Statement
by
H. E. Mirjana Mladineo
Ambassador
Permanent Representative of the Republic of Croatia
to the United Nations
General Assembly Sixtieth Session
Fourth Committee
Item 27: Assistance in Mine Action
Mr. Chairman,
Since this is the first time I am taking the floor in this session of the Fourth Committee, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on your election to the office of the Chairman of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee. I congratulate all the members of the Bureau, and wish you success in your efforts at the sixtieth session of the General Assembly.
Croatia fully aligns itself with the statement made by the distinguished representative of the United Kingdom on behalf of the European Union. At the same time, I wish to outline some points Croatia holds important from its national perspective.
Mr. Chairman,
To its misfortune, Croatia’s period of independence virtually coincides with the length of time it has been affected by mine-related problems. We have progressed a long way from being a country with a severe problem with mine affected areas, to a country that has learned to tackle these problems, including their humanitarian, social and economic effects. Notwithstanding the substational aid that Croatia initially received from the international community to tackle mine related problems, much work has been done through the painful process of learning from our own experience, often at the expense of the personal misfortunes of the brave de-miners who took it upon themselves to clean their country from these horrid relics of war. At the same time, the assistance of the international community and the United Nations at the time was very important and we gratefully acknowledge it.
Great importance has been given to the education and training of all the actors involved: from mine experts themselves to ordinary people who live in the mine affected areas. Croatia established the Mine Action Academy – International Studies of Humanitarian De-mining at the Polytechnic College of Velika Gorica. The Croatian Mine Action Centre has been established and incorporates within it the Centre for Testing of De-mining Machines and Equipment. Workshops such as ‘Children in a Mined Environment’ which have been initiated for sixth grade students of elementary schools, are a manifestation of the fruitful co-operation between the Croatian Mine Action Centre, the Red Cross, local authorities and the schools themselves. Indeed the Croatian Mine Action Centre serves as a good practice example in addressing the issue from a wholistic perspective.
Croatia is fully aware of the necessity of sharing its knowledge and experience. Hence intensive international co-operation has been exercised in every element of mine action. The importance of such co-operation stems not only from our obligations undertaken by ratification of Ottawa Convention, or Croatia’s position as a factor of regional stability, but because we believe that this is an area where we can use our national experience to assist others. We can also contribute to the international community’s attempts to address mine-related problems. The establishment of the Council for Co-ordination of Mine Action Activities has developed an already fruitful exchange of knowledge and experience within the region of south east Europe. Such regional co-operation, we believe, is a milestone on the road to a mine free world. Croatia stands ready to share its experience with any mine-affected country or region, both in terms of knowledge sharing, as well as engagement of its mine experts.
Mr. Chairman,
The forthcoming 6th meeting of States Parties that will be held in Croatia later this year is not only another chance to gain more mileage on the road to a mine free world, which Croatia strongly advocates. We believe that its outcome document will measure further progress towards the ultimate goal of full implementation of the Ottawa Convention goals, as well as once more appealing to those countries that are yet to recognize and comply with the Convention’s simple message of a safer world.
Thank you.
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