Susan Sarandon Joins Bid to Rid the World of Landmines: Appointed Ambassador to The HALO Trust

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The HALO Trust, the world's largest humanitarian landmine clearance organization today announced that Academy Award-winning actor and activist Susan Sarandon has joined the organization as an Ambassador.

Ms. Sarandon, who supports other causes including the UN's children's fund, UNICEF, will help raise the profile of the landmine issue and of HALO's clearance work in conflict zones around the world. A visit to a minefield in one of the countries where HALO operates – which include Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Cambodia – is being planned. Ms. Sarandon will also be briefed by HALO staff on their work and the impact HALO has on communities affected by conflict.

Susan Sarandon said:

"It is an honour and a privilege to become an ambassador for The HALO Trust. Like many people, I remember seeing Princess Diana comfort young children who had lost their limbs to landmines in Angola back in 1997. I congratulate HALO on the tremendous progress it has made in clearing remnants of war in Angola and beyond since then. However, the war in Ukraine and other forgotten conflicts such as Syria, Yemen, Libya, and Somalia have made its work even more urgent and essential today. I look forward to hearing more about the 10,000 men and women who work for HALO worldwide and how they are at the forefront of building safe and resilient communities in the shadow of conflict."

James Cowan CEO of the HALO Trust said:

"It is a pleasure to welcome Susan Sarandon as an Ambassador at The HALO Trust. Ms. Sarandon's unwavering commitment to humanitarian causes brings a welcome perspective as we deepen our work at the nexus of conflict and the climate emergency. Resource scarcity has long been recognized as a driver of conflict and that is set to increase as the impacts of climate change are seen in the 30 countries and territories where HALO works. Our mission to protect lives and restore the livelihoods of those affected by conflict is more relevant than ever, and I am grateful for Ms. Sarandon for joining our cause."

Mairi Cunningham, Programme Manager of HALO Ukraine said:

"As programme manager of HALO in Ukraine, I have witnessed the war and its devastating consequences firsthand over the last six months. On behalf of my Ukrainian colleagues and indeed all my colleagues worldwide, I'd like to thank Ms. Sarandon for her support at this momentous time in HALO's history."

HALO's supporters include Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, who has visited minefields with HALO in Angola and Mozambique to continue his mother's campaign to clear the world of landmines. Diana, Princess of Wales, famously donned body armour and visited a minefield in Angola in January 1997 to highlight the humanitarian crisis caused by anti-personnel mines left behind when fighting moves on.

Ms. Sarandon was nominated for Oscars for her performances in Thelma & Louise, Lorenzo's Oil, The Client, and Atlantic City and won an Academy Award and SAG Award for her role as Sister Helen, a nun consoling a death-row inmate in Dead Man Walking. Ms. Sarandon was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1999 and received the Action Against Hunger Humanitarian Award in 2006.

Notes for Editors

1. The HALO Trust has offices in Scotland, England, and Washington DC and has operations in Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Colombia, Georgia, Guinea Bissau, Guatemala, Honduras, Iraq, Laos, Libya, Myanmar, Malawi, Somalia, Somaliland, Sri Lanka, Syria, Ukraine, West Bank, Yemen, and Zimbabwe.
2. Thanks to Diana's impact, 164 Countries have signed the mine ban treaty; 55 million mines have been destroyed and 32 countries have been declared mine-free. Heavily mined Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and others will join them in the coming years.
3. But there is more to do: 60 countries have some contamination and there were over 7,000 landmine casualties in 2020.
4. Over 10,000 local women and men clear their own communities in HALO uniforms in almost 30 countries.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1947999/Susan_Sarandon.jpg

SOURCE The HALO Trust