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By Godfrey Olukya 6-3-2013
A three days workshop on weapons contamination has today started at African Union headquarters in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia.
The workshop is jointly being held by the Commission of the African Union (AU) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
According to the organizers, it is supposed to address key challenges to meeting clearance deadline under the Mine Ban Convention and Convention on cluster Munitions.
In attendance of the workshop are over 60 experts from the AU Member States, partners, ICRC, technical personnel from national Mine Action Centres, de-mining operators, African de-mining centres and the United Nations.
A statement issued by AU said that the workshop will be an opportunity to exchange views with AU Member States on key challenges
in meeting clearance deadlines under the Mine Ban Convention, the Convention on Cluster Munitions and make recommendations. Participants will share experiences, identify the nature of assistance required by affected countries, and coordinating mobilization of the required resources.
The meeting is also meant to strengthen intra-African cooperation and support AU Member States as they clear and destroy anti-personnel mines and cluster munitions.
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