His Majesty King Abdullah on Saturday described work to ban mines and eradicate their threat in the Middle East, where conflict has caused so much destruction, as a humanitarian imperative.

“As Jordanians, we have witnessed firsthand the shattering of lives and communities, and know the national burden of these decades-old threats,” the King said in his address, delivered on his behalf by HRH Prince Raad, the Chief Chamberlain, to the opening ceremony of the 8th Meeting of the States Parties (8MSP) to the Mine Ban Convention (MBC).

“We reject the military utility of landmines, weapons with indiscriminate targets and a long, hidden lifetime - often victimising the poorest and most vulnerable,” King Abdullah said in his address. His Majesty added that “we must also send a message to the survivors of landmines: that we are committed to helping them build futures of opportunity and hope. With the passage of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, landmine victims must be afforded their right to a dignified and productive life”.

The Kingdom is hosting the 8MSP for the first time in the Middle East. The conference, which runs through November 22, is being held at the King Hussein Convention Centre at the Dead Sea.

HRH Prince Mired Ben Raad, president of the National Committee for Demining and Rehabilitation (NCDR) and president of the 8MSP, told the gathering: “We are greatly honoured to be hosting the 8MSP and we hope that we will be able to generate more awareness and support in the Middle East.”

Established in 2000, the NCDR, the meeting's host organiser, is the national mine action authority in Jordan. With a growing body of 50 employees, the NCDR serves as the umbrella organisation for all mine action programmes in the country.

About 800 delegates representing the member states and dozens of international and nongovernmental organisations are taking part in the 8MSP, according to meeting organisers.