DUSHANBE, August 9, 2010, Asia-Plus — On Friday August 6, the Government of Tajikistan and Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of humanitarian demining operations.
The document was inked here by the First Deputy Prime Minister, Asadullo Ghulomov, and Jonas Zachrisson, NPA Country Representative in Tajikistan.
NPA is the second international organization involved in the demining program in Tajikistan joining the Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD) that has operated in Tajikistan since 2003, based on a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Government of Tajikistan, which was ratified by parliament in 2004.
Under the agreement signed Saturday, the Government of Norway will allocate 1 million U.S. dollars to Tajikistan this year to clear minefields in the country.
Norwegian People”s Aid is a non-governmental organization, founded in 1939 as the Norwegian Labor Movement”s humanitarian organization for solidarity. NPA’s vision is: Solidarity in Action. The organization focuses its work around two main areas: “Fair distribution of power and recourses”; and “Protection of life and health”. It describes its four fundamental pillars as “the fight against oppression, poverty and unjust distribution”, “the fight against racism and discrimination”, “work for equality and against violence and injustice” and “prevention, voluntary engagement and competence-building”.
NPA is involved in more than 400 projects in 30 countries. NPA has been involved in mine action since 1992. Cambodia was the first country where NPA started mine clearance and the organization has grown considerably since then. As of July 2002, NPA was involved in mine action in nine countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.
We will recall that Tajikistan signed the Convention on the Prohibition on the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Antipersonnel Mines and on their Destruction (the Ottawa Convention) in 2000. All signatory states undertook to ensure the destruction of all anti-personnel land mines they possess, as soon as possible but no later than 10 years after signing the convention. In the case of Tajikistan, this means that the country was supposed to be mine-free by 2010.
Tajikistan signed the 2009 Cartagena declaration “Solidarity Obligation on a Mine-free World.” The declaration was signed by participants of the Second Review Conference on the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-personnel Mines that was held in Cartagena, Colombia from November 29, 2009 to December 4, 2009. The conference adopted the Cartagena Plan of Actions for 2010-2014 and the Ottawa Convention signatory states seconded Tajikistan’s request for extension of its mine-clearance commitments for the next ten years.
Tajikistan has to clear more than 11 million square meters of lands.
According to the Tajik Mine Action Cell (TMAC), more than 800 people have become victims landmines since 1992; 358 of them were killed.
