Radio Miraya
2679: MBS - International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action
This week, humankind is marking in the International Mine Awareness Day and assistance to mine action. Well, the very day is on Tuesday. However, we at Ray Jimira's breakfast show have decided to dedicate the whole week to this important day and matter. Well, earlier, my colleagues talked to the ongoing head of the United Nations Mine Action Service, Zerudi Zed Zukanovic, who has told her about a lot of activities, but also about his feelings as he is leaving the country after nearly 14 years of work and support to the people of South Sudan. He started by saying that this year's Mine Action Day is marked under them protecting lives and building peace. Good morning everyone and thanks for inviting us. Because it has been mentioned every year, 4th of April, we are marking the International Mine Awareness Day. Mine awareness is actually an old terminology that has been used early days when the humanitarian Mine Action has been established within the UN. Nowadays, we are calling this explosive ordnance risk education, but I believe people like to keep this traditional name, International Mine Awareness Day. And thanks to Radio Miraya every year, we are sharing this with the people of South Sudan. Through Radio Miraya, but also in our sectors, through our other activities that we are conducting. Despite all the work that we are doing, Mine Awareness Explosive Ordnance Risk Education is one of the activities where we are constantly trying to remind population on the threat and constantly sharing the messages in the schools, in the communities or in different forums and in groups, and all those messages, they are usually going around the same, the core one which is in case you do face or see or find an item that you are not sure what it is. And it looks like explosive ordnance, don't touch, don't throw anything on it, report to the local authorities, report to the National Mine Action Authority or call UNMA's hotline, which is 092-000-1055. By doing this, you save in your life or life of the others and we will send a capacity to respond and remove the threat. It's 092-000-1055. So when I think about Mine Action Service, an immediate threat and a number you have just shared is what it comes to mind. However, you do so much more, what else do you and what are your biggest achievements and challenges that you have been facing? The Mine Action Service has been established in 1997, however, there was a Mine Action Assistance in the post-conflict areas even before that. Since establishing UNMA's, this work has been more coordinated through the secretariat, it has been more planned and the achievements, the standards were developed in a broader synchronized way. What does it mean today for the countries where the UNMA's is present and supporting either the mission or the governments? It means technical support, resource mobilization, database management, explosive ordnance threat analysis, identifying priorities and tasking the capacities, maintaining the quality assurance system. I mentioned supporting international authorities in South Sudan. We have a very strong collaboration with the National Mine Action Authority that we have been working together since 2004 and to date we managed together to actually highlight many milestones. In 2018, we had a 1 million explosive ordnance destroyed when today we count 1,300,000 destroyed. By the National Mine Action Authority, maintaining the capacity on the ground in support of the mission, in support of the government and humanitarian actors, since 2011, after date we cleared 1,100 square kilometers and yet, as we speak, we are looking at roughly 21 square kilometers remaining to be cleared. So there is a big achievement that National Mine Action Authority in the government of South Sudan has marked last year and this is something that we want to highlight. So during the International Mine Action Authority on the 4th of April and that is signing the Mine Action Bill, the government of South Sudan also signed the accession to conventional class ammunition which is an additional obligation from the government on international treaty in regards to class ammunition before that South Sudan was already signatures of the anti-personal mine and convention. Coming to the end of 2023, then thanks to the Geneva International Centre for humanitarian demining and support from UNMA's National Mine Action Authority started developing Mine Action Strategy for the period of 2024 to 2028. We are waiting for the signatory of the strategy but the final version is ready and it will be also presented during the 4th of April. So a lot of achievements, however, there is still a lot of to be done in order to meet the milestones that we have in a strategy and in those international treaties. The main milestones is to create a safe environment for the people of South Sudan, a safe environment for the mission to implement its mandate, a conducive environment for the humanitarian actors to deliver their aid, to clear all currently known anti-person landmine hazards. We are estimating by June 2027, class demolitions to be cleared by June 2028 with assumption that the currently available and deployed capacity will still be available. The biggest challenge is that we have, apart from those that we are facing every year which is a security and environmental impact, it's actually a donor support and contribution which is decreasing from year to year, without the donor support we think that meeting the milestones is going to be challenging and we do also understand there are some other global crisis that donors interest is moving away from South Sudan but it is an opportunity for everybody to actually get together with efforts in order to meet those big milestones and actually to contribute together to this big success in South Sudan which is clearing and removing explosive ordnance, let's say by June 2028. Well as we heard him speaking about his nearly 14 years in the country earlier spent half of his life with the people of South Sudan with whom he probably shares more time than even his family back home. So the question is how does it feel to see the results of his hard work and what are some of the precious moments that are going to stay forever in his mind, his move? Thanks for reminding me. Yes I joined the program in South Sudan June 2011. I was privileged to see one month later that South Sudan became an independent new nation. Also unfortunately I witnessed new wars that just developed not far from the independence and regardless of all these challenges we did mark a huge achievements saying 22 square kilometers. Some may say it's or think it's too much but actually if you look where we were 2011 and 2004 this is maybe remaining 5% of what has been reported and recorded before. I'm leaving South Sudan but I do have a feeling that the efforts that we have been putting together with National National Authority are going to continue. I will be still supporting the program from my neural and National National Authority so yeah it's a bit a hard feeling leaving a country because I am feeling a bit being a part of the country after 13 nearly 14 years. I didn't get my passport maybe on my return back but I am looking forward to actually see a news that South Sudan finally has removed the extraordinary threat and people of South Sudan are living in a free safe environment. Nearly 14 years it is what the third or the fourth of my life. I know Juba better than my hometown I can say that for sure. I'm always saying I was privileged throughout my work to see almost every corner of this country that many South Sudanese didn't have a chance to and seeing the different corners, remote areas of the country, obviously I had an opportunity to meet all these people, different cultures. That's something that many don't have a opportunity so definitely this will be something that I'm going to take with me as in a good memory, a strong relationship with my colleagues and our efforts all these years in trying to achieve this remarkable goal. It's also something that you definitely don't forget easily. Yeah the Nail River that they saying once you taste it brings you back so let's see if that's going to be the case with me. Money crossing mine but just quickly think about a big country with how many tribes you're talking about dialects and languages definitely being in Tambora and then being in Capoeira or being in a Chukodum and north northwest in an Ortonbargazale or in Bantiu people are talking different languages but they are the same nation they are from the same country this is something they should protect and the same message that can be shared it also goes to my team. What we build together it's a strong team living and working together and that has to be maintained for the peace and for the future and the prosperity. South Sudan it's a beautiful country with good people and there is a lot of potential that has not been used or explored. I think South Sudan is one of those countries which is blessed that can feed this part of the Africa if just right resources are directed towards that and this is where our work then becomes important because a lot of land which can be used for farming it's also contaminated with explosive ordinances and that's where our contribution also steps in and then the river potential it's also something that should be considered and used so it's not everything in an oil. That's right the conversation with Zad still continues and would like to hear his message to the people and the leaders. Just again thanks for giving me this opportunity that from this place I can also say thanks to all of those that I had a chance to meet and work together all these years and I am looking forward to either stay in touch with you or to actually come back and continue until we finish what we work together all these years. Thanks. Well that is Zadaruddin Zad, the kind of which the outgoing head of the United Nations Mine Action Service speaking to me on the other hand of course updating us on how his day has been and what has been memorable for him plus his final message to the people after spending a decade or so in South Sudan.