01 July 2001

Fact Sheet: U.S. Humanitarian Demining Programs in Europe

Following is the text of a State Department fact sheet outlining U.S. humanitarian demining programs in Europe as of July 1, 2001:

U.S. Department of State
Bureau of Political-Military Affairs
Office of Humanitarian Demining Programs
Washington, DC
July 1, 2001
United States Humanitarian Demining Programs In Europe

The U.S. Government's Humanitarian Demining Program seeks to relieve human suffering while promoting U.S. interests. The Program's objectives are to establish and support sustainable indigenous demining programs, reduce civilian casualties, create conditions for the return of refugees and displaced persons to their homes, reinforce an affected country's stability, and encourage international cooperation and participation. The Program seeks to accomplish these objectives by helping to establish and support sustainable indigenous mine action capabilities in mine-affected nations. Since FY 1993, the United States has committed almost $500 million to global mine action initiatives, including research and development.

• Out of the 26 countries in Europe reported to have landmine problems, the United States is providing assistance to nine of those countries and the province of Kosovo. These countries are Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia- Herzegovina, Croatia, Estonia, Georgia, and Macedonia.

• U.S. assistance to Moldova enabled that country to declare itself mine-safe in August 2000.

• Since 1993, the United States has provided more than $56,411,787 in Humanitarian Demining Assistance to these countries and Kosovo.

• Since 1998, U.S. assistance has been provided through the International Trust Fund (ITF) for Demining and Mine Victim Assistance to Bosnia-Herzegovina, and since 1999, to Croatia. In 2000, Albania began receiving U.S. assistance through the ITF, and Macedonia, Serbia, and Montenegro may be added in the future.

• By the end of June 2001, the United States matched contributions to the ITF from approximately 50 donors and provided another $8 million in unilateral contributions, bringing the total deposit to the ITF to over $36 million.

• The success of the ITF, as the channel of choice for disbursing donors' and matching U.S. funds, has established it as a regional focus for humanitarian demining assistance throughout the Balkans.

• Mine awareness programs are being conducted in most of these countries, including the use of the D.C. Comic Superman/Wonder Woman comic book in Bosnia and Kosovo.

• The U.S. has trained and equipped deminers in several European countries since 1996, including more than 1,200 deminers in Bosnia and those participating in a new program in Albania in 2001.

• Almost 20,000 landmines/UXO have been destroyed and over 16 million square meters of land have been cleared.

• Mine clearance activities emphasize creating the necessary infrastructure to support the return of refugees and internally displaced persons to their homes.