Signing of “Clearing for Results” project’s Phase II marks a new era for mine action in Cambodia

Phnom Penh, Cambodia (25 January 2011)

Cambodian and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) officials signed a new five-year landmine clearance project today, renewing their commitment to support efforts to free country from mines and Explosive Remnants of War for increased socio-economic development.

The signing marks the beginning of the implementation of “Clearing for Results” Phase II project which covers the 2011-2015 period. H.E. Dr. Sok An, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister in Charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers, presided over the ceremony held at the Office of the Council of Ministers today.

“Today’s signing of the project clearly demonstrates our unfettered commitment to free our people from fear and danger of land mines and ERW and free contaminated lands for our rural communities and needed development,” H.E. Dr. Sok An said in his key note remark at the ceremony.

“The sector momentum that we have gained is a product of many years of hard work, collective effort and continued flow of resources. I hope that this project and others will steadily maintain this momentum as we enter into an era requiring better prioritization and planning and the balancing of resources with the remaining challenges we have,” he added.

Indeed, the next five years include some major milestones in the history of mine action in Cambodia. First, Cambodia will host and preside over the 11^th Meeting of States Parties to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty at the end of this year, a major event in the life of the treaty. Second, Cambodia is to make signification progress towards the targets set by the CMDG 9^th and its Article 5 Extension Request.

H.E. Prak Sokhonn, Vice President of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA), and Ms. Elena Tischenko, Country Director, UNDP Cambodia, jointly signed the project document. They were also joined by representatives of development partners such as CIDA (Canada), AusAID (Australia) and Spain whose countries have provided financial support to the first phase of mine action in Cambodia.

“The Project could not have come at a better time. I am delighted to acknowledge that our partnership and collaboration with development partners has been stronger than ever,” H.E. Prak Sokhonn said. “As CMAA is assuming leadership role in this new project, we will deliver the utmost on our part to ensure that its success is guaranteed at both the project and the outcome levels,” he added.

The project’s new phase builds on the successful completion of the first phase from 2006-2010. It will see a transfer of management responsibilities from UNDP to the CMAA, which is a significant step that demonstrates the level of maturity the sector has developed.  Clearing for Results will strive to assist the CMAA in strengthening its capacity to implement the 10-year National Mine Action Strategy (NMAS) for casualty reduction, economic growth, and poverty reduction, especially among poor and vulnerable Cambodians living in rural areas. The project also intends to clear some 35 square kilometers of mine affected land in the most impacted areas of Cambodia.

Over the next five years the project aims to raise some US$24 million through contributions from UNDP and other development partners such as CIDA, AusAID, and DFID.

Cambodia has made impressive progress in clearing landmines and explosive remnants of war during the past two decades, but the deadly devices continue to present a major obstacle to human security and to advancing CMDG9 (Demining and victim assistance) and the socio-economic development for the rural poor. According to a 2010 analysis of advancements made by Cambodia towards its Millennium Development Goals, rates of casualty related to land-mine and ERW incidents have progressively been declining from over 2,700 per year in the late 1990s to 244 in 2009. Some 560 square kilometers of contaminated land have been cleared since 1992 or nearly half of the estimated total contamination. However, some 650 square kilometers still need to be cleared from mines which will take another 10-15 years of intensive efforts.

“The new phase of Clearing for Results which we are signing today is our joint response to help Cambodia in making a further step towards achieving CMDG9,” said Elena Tischenko. “Clearing for Results is also a convincing demonstration of how a combination of strong Government ownership and mutually supportive partnership can lead to substantial impact on the management of a sector,” she added.

By UNDP