Phnom Penh (VNA) - The Siem Reap-Angkor Summit on a Mine-Free Word convened in Siem Reap, Cambodia, on November 25, bringing together about 700 delegates from more than 150 countries, including Vietnam, and partners of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Antipersonnel Mines and on Their Destruction, also known as the Ottawa Convention.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet said the conference is a vital opportunity to address emerging challenges and chart a future that ensures the continued relevance and success of the Ottawa Convention in a rapidly changing world.
Senior Minister Ly Thuch, First Vice President of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) and President of Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, said this summit is an occasion that reflects Cambodia’s shared determination to rid the world of the cruel and lingering legacy of landmines.
Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP), noted that by sharing her experience and contributing expert deminers to UN peacekeeping missions, Cambodia is demonstrating how mine action can build lasting peace
Over the past 25 years, the Ottawa Convention has driven significant progress in mine action, with more than 55 million explosive devices destroyed, 13,000 square kilometers of land cleared across over 60 countries, and thousands of individuals educated on lifesaving awareness and victim assistance services./.
