Peru

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The Peruvian Center of Anti-Personnel Mine Action, created in 1990, is the national organization in charge of proposing state policy for mine action in Peru, and it also supervises the actions needed to fulfill the Ottawa Convention. Humanitarian and mine release is carried out in two geographical areas: the Northern line with Ecuador and the interconnected system of electricity (High Tension Towers.) At the Northern border with Ecuador, Peru is carrying out Level One survey studies. In 2004 humanitarian mine release with the Northeast border of Ecuador will begin. The tasks are being carried our by the Peruvian army. At the High Tension Towers the National Police and Peruvian Navy have deployed mines around the towers to protect them from terrorist groups. There are approximately 140,000 mines around 60 towers. Currently there is a focus on releasing the mines, carried out by the police and industrial section of the Navy. The clearance is supported by the Peruvian state, with additional international help.

In April, 2003, execution of a mine risk education program in the Central Highlands began, in order to increase awareness of mines in vulnerable populations. Stages are being developed in the areas around the High Tension Towers in order to address mine risk education. Training has begun for intermediaries, such as community leaders and teachers who can instruct others in the community. Then, information from the field is sent to a quality control program and analyzed by a system and issued in two forms for: 1) the control office and 2) executive organizations. The system is at border areas and supported by the OAS.

Goals for 2004 are focused on continued humanitarian mine clearance, mine risk education, and victim assistance. In regards to mine clearance, Peru will start with trying to keep the peace on the border of Ecuador. Peru is also considering sending teams of monitor supervisors and technicians to the border, while implementing a system of protection for areas being cleared. However, Peru is concerned with the question of how to protect the areas that need protecting, without using landmines. Within the context of mine risk education, Peru will continue to implement training in Lima and with border populations. Peru is currently surveying the number of victims of mine accidents and is implementing a program of assistance to victims in all stages of physical and mental rehabilitation, using national and international sources.

Peru is working on legislation to provide regulation on banning anti-personnel mines in accordance with the Ottawa Convention. The speaker from Peru thanked resources and support from donor partners, especially the United Sates, ICRC, Program of Assistance for Comprehensive Mine Action of OAS, International Center for Geneva for Humanitarian Clearance, and the European Union.