Today we celebrate the tenth anniversary of the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. In the past decade, much progress has been made towards eradicating the threat of anti-personnel landmines, with 162 States now Parties to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention.
今天,适逢庆祝国际提高地雷意识和协助地雷行动日十周年。过去十年来,在消除杀伤人员地雷的威胁方面取得了长足进展,162个国家现已成为《禁止杀伤人员地雷公约》缔约国。
The United Nations is playing a vital role in freeing the world from the threat of mines and explosive remnants of war, meeting the needs of victims and survivors and ensuring their human rights. Last year alone, the United Nations destroyed more than 400,000 landmines and explosive remnants of war and more than 2,000 tons of obsolete ammunition. It cleared and verified more than 1,500 kilometres of roadways, provided mine risk education to millions of people and trained thousands of military and police officers to handle and safely dispose of explosive hazards.
联合国在使世界免于地雷和战争遗留爆炸物的威胁、满足受害者和幸存者的需要以及确保他们的人权等方面,正发挥着至关重要的作用。仅去年一年,联合国便销毁了超过40万枚地雷和战争遗留爆炸物及2000余吨废弃弹药。联合国对超过1500公里的道路进行了排雷和安全核实,向数以百万计的人提供了地雷风险教育,并对数以千计的军人和警察进行了爆炸危险处理和安全处置培训。
I commend all who contributed to this success. However, women, girls, boys and men continue to fall victim to landmines laid decades ago in places such as Afghanistan and Cambodia, and I am alarmed that these indiscriminate weapons are still being used in conflicts today.
我要赞扬所有为此成就做出贡献的人。然而,在阿富汗和柬埔寨等地方,男女老幼仍继续成为数十年前埋设的地雷受害者。时至今日,这些滥杀滥伤武器竟仍被用于冲突之中,对此我感到震惊。
Furthermore, civilians and communities are exposed to an increasingly wide range of explosive hazards, from mines to cluster munitions, unsafe and unsecured weapons and ammunition, and improvised explosive devices. I am extremely concerned by the extensive use of improvised explosive devices by armed groups in Iraq, which poses a major threat to civilians. In Syria, the widespread use of “barrel bombs” and other explosive weapons in populated areas has caused great devastation and human suffering, leaving a legacy of explosive remnants of war that will remain a threat until their removal.
此外,平民和社区面临的爆炸危险种类在不断增加,包括地雷、集束弹药、未采取安保措施的不安全武器和弹药、以及简易爆炸装置等等。伊拉克境内的武装团体大量使用简易爆炸装置,构成对平民的重大威胁,我对此极为关切。在叙利亚,“桶式炸弹”等爆炸性武器被广泛用于人口密集地区,造成了极大的破坏和人类痛苦,而由此留下的战争遗留爆炸物,在清除之前将始终是一大威胁。
The theme for this year’s Day – “More than Mines” – reflects the reality faced by civilians, humanitarians, peacekeepers and development agencies in war-zones and countries recovering from conflict. When explosive hazards block the way, food is not delivered; refugees and internally displaced people cannot safely return home; children cannot go to school; trade is disrupted; development and peacebuilding efforts are hindered; peacekeeping operations cannot deploy safely.
今年国际日的主题是:“超过地雷本身”。这反映了处于战争区和正从冲突中恢复的国家的平民、人道主义者、维和人员和发展机构面临的现实。因有爆炸危险拦路,食物无法送达;难民和境内流离失所者无法平安返回家园;孩子们不能上学;贸易中断;发展和建设和平工作受阻;维和行动也无法安全地部署。
On this International Day, I urge Member States to stay committed to the cause of mine action through financial contributions and political support, which is particularly crucial this year as the General Assembly debates assistance in mine action. The proposed resolution will provide an opportunity to recognize that mine action is indeed “More than Mines” and to recommit ourselves to working with affected states to reduce the menace of mines and explosive hazards.
值此国际日之际,我谨敦促会员国通过财政捐助和政治支持,继续致力于排雷行动事业,而这在今年尤其重要,因为大会将就协助地雷行动进行辩论。所提决议将提供一个契机,可借以确认地雷行动确实“超过地雷本身”,并再次承诺与受影响国家合作,以减少地雷和爆炸危险的威胁。