SAN RAFAEL–CALIFORNIA: – On the eve of the 24th Anniversary of the Mine Ban Treaty, Ambassador M. Ashraf Haidari received the 2021 Roots of Peace Global Citizen Award for humanitarian diplomacy, helping promote peace and prosperity through revitalization of agriculture and agribusiness in war-torn countries from Afghanistan to Vietnam.
In his acceptance remarks, Ambassador Haidari thanked the founders of the Roots of Peace, Mr. and Mrs. Gary and Heidi Kuhn, for their exemplary work in Afghanistan where they have implemented a large number of humanitarian and development projects aimed at replacing mine- and poppy-fields with “the seeds and fruits of hope, peace, and prosperity across Afghanistan.” On behalf of the Afghan beneficiaries of this vital aid, he thanked “the entire Roots of Peace team, including its country team in Afghanistan, for having worked in every one of Afghan provinces, “planting over 5 million trees, creating over 10,000 full-time jobs, and facilitating exports worth over $290 million,” since Roots of Peace began implementing its “Vines to Mines” initiative in 2003.
Commenting on the widening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, Ambassador Haidari said that “this tragic situation stems from a convergence of the past 40 years of imposed conflicts, endemic poverty, climate change, and the global economic recession due to COVID-19.” As a consequence, he noted that fourteen million Afghans face severe hunger, 3.4 million children suffer from acute malnutrition, 22.8 million need immediate relief aid, and 97 percent of all Afghans live below the poverty line.”
“Against this tragic backdrop and as the world marks the 24th anniversary of the Mine Ban Treaty tomorrow, Afghanistan sadly remains one of the heaviest mined countries in the world,” said Ambassador Haidari. He noted that “since 1989, some 41,000 Afghans were recorded to have been killed and wounded by landmines and explosive remnants of war.” Moreover, “From March 2020 to March 2021, over 2,000 IED blasts killed some 2,000 innocent Afghans, while maiming another 4,000. Of these, 72 percent were children.” “And the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) reports that some 4,000 remnants of war contaminate Afghanistan. This directly threatens over 1,500 communities, impedes development, and prevents safe return and returnee settlement,” he added.
In this light, Ambassador Haidari said that “the impactful humanitarian, recovery, and sustainable development work done by Roots of Peace is needed across Afghanistan more than ever before.” He thanked “all traditional Roots of Peace donors, including the generous philanthropists of California, the US Department of State, and the World Bank,” and urged them and others to continue supporting the people of Afghanistan.
“Suffering Afghans should not be abandoned in the midst of a widening humanitarian crisis this harsh winter, whose impact on the poor is exacerbated by the ever-growing adverse effects of climate change,” appealed Ambassador Haidari. “I know this from my recent work as the outgoing Director-General of the South Asia Cooperative Environment Program (SACEP), a multilateral organization, which helps protect environment and fight climate change in South Asia where Afghanistan remains the region’s most vulnerable country to climate change,” he added.
The three other recipients included Ambassador Kenneth Quinn, President Emeritus, The World Food Prize, Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, Founder Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace, and Tracey Watkowski Silva, Vice President News, KGO-TV/ABC7 San Francisco.
