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Mine clearance needs both domestic, international resources

Saturday, March 15, 2014
Vietnam is trying its best to overcome the consequences of post-war bombs and mines, for a peaceful life of the people. In this issue, support of the international community plays an important role but much needs to be done to help them truly understand and assist Vietnam better.
Vietnam is trying its best to overcome the consequences of post-war bombs and mines, for a peaceful life of the people. (Photo: VOV)
The People’s Army Newspaper interviewed Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, Deputy Minister of National Defence and Chief of the Permanent Agency of the National Mine Action Programme 504 about this issue.
Some international organisations suggested that Vietnam should soon join the Convention on Cluster Munitions to promote its multilateral relations to get more support for its mine action programme. Could you please give us the viewpoint of Programme 504’s Permanent Agency on this?
The target of Programme 504 is to “mobilize domestic and international resources in an effort to minimize and finally create an impact-free environment for socio-economic development; ensuring peoples safety and assisting victims to successfully reintegrate into society”.
Therefore, mobilizing domestic and international resources plays an important role in the success of this programme. So far, mine action in Vietnam has been supported almost completely (98 percent) by domestic resources, mainly from the state budget. As a result, Programme 504’s Permanent Agency has made a plan to mobilise international donations.
We have conducted many bilateral and multilateral meetings to help potential donors better understand about the contamination of explosive remnants remaining from past wars in Vietnam. Donors include foreign governments and international non-government organizations. The Government of Vietnam is determined to increase international support in the upcoming time and has provided targets, action plans and policies to support the effort.
Participation in international conventions or agreements needs to be thoroughly considered and prepared for within the framework of legal regulations and procedures to ensure that Vietnam implements these conventions and agreements responsibly and effectively. To join an international convention, at first, it is necessary to research and have an overall evaluation on interests, limits, roadmap, time frame and the most important thing: the resources to implement the contents of that convention.
Obviously, joining this convention can help create favourable conditions to mobilize more resources. However, it is not the decisive condition. Governments and international donors also pay attention to other issues such as targets, policies, mechanism, transparency, feasibility, humanity, and the accordance of the national mine action standards with the international standards.
Although Vietnam has not yet joined the Convention on Cluster Munitions, the country will always support the humanity of this convention. Vietnam has been implementing many elements of the convention, such as: Not to produce, use, stockpile or transfer cluster munitions. We have made many efforts and allocated resources to destroy cluster munitions left after the war. The Vietnamese government and its people have actively supported the victims of wars and victims of post-war bombs and mines, including those of cluster munitions. We will try better to help governments and international donors understand about these efforts.
Being a country that faces serious consequences from cluster munitions, what are Vietnam’s proposals to the country that used this weapon in the Vietnam War and has not yet joined the Convention on Cluster Munitions?
I think that not only Vietnam but also other countries that have not joined this convention worry about this. Firstly, the Convention does not regulate the responsibilities of a country to solve the consequences in another country in which it has used cluster munitions.
Secondly, some countries which have a strong defence industry, capable of manufacturing cluster munitions have not yet joined the Convention, therefore, the Convention does not eliminate the purchase, transfer or use of cluster munitions.
Besides, the Convention does not have any articles to regulate or impose compulsory obligations on countries that have used cluster munitions. Meanwhile, according to the Convention, victim countries have to clear and destroy cluster munitions within ten years, if not, they have to propose an extension.
The fact is that countries that are victims of cluster munitions are hard-hit by wars, lack of resources and have many things to do to overcome the consequences of wars. On the other hand, countries that manufacture and use cluster munitions do not take any responsibility for their action.
Therefore, victim countries, if they sign the Convention, will create a pressure on themselves while not receiving any remarkable resources in comparison to what they have to spend to overcome the consequences of war. It is necessary to include in the Convention the responsibilities of the countries that use cluster munitions.
Are there any countries that suggest providing Vietnam with technical assistance or other kinds of support if Vietnam joins the Convention?
Although Vietnam has not yet joined the Convention, there have been projects, funded or assisted by the International Centre (IC-VVAF), Norwegian People’s Aid, Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), to survey the contamination of explosive remnants of wars, including cluster munitions at a humble level.
We have also received other kinds of international assistance to research, learn more about the Convention, or participation in international conferences on cluster munitions...
So far, when advocating Vietnam to join the Convention, international organizations have only said that Vietnam would receive more resources from other countries and organizations. No countries have suggested that they would provide technical assistance or other kinds of assistance to Vietnam if Vietnam joined this Convention.
Mr Deputy Minister, could you please give a brief about the results achieved by Programme 504 and its upcoming activities?
Programme 504 has finalised the organization of the Steering Board and Permanent Agency. It has also given advice to the Prime Minister to implement Decision 738/QD-TTg; making the Decree on Mine Action Management; compiling the National Mine Action Standards; preparing the project to establish the Vietnam Mine Action Centre (VNMAC) and National Mine Action Database… We will soon introduce the website of VNMAC, the official information channel of the Programme.
We have met and discussed assistance and donations with many countries such as the US, Norway, Switzerland and Germany and signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in mine action with the US government (December, 2013), IC-VVAF and GICHD.
Most significantly, we have initiated the establishment of the Experts Working Group on Humanitarian Mine Action within the framework of the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus and together with India will chair this in the first two years.
Additionally, Programme 504 has also increased communication efforts to establish domestic consensus and increase the attention from the international community.
In the upcoming time, the Programme will actively work with international donors to negotiate and sign memoranda of understanding at bilateral or multilateral level or include mine action in the governmental cooperation programmes. We will also participate in related international conferences and work with the governments of Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia and India, as well as other governments and organizations to get more international support for the Programme.
The Programme will cooperate with ministries and branches to prepare resource mobilization plans and is organizing a meeting with the donors in mid-March, 2014 to introduce VNMAC, Mine Action Partners Group, the Programme’s website and other activities…
What are the specific measures to get more international assistance in mine action in Vietnam, Mr. Deputy Minister?
In mine action, the assistance from the international community to Vietnam, though humble to the reality of the work, is valuable and highly appreciated. In particular, the international community’s support in building capacity, micro management and technology has helped bring about positive change in mine action in Vietnam.
We do hope that, in the upcoming years, Vietnam will get more attention and assistance from the international community. To do that, the Permanent Agency is preparing a strategy for international resource mobilization to submit for the approval of the Programme 504’s Steering Board.
The Permanent Agency also established a sub-committee for international resource mobilisation to implement an international resource mobilisation plan at the national level.
In the integration period, Vietnam will research and make efforts to join international conventions and agreements, establish bilateral and multilateral commitments to work with other countries to solve common issues with a viewpoint that Vietnam is an active member of ASEAN and the international community, for a world of peace.
We still have many things to do but I strongly believe that in 2014 we will get good results in mine action in Vietnam.
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