An event called ¡°Rebuilding Safely: The Role of Mine Action in Urban Reconstruction,¡± which explored the vast difference between mine clearance in rural and urban areas, was held on the sidelines of the ECOSOC Youth Forum at United Nations Headquarters in New York on 16 April.
The Deputy Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to the UN said that his country is one of the most affected when it comes to mine contamination, with more than 3500 victims in 30 years of conflict. Behind these numbers, he said, are stories that affect communities, lives, and households.
Another speaker, Richard Boulter, Chief of Design, Operational Support and Oversight with the Mine Action Service (UNMAS), compared mine clearance in rural areas to ¡°looking for a needle in a haystack¡± while mine clearance in urban areas is like ¡°looking for a needle in a haystack whilst being blindfolded.¡±
Mr. Boulter remarked that mined communities are isolated from external assistance until the mines have been cleared. Especially in urban areas, there is only a small window of opportunity to act since inhabitants want to go back and try to pick up their lives.
Once a return has taken place, he said, the nature of clearance becomes even more complicated.
There is still no technology that can effectively penetrate dense rubble to identify explosive hazards, noted Boulter. Therefore, the debris of collapsed buildings has to be removed before mine clearance can begin.
Ending on a positive note, he focused on the fact that ¡°all is not without hope.¡± With enough assistance, urban areas can be demined and inhabitants can continue their lives.
When a youth leader in the audience asked what their groups could do to assist, Mr Boulter replied: ¡°It¡¯s all about making noise and making governments aware of the problem. Because everything stems from money. Yes, mine clearance and raising awareness is expensive, but so is government. Politicians need to believe that mine clearance is a priority for them.¡±
