The HALO Trust and MAG (Mines Advisory Group) partnered with Labour Foreign Policy Group (LPFG) and Labour Campaign for International Development (LCID) 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 a backdrop of rising conflict around the world. 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.
Present at the event were The Rt Hon Anneliese Dodds MP (Minister for Development), Hamish Falconer MP (Minister for MENA), Mike Tapp MP, David Taylor MP, Fred Thomas MP, Jessica Toale MP, Fabian Hamilton MP, Calvin Bailey MBE MP and Laura Kyrke-Smith MP.
HALO and MAG teams with Labour MPs
Approximately a quarter of the world’s population live in areas affected by war. Civilians, especially children, pay the highest price. Everyday at least 13 people are killed or injured by landmines and unexploded ordnance. With ongoing and emerging conflicts in places like the Middle East, Sudan and Ukraine, there is an urgent need for action.
HALO and MAG are supported by the UK’s Global Mine Action Programme (GMAP) in 10 countries. Working across mine clearance, explosive ordnance risk education and capacity development, GMAP not only saves lives but enables improved food security, economic growth and safe access to education.
“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.”
Hamish Falconer MP, Minister for the Middle East, 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.
