A mine action strategy for Zim
Last Friday, Zimbabwe launched the National Mine Action Strategic Plan 2018-2025. We publish Vice-President Dr Constantino Chiwenga’s speech at the event.
IT GIVES me great pleasure to address you today on this launch of the Zimbabwe National Mine Action Strategic Plan for the period 2018 to 2025. As alluded to by the Secretary for Defence and War Veterans Affairs in his welcome remarks, the term Mine Action refers to all issues relating to landmines, that is; stockpile, destruction, mine clearance, mine risk education, victim assistance and advocacy.
Therefore, today we are launching a strategy for tackling all mine action activities in Zimbabwe between 2018 and 2025, when we expect to complete the clearance of all mined areas in the country.
As you may all be aware, this event was scheduled to take place on Friday 24 November 2017, which day coincided with the inauguration of His Excellency, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, Comrade ED Mnangagwa as Head of State.
Consequently, the launch was deferred up to this day.
The situation in the country has been calm, peaceful and obviously progressive. The Government is preparing to hold free and credible elections as promised by His Excellency, the President, in various fora.
The Government is also preoccupied with creating a conducive environment for economic revival through foreign direct investment in various sectors of our economy under the mantra “Zimbabwe is open for business”.
A Zimbabwe that is open for business entails a country that is safe and risk free.
Therefore, the launch of the Zimbabwe National Mine Action Strategic Plan 2018 to 2025 is meant to clear the remaining minefields in the country and make the areas safe for human habitation.
The need for a strategic plan mine action in Zimbabwe became apparent as our operators continued to deal with the country’s landmine problem in the various areas.
Zimbabwe needed to answer the question of how she intended to deal and finish the remaining landmine challenge, which further necessitated the need for a strategic plan.
The issue of the strategic plan had also been raised by the Committee on Landmine Clearance of the Ottawa Convention during consideration of the country’s fourth extension request.
Zimbabwe heeded to this concern and initiated consultations with the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) in November 2016 in Santiago, Chile.
A formal proposal was then presented to Government, which was approved without any challenges, leading to commencement of the process.
The Zimbabwe National Mine Action Strategic Plan is a policy document crafted by Government in collaboration with strategic partners in charge of mine action in Zimbabwe under the auspices of the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining.
The main purpose of the plan is to guide Zimbabwe’s mine action players in their operations.
It clearly sets out the goals and objectives as well as the strategies for achieving them.
The plan also stipulates the estimated quantity of resources required in order to complete the remaining landmine challenge in the country.
The Zimbabwe National Mine Action Strategic Plan is in two main parts. The first part, which gives the background to the landmine problem in Zimbabwe, dates back to the country’s liberation struggle during the late 1970s as has been pointed out in the presentation by the director, Zimbabwe Mine Action Centre.
The first part of the strategic plan also spells out the mission statement which reads: “To develop a sustainable national mine action programme that facilitates effective and efficient survey and clearance activities and addresses the needs of affected communities through well-coordinated activities in accordance with the National Mine Action Standards and Convention obligations.”
It is also in this part of the strategy that the vision of a mine-free Zimbabwe where women, girls, boys and men safely engage in sustainable livelihood activities and where mine victims are fully integrated into society is also spelt.
The second part outlines four strategic goals to be pursued by the operating teams.
The goals relate to the five pillars of mine action which are stockpile destruction, survey and clearance, mine risk education, victim assistance and advocacy.
Zimbabwe currently has four accredited international demining organisations (IDOs) working in the country.
Two of these are the Hazardous Areas Life Support Organisation (Halo) Trust and Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA).
They have been working in Zimbabwe since 2012 and have registered significant progress in their respective areas of responsibility.
The remaining two, that is, Mines Advisory Group (MAG) and Apopo, are recently accredited organisation and fairly new in the country.
MAG started operations in December 2017, while Apopo is still setting up and also mobilising funding from the donor community.
Apopo is expected to start operations soon.
The fifth player is our National Mine Clearance Unit, a squadron of military engineers specialising in landmine clearance.
The squadron has registered tremendous progress in the Sango Border Post minefield where they are deployed, albeit against resource constrains.
The military deminers are currently working on one stretch of the double stretch of Sango Border Post to Crooks Corner minefield. The other stretch was allocated to Apopo.
As at November 2017, the Halo Trust and NPA were operating with 30 and seven deminers teams respectively.
However, NPA has since reduced its teams to four following a reduction in funding.
The NPA’s four teams are complemented by a mine detection dog team while funding for the two international demining non-governmental organisations is provided by the British, Americans, Japanese, Norwegian, Swiss, Irish and other donor governments and organisations.
The Government of Zimbabwe greatly appreciates the support rendered by the donor community which has significantly contributed to the clearance of large portions of minefields in the country.
We are aware that the Japanese have recently funded the Halo Trust to the tune of US$2 353 041 which was divided into three separate contracts.
Today, we witnessed the signing agreement of US$634 597 for the 2018 financial year between the Japanese government and Halo Trust.
The continued funding of demining programmes by the Japanese government is a welcome gesture.
May I therefore I appeal to donor agencies already funding demining in Zimbabwe to consider increasing the funding.
In the same vein, we urge others with the capacity, to consider funding and supporting this noble humanitarian cause for the sake of Zimbabwe’s future generations.
A boost in funding will enhance the demining operations by increasing the number of teams hence expedite the completion of the programme.
This indeed is the desired endstate, as we grapple with challenges of totally eradicating the landmine challenge that has negatively impacted on the economic development and safety of our communities, living around the mining areas.
As such, I urge those in charge of mine action in this country to pay particular attention to the last part of the strategy that lays out key commitments related to monitoring, evaluation and review of the strategy.
This is important in refocusing and determining progress or lack of it in the implementation of the strategy.
I am aware that some of the targets are dependent on availability of funding for various demining players and cooperating partners.
In this regard, let me repeat my earlier appeal to those with the capacity and in a position to fund mine action in Zimbabwe to join hands with the four accredited demining organisations that I mentioned earlier.
The Government is aware that some donor agencies are not prepared to directly fund our military deminers, who despite limited resources, have done commendable work in the areas where they have been deployed.
With additional support in the form of material resources, the military deminers can augment the efforts of the accredited demming organisations.
Ladies and gentleman, allow me to appreciate the International Committee of the Red Cross for their assistance in capacitating our military deminers. The military deminers have since 2012 been receiving tremendous support from the ICRC, that has enabled them to clear a significant chunk of the Sango Border Post to Crooks Corner minefield.
Some of requirements of military deminers include protective clothing, mine detectors and reliable ambulances for causality evacuation.
As I conclude, ladies and gentleman, allow me to express my sincere thanks to the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining for funding and guiding the process of crafting the Mine Action Strategic Plan until completion of the document.
We are indeed grateful for your assistance in this regard. I also wish to thank the ICRC for again partnering us in organising today’s launching ceremony and sponsoring most of the items related to the event.
This goes to explain the longstanding fruitful co-operation between the Ministry of Defence and War Veterans Affairs and the ICRC, which I wish should continue into the unforeseeable future.
I also wish to thank all the mine action stakeholders that took part in the process of crafting the strategic plan.
These also include the ICRC, the Implementation Support Unit, the United Nations Development Programme, our esteemed operators and fellow Government ministries and departments. We are proud of you all for your valuable contributions to the noble cause of creating a mine-free Zimbabwe by 2025.
With those remarks, distinguished guests, ladies and gentleman, it is my honour to declare the Zimbabwe National Mine Action Strategic Plan duly launched.
Tatenda. Siyabonga. I thank you.