Charities: Landmines Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Lord Trefgarne
Main Page: Lord Trefgarne (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)Department Debates - View all Lord Trefgarne's debates with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
(3 years ago)
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Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Con)
My Lords, in Afghanistan, since 2018, the FCDO’s funding to UNMAS has cleared landmines and unexploded ordnance in 27.2 square kilometres of land. It has released a further 211 square kilometres of land by assessing it as no longer being dangerous. That has directly benefited nearly 1.5 million people. UNMAS has also delivered landmine-risk education to at least 1.2 million people, including more than 450,000 women and girls. The UK has a long track record in Afghanistan.
Lord Trefgarne (Con)
My Lords, a long time ago, back in 1982, while the Argentinians had a short occupation of the Falkland Islands, they laid a number of landmines there. These were mostly still there when we retook the islands a few months later. What is the present position? Is everything now safe?
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Con)
I thank the noble Lord for his question. I shall have to write to him with an answer on the current assessment.