The meeting, which brought together the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, and the British Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, son of Charles II of the United Kingdom and Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales (1961-1997), took place on the sidelines of the sessions of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The Halo Trust, which will mark 30 years of demining operations in Angola in 2024, highlighted that the work currently includes the employment of a "large number" of female deminers and that it is removing landmines in the Lobito Corridor, in the centre of the country, in addition to supporting conservation initiatives in the south-east region.
According to the non-governmental organisation, Prince Harry highlighted Angola's efforts in the large-scale demining process, which it considered "a challenge for any country".
"Africa, and Angola in particular, has an incredibly young population. A demographic wave that is emerging with energy and optimism, with the promise of a bright future for Angolan youth. For them, a world without mines should be a moral imperative for us all," said Harry.
James Cowan, executive director of the Halo Trust, said that the organization has already cleared more than a thousand minefields in Angola: land equivalent to 5600 football pitches in size that can be "used as agricultural land, schools and other activities".
At the same meeting, Angola's foreign minister said that the main reason for the meeting was to highlight that the "international potential" for investment and growth that the country aims to achieve becomes a reality that "includes demining work".
In 2019, Prince Harry visited the Dirico minefield in Cuando Cubango, following in the footsteps of his mother, Princess Diana, who visited Angola in 1997.
The Halo Trust, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997, is the world's largest demining organisation, with over 11,000 staff working in around 30 countries.
The organisation began operating in Angola in 1994, where 76 different types of military landmines manufactured in 22 different countries were found.
The total number of Angolan casualties caused by landmines, used mainly during the civil war, is unknown, but it is estimated that 88,000 people may have been injured as a result of the use of this type of weapon.
