YOU GAVE PEOPLE BACK THEIR HOPE
President Milan Kucan for "Heal the wounds and soul" project leaders

Ljubljana, 12 January 2001



Dear visitors,

It gives me tremendous satisfaction to meet you here today. It is a great opportunity to thank all the “Heal the Wounds of Earth and Soul” project leaders, both personally and on behalf of the Slovene state.

In the year 2000, in recognition of your exceptional work in running an international project clearing mines and assisting mine victims in the former Yugoslavia you received the most prestigious world-wide awards of the international expert community. The top-level knowledge, experience and dedication of Slovenian experts received full acknowledgement and they were recognised and awarded as outstanding, excellent professionals. Testament to this are the awards bestowed by the United Nations Department of Public Information, the World Veterans Federation and the International Public Relations Association, which went to the Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Rehabilitation, the SPEM – communication group and the International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims’ Assistance.

With your work, with your social and personal commitment and with your expertise you fulfilled the hope and trust placed in the noble idea lying behind the founding of the International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims’ Assistance: the idea that through collective efforts we can give people back their hope and that in giving hope back to the victims of the mindless and long lasting violence of war we can help them create conditions in which normal life can gradually return to their homes. With your efforts you fulfilled Slovenia’s expectations that the successfully planned project to found the International Trust Fund would go on to be successfully led and run. You also fulfilled the trust of the donors and donating countries whose support for the project was an expression of their unconditional commitment to the highest humanitarian goals and the principles of solidarity, peace, democracy and respect for human dignity. With your help, and with the help of Slovenian collaborators and experts who contributed their know-how to the project to create a successful synergetic network, the international community was able to successfully achieve its goals for this project.

In the commendations accompanying the IPRA Golden World Award 2000 it is written that Slovenia can be proud of the excellence of the work performed. And indeed Slovenia is proud. And others can celebrate the awarding of the prizes along with Slovenia such as the donating countries and above all the people for whom the international assistance was intended and to whom that assistance has given new faith, hope and trust in humankind and its nobility.

The project run by the International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims’ Assistance is of special importance for Slovenia. It was planned, performed and led by a real joint effort with the support of all political groups, without exception. They brought together their know-how and abilities, a common will and respect, and humanism and solidarity. It was also from this aspect that the project was one of the great and successful Slovene projects. We can pull together when we want to. We proved that in gaining independence, and we have shown it again and again. And this project is another good example. In Slovenia, we do know how to excel and it is in excellence that Slovenia’s opportunity lies. And I firmly believe that we know how to make use of that opportunity.