Today the Delegation of Italy to the Conference on Disarmament (CD), in cooperation with the Gender and Mine Action Programme (GMAP), hosted a side event on “Guidelines on gender and diversity-responsive victim assistance in mine action”, on the margins of the Intersessional Meeting of the Ottawa Convention on anti-personnel landmines. The event was presided by Amb. Gianfranco Incarnato, Permanent Representative of Italy to the CD, and launched an Operational Guidance elaborated by GMAP with Italian support, relating to the inclusion of gender and diversity-responsive considerations in the design and implementation of victim assistance programmes. Such considerations are necessary to ensure that assistance programmes for victims of mines and other explosive remnants of war are tailored to the different needs of different sex and age groups. Inspired by the principles of inclusivity and non-discrimination, the Guidance is addressed to affected and donor States, as well as operational organisations, and is based on legislative and operational instruments, best practices and experiences of several governmental and non-governmental institutions, including organisations representing persons with disabilities.
In his opening remarks (available here), Amb. Incarnato stressed Italy’s firm engagement in humanitarian demining, particularly in victims assistance and the promotion of gender parity. He recalled the centrality of inserting victim assistance in the broader framework of efforts to promote the human, social and economic rights of persons with disabilities, as well as initiatives to ensure the sustainable development of affected communities.
