Serbia Participation at Third Global Conference on Assistance to Victims of AP Mines and other EO in a Disability Rights Context
The Third Global Conference on Assistance to the Victims of Anti-Personnel Mines and Other Explosive Ordnance in a Disability Rights Context was held in the period from 17 to 19 October 2023, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
This important conference was hosted by the Cambodian national mine action and victim assistance authority, with financial support provided through a global project sponsored by the Council of the European Union. The Convention Implementation Support Unit (ISU) provides the technical backing for the conference.
The EU global project aims to support the States parties to the Convention in the implementation of various aspects of their obligations, including assistance to victims.
The conference brought together more than 150 experts in the field of assistance to mine victims and mine survivors, disability, VA rights, as well as health workers, development and other practitioners from more than 45 countries.
Discussions included, among other things, assistance to victims outside the framework of mine action, whether an integrated approach is on the right track, the decisive role of mental health and psychological support, best practice in physical rehabilitation in Cambodia, the implementation of national systems for assistive technology, as well as the inclusive involvement of victims in reporting, monitoring and evaluation of all stages in assisting victims.
The delegation of the Republic of Serbia consisted of Slađana Košutić and Milica Stojadinović from the Serbian Mine Action Centre, as well as Dejan Ivanović, Executive Director of the Association “Assistance. Advocacy. Access of Serbia”.
S. Košutić, as a moderator, participated in a thematic workshop whose goal was to consider inputs for a new action plan based on the experiences and challenges of European countries in fulfilling the existing Oslo Action plan.
D. Ivanovic participated as a panelist in a session dedicated to socio-economic equity for mine victims.
