On April 4, a discussion-meeting marking the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action was held at the Ministry of Emergency Situations, at the initiative of MES and DRR National Platform.
The aim of the event was to raise awareness about mine threat, to draw public attention to the importance of warning about mine risk and to assist the process of mine action activities, to present colleagues and interested organizations the situation in Armenia, achievements and tasks in humanitarian mine action, and discuss further cooperation.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Minister of Defense of Armenia Ara Nazaryan, representatives of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, members of more than a dozen international organizations and NGOs.
Dr. Anna Yeghiazaryan presented ARCS activities in the sphere of Mine education, as well as Mine victim data collection project, implemented with the support of ICRC.
RA Minister of Emergency Situations Davit Tonoyan greeted the participants and particularly noted:
- In accordance with the importance of the day, the meeting is aimed at giving a new start to cooperation in the field of mine action, to form a platform, that will become the starting place of the main actions.
Welcoming remarks were delivered by the UNDP Armenian Office Deputy Resident Coordinator Dmitry Mariasi and Secretary General of the Red Cross Society Anna Yeghiazaryan.
Director of the “Center for Humanitarian Demining and Expertise” SNCO R. Arakelyan reported on the activities carried out by them in Armenia, as well as on achievements, challenges and future projects, that included cooperation with the Ministry of Emergency Situations, as well as other agencies.
Having discussed issues of humanitarian demining and the prospects of cooperation with international and local organizations in the context of population protection, the participants presented the main tasks and issues of the sphere that require priority resolution.
Minister D. Tonoyan stressed, that there was a progress in terms of capacity and equipment, however, serious activities still were needed towards the awareness of the population of the border communities.
-For the proportionate development of communities and in the context of disaster risk reduction, it is very important to include a demining component in the community proportionate development program. I thank everyone for celebrating this important day and discussing the issues of the sphere together. We believe that we will continue our work, cooperating with the stakeholders, - concluded the Minister.
