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Ammon News - AMMAN (Jordan Times) — HRH Prince Mired on Monday described cooperation and assistance as a main pillar of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention.

“More than 30 States Parties are still in the process of fulfilling their mine-clearance obligation with the vast majority requiring external assistance to complete the work,” the prince said in a keynote address to an international symposium to enhance cooperation and assistance to and among mine-affected countries in Bangkok.

“As well, 28 states parties are responsible for the well-being of significant number of landmine survivors. With numbers such as these, we need to strengthen national ownership and seek efficient and creative ways to implement mine clearance and assist landmine survivors,” added the prince, who is special envoy of the convention and president of the National Committee for Demining and Rehabilitation.

The Bangkok Symposium on Cooperation and Assistance: Building Synergy towards Effective Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention Implementation is hosted by Thailand and Australia, according to a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times on Monday by the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention Implementation Support Unit.

More than 100 experts and diplomats representing over 35 states and 10 international and non-governmental organisations are taking part in the June 23-25 symposium, the statement said.

“It is an obligation of the 161 states parties to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention to cooperate and assist each other in realising its humanitarian goal of zero new victims and a mine-free world,” said Nopadol Gunavibool, deputy permanent secretary of Thailand’s ministry of foreign affairs.

“Thailand believes that building synergies will be the key to creating a sustainable solution for resource mobilisation and international cooperation and assistance. I hope this will be a focus of our discussions during the next two days,” the statement quoted Gunavibool as saying.

The three-day event began on Sunday with a field visit to the Sirindhorn National Medical Rehabilitation Centre, which provides care for persons with disabilities including landmine survivors, the statement said.

Since the convention entered into force in 1999, 25 of 59 states parties that have reported mined areas have declared completion of their mine clearance obligation; demining has resulted in millions of square metres of mine-contaminated land being released for social and economic activity.