*EPF203 12/21/2004
Text: State Department Awards $5 Million for Mine Removal Projects
(United States lends support to landmine clearance project in Angola) (1020)
The Department of State's Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement has awarded over $5 million in grants to nongovernmental and international organizations, educational institutions, and civic associations for humanitarian mine action projects.
These 20 grants are in addition to over $115 million that the department invested in mine action in fiscal year 2004, the department said in a prepared statement December 20. The Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement is in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs.
The State Department also announced an initiative by the Humpty Dumpty Institute (HDI), a New York-based nongovernmental organization, to fund landmine clearance in Angola with proceeds generated by the sale of donated U.S. surplus powdered milk.
The HDI has arranged for the sale of U.S. nonfat dry milk in Angola that was made available under a U.S. Department of Agriculture food aid program, the department said.
Using the proceeds of the sale, HDI will apply approximately $620,000 to remove landmines from 1,500 kilometers of a major road network linking rich agricultural land with key commercial markets in Angola's Planalto region.
Following are texts of the announcements:
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U.S. Department of State
Media Note
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, D.C.
December 20, 2004
Grants To Reinforce Humanitarian Mine Action
The Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the Department of State's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs has awarded over $5 million in grants to non-governmental and international organizations, educational institutions, and civic associations under a new Request for Applications procedure to reinforce humanitarian mine action. This is in addition to over $115 million that the Department invested in mine action in fiscal year 2004.
Twenty grants for special projects and crosscutting initiatives were awarded to the following organizations:
-- Mines Advisory Group to conduct mechanical mine action support and mine clearance in Cambodia and Vietnam, respectively, mine risk education in southern Sudan, and to develop an abandoned and hazardous ordnance site survey methodology for Angola;
-- UNICEF to conduct community-based mine risk education programs in Afghanistan and Senegal;
-- United Nations World Food Program to demine roads in southern Sudan;
-- Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation to provide post-landmine impact survey assistance to Lebanon's National Demining Office;
-- Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining to study the synergy between humanitarian mine action and small arms/light weapons programs;
-- Marshall Legacy Institute to expand two mine detection dog public-private partnerships in Azerbaijan and Sri Lanka, and to expand its Children Against Landmines (CHAMPS) mine detection dog sponsorship project from Wyoming to schools in other U.S. states and in foreign countries, particularly mine-affected ones;
-- Humpty Dumpty Institute to support its new model for monetizing surplus U.S. food aid in order to support humanitarian mine action;
-- Rotary International District 5030, via the International Trade Education Foundation, to increase awareness, action and funding for humanitarian mine action among Rotarians worldwide, and to create and distribute a video depicting Rotarians involved in supporting mine action;
-- HALO Trust to match a contribution by an American citizen, George Begley, for demining in Afghanistan's Shomali Valley;
-- Mine Action Information Center at James Madison University to develop curriculum and training materials to support U.S. government mine action training, and facilitate a public-private partnership workshop to assess civil society's role in humanitarian mine action and potential for supporting small arms/light weapons abatement.
-- Cranfield University [U.K.] to conduct mine action management training in order to enhance the capacity of Afghanistan's and Iraq's Mine Action Programs; and
-- Roots of Peace to expand its "Pennies for Peace" student program from Marin County, California, to other schools in the United States, Japan and Europe, to encourage school children to support humanitarian mine action.
To learn about the U.S. Department of State's humanitarian mine action and small arms and light weapons abatement programs around the world, visit http://www.state.gov/t/pm/wra.
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U.S. Department of State
Media Note
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, D.C.
December 20, 2004
U.S. Surplus Milk Sale Funds Landmine Clearance in Angola
The U.S. Department of State welcomes the innovative initiative by the Humpty Dumpty Institute, a New York-based non-governmental organization, to fund landmine clearance in Angola with proceeds generated by the sale of donated U.S. surplus powdered milk. This project will save lives and promote economic development in one of the world's most heavily mine-affected countries.
The Humpty Dumpty Institute has arranged for the sale of U.S. nonfat dry milk in Angola, made available under a U.S. Department of Agriculture food aid program, which allows foreign governments and organizations to use U.S. commodities in specific countries to support humanitarian objectives.
Using the proceeds of the sale, the Humpty Dumpty Institute will apply approximately $620,000 to demine 1,500 kilometers of a major road network linking rich agricultural land with key commercial markets in Angola's Planalto region.
In cooperation with The HALO Trust, a mine clearance organization, work has already started on this "Road Threat Reduction" project, following the delivery and sale of the first tranche of nonfat dry milk in October 2004. The final shipment is expected later this month.
In support of this novel approach to humanitarian mine action, the Department of State recently provided the Humpty Dumpty Institute with a grant to support the expansion of its mine action funding and implementation model to other mine-affected countries.
The Humpty Dumpty Institute participates in the Department of State's Public-Private Partnership Program to support humanitarian mine action. Under this unique program, coordinated by the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, the State Department works with nearly 50 civic and non-profit organizations, corporations, schools, and other private groups to advance the cause of humanitarian mine action.
To learn more about the State Department's humanitarian mine action program and its related Public-Private Partnership initiatives, visit http://www.state.gov/t/pm/wra
To learn more about the Humpty Dumpty Institute and its mine action projects, visit http://www.humptydumpty.net/.
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(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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