UNIS/SGSM/1307
31 March 2023
For the millions living amidst the chaos of armed conflicts — especially women and children — every step can put them in danger’s path.
Even after the fighting stops, conflicts often leave behind a terrifying legacy: landmines and explosive ordnance that litter communities. Peace brings no assurance of safety when roads and fields are mined, when unexploded ordnance threatens the return of displaced populations, and when children find and play with shiny objects that explode.
The United Nations Mine Action Service gathers partners together to remove these deadly weapons, support national authorities, and ensure safe access to homes, schools, hospitals and farmers’ fields. The Service also supported the design of the Black Sea Grain Initiative and the safe export of grain and fertilizer from Ukrainian ports.
Yet, broader global efforts are essential to safeguard people from mines.
I urge Member States to ratify and fully implement the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, the Convention on Cluster Munitions and the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.
On this International Day, let’s take action to end the threat of these devices of death, support communities as they heal, and help people return and re-build their lives in safety and security.
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"The ocean is the foundation of life. It supplies the air we breathe and food we eat. It regulates our climate and weather. The ocean is our planet’s greatest reservoir of biodiversity. Its resources sustain communities, prosperity and human health around the world. Humanity counts on the ocean. But can the ocean count on us?" — António Guterres
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have launched a new database listing current and past projects from space agencies in support of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO) have announced their collaboration under the Space Law for New Space Actors project.
The Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, will brief the media following an Executive Briefing to Member States at the Vienna International Centre. Mr Lazzarini will share updates on the challenges faced in UNRWA’s five fields of operations, including the impact of recurrent financial constraints on the lives of Palestine refugees.
