ITF Breakfast with Journalists

International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance (ITF) organized today at the premises of the Grand Hotel Union in Ljubljana a press conference, on which the latest 2009 results and plans and strategy for 2010 were presented.
Year 2009 was a successful one for ITF despite the drawbacks caused by the global economic crisis. ITF managed to raise more than 18, 8 million EUR of donations and successfully completed demining programs in Albania and Serbia. Consequently, ITF met its target set for year 2009 – four mine free countries in the region of SE Europe – Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania and Serbia. Most of ITF funds in 2009 were allocated for mine action programs in two of the most mine contaminated countries in the region of SE Europe - Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, where more than 8.5 million square meters of land has been cleared and 1.326 AP/AT mines and 578 UXO were found and destroyed. Demining operations remain one of the key conditions for socio-economic development of mine contaminated countries, especially in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, which are among the most mine contaminated countries in the world.
ITF has also started the implementation of its new Strategy 2009 – 2013 as pilot projects on SALW awareness and mine action programs in other regions (the region of the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Middle East) were successfully carried out.
ITF has set an ambitious goal for year 2010 - to carry out operations totaling more than 22.4 million in the region of SE Europe and other regions and in accordance with its Strategy 2009 - 2013.
Mr.Dorian Marši?, ITF director acknowledged that : "Some obstacles may arise on our path towards the implementation of our strategic objectives. Most of them will be due to insufficient financial support for new projects. Nevertheless, based on trust, extensive knowledge and experience gained in the field of mine action ITF will address current and new donors in order to persuade the donor community that the planned activities of the ITF in the field of human security are necessary. Moreover, ITF believes that the Republic of Slovenia will continue and eventually increase the financial support required for the operation of the ITF hence ensuring high professionalism in the implementation of the new ITF strategy. "