Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Thank you, President.
At the outset, let me also thank our coordinators for this item, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
As we have heard over the week, many affected States Parties continue to face substantial challenges relating to the clearance of contaminated land, risk education, victim assistance, and the socioeconomic inclusion of survivors. At the same time, declining and uncertain funding is placing pressure on implementation efforts. It risks slowing progress in some of the world's most heavily cluster munition-affected countries.
New Zealand is acutely conscious of the importance of ensuring predictable and sustainable support for affected communities. Assistance should be responsive to national priorities and designed to deliver lasting development outcomes. Cluster munition victims must remain at the centre of these efforts.
Effective international cooperation is more important than ever. In that regard, I am pleased to confirm that New Zealand is currently working on options for additional multi-year support to UXO clearance in Lao PDR, and to strengthen national leadership in the sector, in partnership with the Government and UNDP. This would build on our shared legacy of four decades of cooperation in this area. To support greater regional ownership and coordination we provide technical assistance at the ASEAN Regional Mine Action Centre. New Zealand has also funded targeted assistance in Cambodia and Myanmar, as well as in Afghanistan, Iraq, the occupied Palestinian Territories and Colombia.
Our support is not limited to funding. The New Zealand Defence Force provides practical support in our home region, the Pacific, and beyond. This includes the continued training of Kiribati Police Force personnel in line with the International Mine Action Standards, and support for the safe removal and disposal of UXO upon official requests from Pacific partners – most recently making safe an airport and primary school in April this year in Bougainville. We also continue to work closely with regional security partners, not least through the Australian-led Operation RENDER SAFE.
We see effective implementation of the CCM as a responsibility that we share. This includes States Parties in a position to do so continuing to provide technical, financial, and capacity-building assistance.
New Zealand also recognises that such efforts must be guided by the needs of affected States and in support of national ownership. And that affected States have a great deal of expertise and good practice to share from their own hard-won experiences. We particularly appreciate the observations in that regard put forward by the representative of Lao PDR earlier in this session.
Thank you.