Statement
by
H. E. Vladimir Drobnjak
Ambassador
Permanent Representative of the Republic of Croatia to the United Nations
General Assembly Fifty-ninth Session
Fourth Committee
Item 22: Assistance in Mine Action
28 October 2004
Mr. Chairman,
As my country is taking the floor at this Committee for the first time, allow me, Mister Chairman, to extend to you my warmest congratulations on your appointment to this important function. My congratulations and best wishes go also to all the members of the bureau.
As Croatia has aligned itself with the statement of the Netherlands on behalf of the European Union, allow me to just briefly emphasize some of the points which are of particular importance to my country.
Mr. Chairman,
Croatia has been active in the anti-personnel mine action process from its very beginnings. It is also one of those countries that has had the misfortune of encountering the real scope and nature of all mine-related problems on its very soil: from humanitarian and social issues, to hindered economic development in the remaining mine-affected areas.
All this has given us the opportunity to learn, from our own experience, the unparalleled importance of undertaking proper and timely mine-action activities and programs, designed to successfully meet all of the aspects of these challenges. During the years of the intensive demining process in Croatia, we have developed our own expertise and knowledge in this field, which we are ready to offer to all other mine-affected countries around the world - from technical demining methods, to public awareness campaigns. Croatia, which is currently co-chairing the Victim Assistance Committee, has also been paying great attention to full rehabilitation and reintegration programs for landmines survivors - we take special pride in the establishment of the South East European Regional Centre for Psychosocial Rehabilitation in the Croatian town of Rovinj, which is this year marking its fifth anniversary.
As we attach great importance to further expert education and training of all actors involved in the demining process, exactly one year ago Croatia established the Mine Action Academy-International Studies of Humanitarian Demining at the Polytechnic College of Velika Gorica. Last year, the Croatian Demining Centre (CROMAC) also established the Centre for Testing the Demining Machines and Equipment. We were very pleased that one of the Croatian demining machine manufacturers was given a two year UN tender for ''''''''Rapid Action in Demining of the Crisis Areas Worldwide'''''''', which we believe to be a great international recognition of their expertise.
In the period between 1998 and 2003, the Croatian government allocated 90 000 000 EUR from its budget, which accounts for 85% of the total cost for the demining process carried out in Croatia so far. The remaining 15% came from various donors - individuals, NGOs, as well as through bilateral assistance - I would like to use this opportunity to express our gratitude in particular to Norway, Canada, the United States of America, Italy, Greece, France and Luxemburg. The results that we have achieved so far in the demining process lead us to believe in the final success of our plan to have a totally mine-safe country by 2009. For example, only in 2003 we managed to return 284 square kilometers of mine suspected areas to local communities.
Mr. Chairman,
As South-Eastern Europe remains one of the seriously mine-affected regions in the world, Croatia stands ready to share our experience and expertise with other countries of this area, and thus contribute in making this part of Europe a mine-free region. We are very pleased that all countries in South East Europe, being parties to the Ottawa Convention, are actively participating in Mine Action activities, and that they take a full, or at least partial, ownership of funding the Mine Action structures. We also believe that stronger donor assistance would significantly contribute to the earlier completion of the demining process in this region. To this end, Croatia particularly encourages the use of the matching-fund mechanisms of the International Trust Fund (ITF), whose headquarters are in Slovenia''''''''s capital Ljubljana.
As one of the original 40 countries whose signature and ratification brought the Ottawa Convention into force, Croatia is very pleased that additional States have ratified or acceded to the Convention. In this regard, we welcome the forthcoming Review conference of the States Parties to the Ottawa Convention, taking place in Nairobi at the end of this month.
Mr. Chairman,
Finally, I would like to reiterate Croatia''''''''s invitation to the first Meeting of the States Parties to the Ottawa Convention directly following the 2004 Nairobi Review Conference. Having this Meeting in Croatia is, in our view, not only a great honor to Croatia, but also to the whole region of South-East Europe - a region still contaminated with anti-personnel mines, but whose countries are strongly determined to put an end to this problem once and for all in a not so distant future.
Thank you Mr. Chairman.
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