On Tuesday, April 5th, the bipartisan Congressional Unexploded Ordnance/Demining Caucus hosted International Mine Awareness Day on the Hill. This follows the introduction of legislation by Senator Patrick Leahy and Represent Bill Johnson to mark International Mine Awareness Day on April 4th.
The event presented an opportunity for policymakers, members of the demining community, and the general public to come together to celebrate the progress of demining efforts worldwide, recognize those Members of Congress that have been especially impactful in creating a safer world, highlight the need for continued US leadership in the mine action space, and reflect on work that remains.
Awards from the Conventional Weapons Destruction Network and the demining community recognizing outstanding public service in the field of demining were presented to Senators Patrick Leahy and Lindsey Graham, and Representatives Bill Johnson and Jackie Speier.
Other Members of Congress who spoke at the event included Senators Tammy Baldwin, and Representatives Jim McGovern, David Valadao, and Brian Mast. The event also featured remarks from critical leaders from the Administration in the field of demining: Assistant Secretary for the State Department’s Political Military Affairs Bureau, Jessica Lewis, USAID’s Bama Athreya, and Program Manager for the Army’s Humanitarian Demining Research and Development program, Sean Burke. The evening was moderated by Kristen Stevens, Head of Congressional Affairs for The HALO Trust.
Attendees of the event were also able to see displays of demining-related equipment and materials from partners including: the U.S. State Department, the Department of Defense, HALO, MAG, Legacies of War, Peace Trees Vietnam, Humanity & Inclusion, James Madison University’s CISR Center, Spirit of Soccer, TetraTech, Marshall Legacy Institute, and APOPO.
The event was sponsored by HALO, MAG, APOPO, FCNL, TetraTech, Peace Trees Vietnam, and Legacies of War.
Below is a short video created for the event highlighting the work of demining partners around the world.
Event Photos
You can view and download the full set of photos from the event here.
