OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe marks International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action
On the occasion of International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, Tajikistan’s National Mine Action Centre (TNMAC) and the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe brought together government officials, international and national state organizations, the donor community and NGOs involved in the Tajikistan Mine Action Programme on 4 April 2018 in Dushanbe.
The International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2005 and is annually observed on 4 April.
Ambassador Tuula Yrjölä, Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, said: “The active partnership between the Government of Tajikistan and the national and international stakeholders has led to significant achievements - in particular the development of a normative framework, the successful institutionalization of the Mine Action Programme, including the establishment of TNMAC, and – most importantly – substantial land release and clearance results, which have allowed the people of Tajikistan safe access to land free from explosive content.”
The OSCE is a longstanding partner of Tajikistan in humanitarian de-mining. From 2003 until 2008 the OSCE contributed to Mine Action in Tajikistan in partnership with Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD). From 2009 onwards the OSCE focused in building the national capacity of humanitarian de-mining teams of the Humanitarian Demining Company of the Defense Ministry and the Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defense on mine clearance and Mine Risk Education.
Starting from 2009, the OSCE supported the clearance of almost three square kilometers of contaminated land and more than 12,000 of anti-personnel mines and unexploded ordnance (UXOs) have been destroyed to date.
Shohmurod Rustam, Minister of Justice of Tajikistan and Deputy Head of the Commission on Implementation of the International Humanitarian Law, thanked the national and international agencies for their contribution to Tajikistan Mine Action Programme.
In addition, within the framework of regional Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) and Risk Awareness training activities, over 170 specialists from Afghanistan, Armenia, Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Georgia, Mongolia and Turkmenistan attended courses co-hosted by the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Tajikistan and certified by TNMAC in the past three years.