Ly Thuch (centre), president of the Fifth Review Conference of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (Ottawa Convention), addresses the UN General Assembly in New York, the US, on October 9. CMAA
Ly Thuch, president of the Fifth Review Conference of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, better known as the Ottawa Convention, called for more world leaders to take part in the Ottawa Convention conference in Siem Reap next month as he reflected on global successes in mine action, in Cambodia in particular.
Thuch, who serves as first vice-president of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA), addressed the General Debate of the First Committee on Disbarment and International Security at the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York, the US, on October 9.
He called for unity and solidarity from all nations.
“Every milestone reached is a testament to the unyielding commitment of the member states and the tireless work of all involved – the brave individuals who risked their lives, the organisations that supported demining efforts and the communities that continued to strive for a world free from the deadly remnants of war,” he said.
He explained that mine action is not merely a technical challenge, but a humanitarian imperative, restoring lives, providing hope and creating a safer future for the world’s children.
“The removal of landmines is more than clearing a path; it is reclaiming our rights to peace, education, health and prosperity. It brings back hope to the farmers who can plough their land again, to the child who can walk to schools without fear and to the community that can rebuild on a foundation of security,” he added.
“In Cambodia, we have learned that the real measure of success in mine action is not simply the square metres cleared but the lives transformed. Mine action means freedom – freedom to thrive, to dream and to build without fear,” he continued.
Highlighting the success of this cause, Thuch explained that the work is not over as the hidden remnants of war continue to claim the lives of innocent civilians. He called for the world to continue this critical work into the future. He reiterated that Cambodia stands in solidarity with all affected countries in striving for a mine-free world.
The Fifth Review Conference (5RC) of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Antipersonnel Mines and on Their Destruction, known as the “Siem Reap-Angkor Summit on a Mine-Free World”, will be held in Siem Reap province this year, from November 25 to 29.
According to the CMAA, mine action in Cambodia began in 1992. As of December 2023 demining operators CMAC, NPMEC, RCAF, HALO Trust, MAG, APOPO, CSHD and NPA have cleared 3,024sq km of contaminated areas. They destroyed 1,179,365 anti-personnel mines, 26,339 anti-tank mines and 3,105,593 other explosive remnants of war (ERW), including cluster munitions.
Approximately 76 per cent of the cleared land is now being used for agriculture, with the remainder employed for housing, infrastructure development and risk reduction, among other uses. The clearances have directly and indirectly benefited 11,980,172 people, most of them living in rural areas.
Since 1979, more than 65,000 people have been killed by ERWs in Cambodia, according to the CMAA.
