US EMBASSY HELPS ARMENIAN RED CROSS RAISE MONEY TO SUPPORT THE FIGHT AGAINST LAND MINES

ArmRadio.am
12.04.2007 17:28

At a fundraising reception on April 11, 2007, the US Embassy in Armenia
helped the Armenian Red Cross raise over $4,000 for the fight against
landmines in Armenia. The reception was held as part of the "Night
of a Thousand Dinners," a global event initiated in 2001 by the US
State Department under the leadership of former Secretary of State
Colin Powell. The purpose of the reception was to increase awareness
about the international land mine crisis, and to raise funds for the
Armenian Red Cross, a local NGO that is working to reduce landmine
casualties through a mine risk education program. The event was one
of many taking place around the world in recognition of International
Day for Mine Action.

While the scale of the landmine problem is hard to measure, the United
Nations Development Program reports that between 80,000 and 100,000
landmines remain buried in Armenia. These mines affect people living
in 60 communities, in five of Armenia’s eleven marzes. Over the past
decade, the United States has been the largest donor to landmine issues
and has spent over $1 billion dollars for mine action programs in
nearly 50 countries around the world. Since 2002, the United States
has provided more than $6.5 million dollars in humanitarian mine
assistance to Armenia.

During his opening remarks, US Chargé d’Affairs Anthony F. Godfrey
said, " The United States government is committed to addressing
the legacy and threat of persistent landmines and unexploded
ordnance…However, much more needs to be done, both by governments
and by concerned individuals and groups."

–Boundary_(ID_acEiH4Ve9L8kjO/tGhvi zQ)–