beautiful planet can be landmine free.
Again, I appreciate the efforts of the Afghan students. You
all are the hope and the future of our country.
Thank you.
