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OAS Secretary General Celebrates Conclusion of National Demining Plan in Nicaragua and the Declaration of Central America as an Anti-personnel Mine-Free Zone

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, said that “one of the greatest and noblest tasks carried out by our organization is the fight for the complete elimination of anti-personnel mines, which have killed and maimed innocent people altogether foreign to the roots of military conflicts waged on our continent,” referring to the National Demining Plan in Nicaragua closed today during a ceremony in Managua.

The accomplishment in Nicaragua makes it possible to declare Central America an Anti-Personnel Mine-Free Zone, in accordance with the resolutions established by the OAS General Assembly. In 1991, Central American governments invited the OAS to participate in and support the Land Mine Elimination Program, undertaken by these countries as a clear sign of the will to end this affliction. In response to this call, the OAS created the Assistance Program for Demining in Central America with the permanent support of the Inter-American Defense Board.

“The declaration of Central America as an Anti-Personnel Mine-Free Zone is an enormous success that seemed almost impossible not long ago, and was achieved thanks to the will of those affected countries, along with the support of those countries who contributed to demining programs, national and international institutions, and thousands of unnamed people who coordinated and executed these efforts,” said the Secretary General, emphasizing that because of all of this “demining is a priority for the OAS.”

In the region, through the Program for Comprehensive Action against Antipersonnel Mines or AICMA, the OAS assisted the governments of Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Suriname in the completion of their National Demining Plans. In the case of Nicaragua, the OAS aided in the disposal and certification of 179,970 laid mines, the disposal of more than 135,000 mines in stock, the broadcasting of a message of prevention to half a million people, the financial and socioeconomic rehabilitation of more that 1,150 survivors, and the social and economic rehabilitation of demined areas.

The case of Nicaragua is particularly noteworthy: in 1990, more than half a million people were registered as residents living near a mine field. Mine eradication there was made possible thanks to the important contributions of donor countries like Canada, Denmark, Spain, the United States, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Japan, Norway, the United Kingdom, and Sweden, as well as by countries contributing international personnel, such as Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, and Venezuela.

The Secretary General highlighted these achievements as extraordinary, though he said it is still necessary to continue working on the rehabilitation of demined areas, particularly to promote the social and economic wellbeing of these communities as well as the rehabilitation and social reintegration of landmine survivors. It is equally essential to continue responding quickly and effectively through prevention efforts to the presence of explosive devices dispersed throughout the civilian population.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org

Reference: E-247/10