Excellencies, Distinguished Experts and Friends!

Background
 

It is my pleasure to address this Symposium on Mine Action: Pathway to a Safer World organized by the Horizon Group – organization for post-conflict environment management, the think tank India International Forum on Mine Action and Safety (IIFOMAS) and supported by the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS) and Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA). I congratulate the organizers on the choice of the theme of today’s discussion which is particularly timely given the growing strife and conflict in the world.

Disarmament

2. I also wish to commend the organizers for their quest to look at the subject of mines from the lens of disarmament. India has a long-standing tradition of disarmament. Espousal of disarmament is not a sign of weakness or underdevelopment but is symbolic of richness of thought, spiritual strength and the spirit of universal brotherhood. Disarmament is essential to ensure the very survival of the human race and our collective future. Moreover, there is no denying the fact that disarmament will ensure productive use of humanity’s resources and give fruition to a global peace dividend.
   
   The Realities
   
   3. However, instead of working for peace, today the world seems to be moving on the path of war. A deeply polarizing spirit of competition and hate has made its way across all realms globally from inter-country relations to international economy, from technology to inter-faith interface. So while the need for disarmament approaches is critical today like no other time, the realities of the day point to the other direction. Besides, there is little genuine bridging of the traditional North-South divide on disarmament matters with the major powers having all but forgotten that disarmament is still on the global agenda.
   
   The Near Future
   
   4. Will the current geopolitical shifts and global tumult result in expanded space for disarmament; will disarmament become a foundational principle of the New World Order – only time will tell !
   
   Proliferation of Mines
   
   5.  Mines, both land and sea, have been around for several centuries; but the proliferation in the 20^th century, bloody that it was, has been of unprecedented scale. Their use received a tremendous impetus in and due to the World Wars. According to the UN, today, nearly 70 countries such as Afghanistan, Cambodia, Vietnam, Syria, Yemen, Iraq and other countries are heavily contaminated by around 110 million active landmines. The UN website also says that landmines kill and maim around 1000-2000 people every month and that it will take 1100 years to clear all the active landmines in the world if no new mines are deployed – a preposterous figure by all means!
   
   Current Use
   
   6.  Mines have frequently been used in the ongoing Ukraine and Gaza conflicts. A significant number of landmines are being used in the strife torn countries of the African continent. South Sudan, DRC, Angola, Somalia, and the Sahel region among others. In South East Asia, Lao PDR, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar continue to suffer from contemporary and decades-old landmines, affecting future generations. Landmines and IEDs are also being used in an indiscriminate and irresponsible manner by non-state actors, terrorist outfits and insurgent groups.
   
   Military Strategies
   
   7.  Laying of mines is at the heart of military and naval preparedness. Meant to inflict damage and deter the enemy, mines continue to find utility in the battlefield strategies and military doctrines of several major powers and other countries. For India, its adverse security environment compels use of mines. Prohibition can follow not only improved regional and global security environment but also a durable and lasting peace and firm and verifiable commitments on disarmament on all sides. An atmosphere of trust is a necessary prerequisite.
   
   India’s Conscientious Approach
   
   8. Needless to add, India remains committed to a universal and verifiable ban on all types of mines. Voluntarily and conscious of its responsibilities, India does not trade or transfer mines either externally or domestically. It has long ceased production of non-detectable mines and rendered all non-detectable mines detectable in compliance with its international obligations. There is no manufacturing of mines in the private sector in India.
   
   Challenges to Mine Clearance & Need for International Cooperation
   
   9.  Mine infestation is certainly not a critical issue for India but it is for countries which have, as I said, chronically or otherwise been stricken by conflict especially in Africa and South East Asia. Challenges in mine clearance such as those related to vintage minefields, numerous types of landmines, environmental preservation during demining, diverse terrain and topography, climatic conditions, technology upgradation, cost-effective solutions call for enhanced international cooperation; sharing of best practices, capacity building, technological cooperation and awareness creation are key.
   
   India’s Approach to Mine Action
   
   10. India’s approach to Mine Action is multi-faceted and comprises contributions through UN Peacekeeping, bilateral assistance and training, domestic R&D & deployment of solutions, collaboration with international organizations and civil society. It spans demining operations, public awareness outreach, victim assistance, victim rehabilitation through financial, employment and health assistance and legislative protection to disabled victims. This reflects our commitment to disarmament and humanitarian objectives.
   
   11.  India has trained mine clearance teams working in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Angola, Benin and Afghanistan. India has provided support for mine clearance tasks in Sri Lanka. Use of IEDs by terrorists, extremists and unlawful armed groups are also of particular concern to India having been a decades-long victim of cross-border terrorism. India’s Centre for Excellence for training on IEDs has organized workshops for several foreign delegations including from Bhutan, Bangladesh, Australia and Vietnam. 
   
   12.  On the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150^th birth anniversary, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs alongwith the renowned Indian charitable organization Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS) launched the ‘India for Humanity’ initiative in 2018 involving organizing artificial limb – ‘Jaipur Foot’ – fitment camps. Thousands of artificial limbs have been fitted in countries such as Malawi, Iraq, Nepal, Egypt, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Syria, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, etc. under the initiative. This initiative has been extended till 2026.
   
   13.  India is also playing its part through private sector demining entities such as Horizon Group by offering its expertise in mine clearance to other countries. Alongwith mine clearance operations, the Horizon Group has also been attending to welfare activities such as victim assistance and risk education in foreign countries. We hope that more such Indian entities will come up in this sector.
   
   Concluding Remarks
   
   14.  The huge broken Chair installed in front of the UN Headquarters at Geneva to commemorate mine victims cautions us that ‘the world precariously sits on a three-legged Chair’ and calls upon all countries and all peoples to wake up and deal with the death and destruction caused by arms. The water fountains next to the Chair where kids bathe and play symbolize that ‘hope springs eternal in the human breast’. Internationally agreed norms, regulations, a cooperative spirit and disarmament are the only sane way forward for mankind.