PHNOM PENH: Cambodia will host the Third Victim Assistance Global Conference on the Rights of Survivors of Anti-Personnel Mines and Other Explosive Ordnance in Disability Rights from October 17-19 at the Sofitel Hotel in Phnom Penh. Yesterday, Vice-President of the Cambodian Mine Action Authority, Dr. Ly Thuch, held a meet-and-greet session with Special Envoy of the Ottawa Convention, His Royal Highness Prince Mired Raad Zeid Al-Hussein. The meeting allowed the press to learn more about the platform of the upcoming global conference, along with the goals of the Ottawa Convention, which prohibits the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel mines. Senior Minister Ly Thuch mentioned priorities to be discussed for the upcoming year to fight the devastation caused by land mines and other unexploded war remnants. “During the conference, they will discuss what they have done right, how they can improve, and how they can do more,” he said.
Prince Mired described the relevance of holding the conference in Cambodia, a country that has been battling the effects of landmines for decades. “Cambodia is a wonderful country. I'm so happy to be here. I think it's so important. First of all, hosting this conference on third world effective assistance I think is terrific that it's happening here. That's where it all began here in Cambodia to talk about the plight of victims and survivors,” he said. “There is a lot to talk about. We need to take an honest look at the victims and see…what have we got right, what can we do better and what we can do more? And there's always room for improvement. We haven't mastered everything. There's still a lot we can do.”
The Prince also mentioned international efforts involved in demining and the importance of more countries joining the Ottawa Convention. “As one of the Special Envoys at the convention, I, along with Princess Astrid of Belgium, have been deeply engaged in addressing a crucial issue. Our primary focus has been on promoting universalization, encouraging countries that have not yet joined the Convention to do so. This has presented a unique challenge, as each country has its own individual circumstances and reasons for either joining or not. Our efforts involve identifying the factors that can persuade these nations to accede to the Convention,” he said.
Both dignitaries look forward to making progress during the convention and determining ways to improve their mission to rid the world of war remnants that cause devastation for decades after conflicts are resolved.
