The Problem
The task of eliminating the scourge of landmines is urgent, and it requires new levels of international cooperation and coordination. About 60-70 million landmines in over 60 countries threaten innocent civilians, inflicting thousands of casualties every year. Having dedicated more than $250 million to humanitarian demining programs over the past five years, the United States spent over $100 million in FY 1998 alone in demining assistance to some 26 countries.

The President's Initiative
The President's Demining 2010 Initiative aims to create an effective international coordination mechanism to ensure that sustained public and private resources for demining are directed, in an organized and rational manner, to programs in the mine-affected countries. These programs include mine awareness and surveys, demining and survivors assistance, and research and development. Ambassador Donald K. Steinberg is leading this effort as the Special Representative of the President and Secretary of State for Global Humanitarian Demining. Working closely within the State Department, with the Department of Defense and the Agency for International Development, and other US Government agencies, the Office of Global Humanitarian Demining aims to encourage the broadest participation of capable actors to garner the greatest amount of resources for global humanitarian demining efforts.

The USG will work with the United Nations, foreign governments, non-governmental organizations, and corporations to achieve the following goals under the Demining 2010 Initiative:

(1) Ensure that global humanitarian demining is an international priority supported by adequate resources and action;

(2) Increase the pace and effectiveness of demining operations;

(3) Increase global investment, both public and private, in humanitarian demining and direct additional resources into landmine survivor assistance;

(4) Develop mechanisms for matching needs and resources more effectively, with special focus on fostering creative public-private partnerships;

(5) Coordinate R&D initiatives and share new demining technologies;

(6) Create sustained assistance to landmine survivors and communities.

In 1999, we will focus our efforts on expanding the number of countries participating in demining and increasing public outreach and private sector involvement in the Demining 2010 Initiative. The United States will continue to expand and enhance its Humanitarian Demining Program.