MAG (Mines Advisory Group) and The HALO Trust partnered with Labour Foreign Policy Group and Labour Campaign for International Development to host an event at the 2024 Labour Party Conference in Liverpool on Sunday 22 September.
This year’s Labour Party Conference is the first since the new UK Government came into power and takes place against the backdrop of rising conflict around the world, in places like Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar, and the Middle East.
The event, Tackling Conflict in a Volatile World, shone a light on the wide-ranging humanitarian impacts of conflict and what the UK Government can do to address these global challenges.
We were joined by The Rt Hon Anneliese Dodds MP (Minister for International Development), Hamish Falconer MP (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State – Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan), Mike Tapp MP, David Taylor MP, Fred Thomas MP, Jessica Toale MP, Fabian Hamilton MP, Calvin Bailey MBE MP and Laura Kyrke-Smith MP.
Around a quarter of the world’s population live in areas affected by conflict. Civilians, especially children, pay the highest price. Every day, 13 people are killed or injured by landmines and unexploded ordnance.
Keynote speaker Rt Hon Anneliese Dodds MP, Minister for International Development, said, “I’m proud of the flagship Global Mine Action Programme… the figures are truly amazing… it has cleared over 20 million square meters of land and delivered risk education messages to half a million people.”
MAG and The HALO Trust are supported by the UK’s Global Mine Action Programme (GMAP) in ten countries, which not only saves lives but enables improved food security, economic growth, safe access to education, and helps communities rebuild and recover after conflict.
Hamish Falconer MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan), said, “There is a real commitment from the Labour Party and the Labour Government to play our full role in trying to reduce the horrible scars of war…”
Jessica Toale MP, Parliamentary Private Secretary in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), spoke about the importance of investing in tackling conflict. “This is not just the right thing to do, it’s also in our national interest.”
Under the last Labour Government, the UK signed the 1997 Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention and the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions. At a time when the international rules-based order is increasingly under threat, upholding these treaties – as cornerstones of international humanitarian law – is more important than ever.
Through its diplomatic efforts and support for practical programmes like GMAP, the UK has the opportunity to continue playing a leading role in tackling conflict around the world, now and in the years ahead.
