CANADA WILL DONATE ALMOST HALF A MILLION CANADIAN DOLLARS FOR DEMINING IN NICARAGUA

Last February the government of Canada announced its approval of a $494.126 Canadian dollars contribution to the Humanitarian Demining Program in Nicaragua.

Through the Program for Comprehensive Action against Antipersonnel Mines of the Organization of American States (OAS-AICMA), the contribution will be destined to support the Nicaraguan government in the fulfillment of its obligations as a member state of the Ottawa Convention.

For more than 18 years this Central American country has made constant efforts to eliminate antipersonnel mines from its national territory. At the present Nicaragua’s National Demining Plan has achieved 97.5% of progress in terms of target areas to be cleared. For this reason, Canada’s donation will be oriented towards demining activities en four areas located near the border with Honduras, in the Nueva Segovia and Jinotega departments.

The impact of antipersonnel mines in Nicaragua not only affects the security of the population but it also poses barriers to economic prosperity. Nevertheless, humanitarian demining operations lead by the OAS-AICMA Program have had a positive effect on aspects such as mobility, health, transportation, access to the communities, education, water and electric energy among others.

For several years, Canada has been a great contributor to demining activities in the western hemisphere. This donation, made through OAS-AICMA, specifically aims at three objectives in Nicaragua: to improve personal safety, increase mobility, and facilitate access to fertile land. Activities include humanitarian demining operations in the field, and educational campaigns to reduce risks in 14 communities still affected in Nicaragua. .

Besides supporting the progress in Nicaragua, the AICMA Program also provides assistance in other countries. In Colombia, 400 inhabitants that were displaced by landmines were able to return to their homes in San Isidro, Antioquia and Bajo Grande, Bolivar, in December 2008. The program assists Ecuador and Peru in demining their common border by the Condor Mountain range. And in Peru, a project to identify and assist landmine survivors was recently launched in coordination with the national demining authorities.

Thanks to this contribution made by the government of Canada, Nicaragua’s demining plan will be one step closer to being completed before the end of the present year.

The Canadian government has remained a key supporter of humanitarian mine action in the Americas since 1996. In 1997 Canada became internationally known for its support against antipersonnel landmines by hosting the “Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer or Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction,” better known as the Ottawa Convention.

Managua, 4 de Abril del 2009