Sri Lanka’s sustained focus on mine risk education and awareness creation makes it an exemplary model for the rest of the world, international experts participating in an interactive panel discussion, chaired by Ambassador A.L.A. Azeez, the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva, reiterated.
Deliberating on the sidelines of the Intersessional Meeting of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) held from May 22 to 24, 2019, experts in mine action, humanitarian disarmament and human rights appreciated the remarkable progress achieved by Sri Lanka in mine clearance, mine risk education and victim assistance, paving the way for the return of, and housing and livelihoods for, thousands of affected people.
The well-attended panel discussion ‘Towards a mine-free Sri Lanka in 2020: Challenges and Prospects for Partnerships’, drew in representatives of international organisations, implementing partners and the donor community, in addition to several mine action experts, academics and diplomats.