The 7th June 2008 saw the launch of the National Mine Awareness Campaign in Beir Al-Ghabi, near Tobruk. The event, spearheaded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in association with the Demining Association, sought to raise national and international awareness of the devastating humanitarian and economic impact of landmines and to highlight the Demining Association’s vital work in this field. 

UNDP Libya chartered a plane to transport a host of dignitaries, national and international journalists and specialists to the site, where the attendees discussed the environmental, developmental and destructive humanitarian impact of Libya’s landmines. The organizers set off landmines to provide the crowd with a thought-provoking illustration of just how much damage mines can inflict.

Indeed, communicating the very real human costs of landmines was central to UNDP’s agenda. Brian Gleeson, UN Resident Representative, emphasized that thirty-four percent of landmine victims are children, some of whom are as young as five. He stressed that the most pernicious aspect of the problem is that “mines don’t differentiate between a soldier and a child; both can be killed or maimed with exactly the same lethal impact and with as little conscience.” Libya has an estimated ten million landmines scattered throughout its territories, making it one of the worst affected countries in the world.

Attention was also focused on the developmental and social repercussions of landmines. Libya’s expansive landmines have reduced the land available for agriculture, industry and tourism. The Jamahiriya’s environment and marine life has been detrimentally affected and the psychological impact on those communities living in constant fear of landmine- related incidents is deeply disturbing.  The affects of landmines are complex and far reaching, and, as Brian Gleeson underscored “this means that not only did our predecessors pay the price, but so will we, so will our children and so will our children’s children, if this brutal scar of our past is not remedied starting today.”

Prior to the event, UNDP Libya signed a Letter of Intent with the Demining Association, to establish a framework for their partnership and to bolster their efforts in tackling the threat posed by landmines. Through this collaboration, UNDP Libya will seek to assist the Demining Association in its awareness raising initiatives, will support their mine victim rehabilitation efforts and will provide technical assistance to the association in their vital role of collecting mine related data and statistics. Brian Gleeson highlighted in his speech the importance of such team-work in dealing with the expansive, multi-faceted issues surrounding the landmine problem in Libya.

The extent of Libya’s landmine problem cannot be underestimated, but the organizers were encouraged by the high level of support and media coverage of the National Mine Awareness Campaign.  UNDP Libya expressed its hope that this event will prove to be an important step in achieving the support and solidarity required to fulfill its deep commitment to turning Libya’s dire landmine situation into an international success story, providing a beacon of hope and a framework of action for other countries to follow.