#mine action

CALL FOR PAPERS: Falkland Islands

Fulfilling its obligations under the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, the U.K. has removed the last explosive remnants of war from the Falkland Islands, nearly 40 years after the end of the Falklands War. What were the challenges involved and, as clearance was safely conducted ahead of schedule, what lessons learned can be shared with the humanitarian mine action community?

A tattered ball sails off the school football field. The game pauses; team captain Dima stops and strains his ears. “They are shelling again,” says the 14-year-old, motioning towards the sound of mortar explosions and machine guns firing somewhere on the horizon. The ball is quickly thrown back into play and the game goes on.

“We’re used to it,” comments Dima’s best friend, Ilia, 15, a serious boy. He adds that a bomb had recently exploded next to his house during heavy shelling. “Since the war broke out, it’s always like this.”

Every evening, around five boys and one girl, aged 8 to 15, meet on the outskirts of Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine, to play football. Their fans are their brothers, sisters and other younger children from the area. The field is one of the few places they can escape what’s happening around them, though the scars of war are pervasive: the walls of their nearby school bear the damage of shells that exploded here in 2015.

What would take a JMU student to Vietnam in the middle of his senior year? Cory Rahman (’16) got the opportunity to aid mine action organizations in Vietnam with using geographic information systems (GIS) technology in their processes for clearing explosive remnants of war (ERW) hazards in the country. This hands-on application of geography to a real-world application provided both a tremendous learning opportunity for Rahman, as well as important service to the Vietnamese people. His work on humanitarian GIS was made possible by JMU’s Center for International Stabilization and Recovery (CISR) and JMU Geographic Science faculty through a project sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.

As a result of the Vietnam War, the country is contaminated with unexploded ordnance (UXO), including cluster munitions. Local and international organizations partner with the Vietnamese government to neutralize the effects of war and support post-conflict recovery and development by training local staff to clear these explosive hazards that are a threat to civilians. A key aspect to safely clearing villages and countryside of these explosive hazards is to have clearly mapped knowledge of the extent and degree of contamination.

Rahman and ISAT Professor Paul Rittenhouse spent a week in Vietnam with CISR’s associate director, Dr. Suzanne Fiederlein, collaborating with local teams to develop an ArcGIS Online survey tool to map cluster munition contamination.

In January 1997 the world's most famous woman, Diana Princess of Wales, called for an international ban on landmines.

World Humanitarian Day honours the brave humanitarian workers who risk their lives to serve others. It commemorates the 2003 bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad, a tragedy that underscored the dangers faced by those in the field and highlighted the urgent need to protect and support humanitarian workers operating in conflict zones and disaster areas.

On World Humanitarian Day 2024, we commemorate the unwavering dedication of the courageous women and men working in mine action in Iraq. Their diligent work, often in silence and unnoticed, is critical for the safety of humanitarians, IDPs and refugees as well, and effectively contributes to the stabilization, recovery, and reconstruction of communities affected by conflict.

Iraqi mine action professionals work tirelessly to clear explosive remnants of war, protect civilians, and restore safe access to land, infrastructure and resources while enabling safe and dignified returns for those displaced. Their efforts embody the very essence of humanitarianism: saving and protecting lives, providing the foundation for recovery, and empowering communities to rebuild their futures.

On 19 August, we honour the courage and resilience of those on the front lines of mine action. Despite the risks, they continue to operate in hazardous areas, striving to create a safer Iraq. Their work is not just about removing physical threats; it is about restoring hope to communities devastated by conflict.

Since the programme inception in 2015, UNMAS Iraq has together with its implementing partners, surveyed close to 380 million square metres (sqm) and cleared over 25 million sqm of contaminated land. In doing so 700,000 items of explosive ordnance have been detected and removed, including a total of 2,600 improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Explosive ordnance risk education (EORE), providing vulnerable communities with crucial life-saving messages, has been delivered to close to 1.5 million Iraqis, including 200,206 women, 493,767 girls, 564,614 boys and 198,574 men, through over 73,000 EORE sessions across Iraq. UNMAS has also provided mine action related police training for 5,000 Iraqi police including 1,000 policewomen, and technical support and numerous training courses and workshops for Iraqi National Mine Action Authorities.

Today on this occasion, and every day, we reaffirm our commitment to the people of Iraq and to all who are affected by conflict. No matter the danger, the hardship, or the obstacles, we stand united in our mission to create a world where every person can live free from the fear of mines and explosive remnants of war. #ActForHumanity.

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This #MineAwarenessDay, we release our new explainer, created together with the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining - GICHD. Learn the significance of embedding gender, age, and disability insights into Mine Action practices.

UNIDIR's Gender and Disarmament Programme and the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) have produced a short explainer on gender and diversity in the context of mine action. This resource explains the importance of integrating gender and diversity considerations, such as age and disability, into specific areas of mine action: Survey and Clearance; Explosive Ordnance Risk Education; Victim Assistance; and Employment. Based on examples from various regions, this resource demonstrates that gender and diversity mainstreaming can better address affected people’s needs and protect their rights, making mine action more effective.

Citation: United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, and Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (2024). "How Do Gender and Diversity Relate to Mine Action?", UNIDIR, Geneva.

Marked annually on 4 April the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action draws awareness to why landmines are one of the most insidious and indiscriminate weapons of war.