| UNMAS & IRU: an innovative partnership to de-mine Afghanistan’s roads and expedite economic recovery |
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14/04/2011 06:01 (766 Day 10:07 minutes ago) | |||||
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Kabul. the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) and the International Road Transport Union (IRU) on April 14 officially launched their unique, innovative public-private partnership aimed at strengthening road safety in Afghanistan by removing landmines and Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) along roads linking Kabul to its Central Asian neighbours.
By reducing the threat of injury and death posed to those travelling and working along these routes, the project will, in the long term, contribute to the reconstruction, development and stabilisation of Afghanistan by enhancing domestic and international trade links.
Max Kerley, Director of UNMAS, said the project would "form a crucial part of the Afghan reconstruction effort, supporting the economy by enabling less costly trade between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and beyond, and employing several hundred Afghans in some of the country's most deprived and unstable provinces. Every penny needed for landmine clearance in Afghanistan must be raised voluntarily, and we are delighted that our efforts to partner with non-traditional donors are yielding such positive results."
IRU Secretary General, Martin Marmy, continued, “The IRU is a natural partner of such UN programmes, as strengthening road safety and facilitating trade by road transport have been at the core of the IRU’s actions for over 60 years. The road transport industry is proud to contribute tangibly once again to the economic recovery of a war-torn country, Afghanistan, after doing the same for Europe some 60 years ago by developing the UN TIR System which dramatically improved the integration of Europe’s trade and economy. This partnership perfectly embodies the IRU’s motto of ‘Working together for a better future’.”
This IRU-UNMAS partnership will clear mines from 15 square kilometres of roads and minefields adjacent to roads in Afghanistan in 2011-2012. These hazards are located within a 100 m corridor on either side of the 700 km ring road which connects Kabul to six northern provinces.
Clearance will directly benefit more than 3,100 families and provide employment for over 300 people of the region. Furthermore, indirect beneficiaries include not only the fleet operators involved in Euro-Asian road transport linkages, but above all the estimated 7 million people living in the provinces of Parwan, Baghlan, Kunduz, Samangan, Balkh and Jowzjan which the road runs through.
Safe road transport and trade between Afghanistan and its northern neighbouring countries, such as Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, will also help reduce the cost of food and non‑food items, thus bringing an overall benefit locally, nationally and internationally.
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