United Nations A/RES/57/159 General Assembly Distr.: General 27 January 2003 Fifty-seventh session Agenda item 28 Resolution adopted by the General Assembly [without reference to a Main Committee (A/57/L.53 and Add.1)] 57/159. Assistance in mine action The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 48/7 of 19 October 1993, 49/215 of 23 December 1994, 50/82 of 14 December 1995, 51/149 of 13 December 1996 and 52/173 of 18 December 1997, on assistance in mine clearance, and its resolutions 53/26 of 17 November 1998, 54/191 of 17 December 1999, 55/120 of 6 December 2000 and 56/219 of 21 December 2001, on assistance in mine action, all adopted without a vote, Recognizing that, in addition to the primary role of States, the United Nations has a significant role to play in the field of assistance in mine action, and considering mine action to be an important and integrated component of United Nations humanitarian and development activities, Reaffirming its deep concern at the tremendous humanitarian and development problems caused by the presence of mines and other unexploded ordnance that constitute an obstacle to the return of refugees and other displaced persons, to humanitarian aid operations and to reconstruction and economic development, as well as to the restoration of normal social conditions, and that have serious and lasting social and economic consequences for the populations of mine-affected countries, Bearing in mind the serious threat that mines and other unexploded ordnance pose to the safety, health and lives of local civilian populations, as well as of personnel participating in humanitarian, peacekeeping and rehabilitation programmes and operations, Encouraged by the reduction in the number of new mine victims, but reiterating its dismay at the existing high number of victims of mines and other unexploded ordnance, especially among civilian populations, including women and children, and recalling in this context Commission on Human Rights resolutions 1995/79 of 8 March 1995, 1 1996/85 of 24 April 1996, 2 1997/78 of 18 April 1997, 3 _______________ 1 See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 1995, Supplement No. 3 and corrigenda (E/1995/23 and Corr.1 and 2), chap. II, sect. A. 2 Ibid., 1996, Supplement No. 3 and corrigendum (E/1996/23 and Corr.1), chap. II, sect. A. 3 Ibid., 1997, Supplement No. 3 (E/1997/23), chap. II, sect. A. 02 54865