Mine Risk Education
Mine Risk Education Strategy for Tajikistan
According to the Tajikistan Mine Action Program, MRE
is to be supported by and integrated with other
structures in Tajikistan. MRE is considered to be a
core pillar of mine action, the first step in
decreasing mine/UXO injury and death rates among the
population in contaminated areas. In March 2008, a
Mine Risk Education Strategy was signed by the
Government to implement and coordinate MRE Program
in twenty two districts of the country.
To date, all national MRE activities have been
concentrated on the central, western, southern and
northern regions.
Villagers
attend hills and forest located to the
border. |
The landmines/UXO problem in Tajikistan is
contained, but not eradicated and continues to cause
human suffering and livestock losses. Landmines
create obstacles to access of grazing and
agricultural land in Tajikistan and cause economic
hardship for poor people. With a total estimated
population of 7 million, only 7% of the land area is
non-mountainous and 5.2% anarable land.
Tajikistan is subject to natural disasters including
earthquake and flooding. Both sides in Tajikistan’s
1990s five-year Civil War used anti personnel mines
(APM) and many of these weapons remain in place in
the country’s central region. Uzbek forces have laid
APMs along their border with Tajikistan and some are
laid in disputed territory. APM minefields also
exist along the border with Afghanistan, handed over
to Tajik sovereignty by Russian forces in
July 2005. The majority of the inhabitants within
at-risk communities have received Mine Risk
Education and awareness training. Despite this,
economic imperatives drive local populations to
continue visiting hazardous areas, which often
result in death and injury.
|
Safety Billboards in Border. |
The MRE activities in the frame of the program are
conducted mainly on the basis of the general survey
data on identified mine/UXO and cluster munitions
areas and incidents with the people involved in war
affected districts of Tajikistan. The metallic
billboard have installed in border communities. The
number of mine/UXO and cluster munitions victims in
surveyed territories after establishment of Tajik
Mine Action Centre is estimated to be 442 Mine
Victims and 351 died.
The numbers of deaths and injuries caused by
landmines and cluster munitions continue to fall
every year.
Contact Information
Shahrinisso Davlatova
MRE Coordinator, TMAC
15 M.Kurbonov Str. DushanbeTel: (992) 21 66 87
E-mail:
shahrinisso.davlatova@undp.org
Website:
www.mineaction.tj
