§ Angus RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the(a) de-mining and (b) mine awareness projects (i) directly run, (ii) primarily funded directly, (iii) financially assisted directly by his Department, (iv) primarily funded and (v) financially assisted through (A) local, (B) regional and (C) international non-governmental organisations using contributions from his Department in Cambodia since 1997, including the structure and methodology of each project, and the latest assessment his Department has made of the progress of (1) each project, (2) de-mining and (3) mine awareness in general in Cambodia; and if he will make a statement. [133323]
Mr. Gareth ThomasDFID has provided funding for demining in Cambodia at the following disbursement levels since 1997.
£ million 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001– 02 2002–03 NGO 0.56 0.44 0.29 2.61 2.30 0.78 0.45 UNDP 0.50 0.50 0.48 DFID funding for Cambodia covers a number of different areas of activity and is part of DFID's global response to humanitarian mine action. In Cambodia specifically we have provided funds on a bilateral basis to the UK NGOs the HALO Trust and Mines Advisory Group (MAG) to carry out demining programmes in various parts of Cambodia. We have also provided funds for the in-country development and testing of mechanical demining equipment.
DFID has provided additional funds through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to support the Cambodian Mine Action Authority (CMAA) and the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) which are indigenous organisations set up with the assistance of the UNDP.
In March 2001 DFID carried out a review of its support to mine action in Cambodia. We concluded that there had been considerable successes since 1991 with thousands of mines having been cleared and large areas of land restored to economic use. We thought there were institutional weaknesses especially in the area of co-ordination where there was limited interaction between the various organisations working on mine action and the central mine action authorities. Our support to the Cambodian Mine authorities that we provide via the UN aims to address this issue. The UN will be providing support under the UNDP Country Co-operation Framework for 2001–05. Key objectives of the programme include development of the management capacity of the CMAC and CMAA. Specific activities include:
696WStrengthening partnerships among entities and stakeholders involved in the mine awareness sector;Development of quality assurance and quality control processes;Development and review of MRE guidelines and materials;Promotion of national compliance with responsibilities detailed in the various national and international instruments pertaining to mine action;Assistance in victim rehabilitation programmes.European Union
The following contributions were reported since 1997:
1998 £3.0 million (UK share = 19.1 per cent.)1999 £0.56 million (UK share = 17.75 per cent.)More information on demining in Cambodia can be gained from the publication "Landmine Monitor". A copy will be sent to the House of Commons Library. There are also a number of useful websites on this subject, one of the most informative is the site hosted by the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) www.mineaction.org