Mine action
Mine action makes it possible for peacekeepers to carry out patrols, for humanitarian agencies to deliver assistance, and for ordinary citizens to live without the fear that a single misstep could cost them their lives.
Mine Action Day 2012: 'Lend your leg'
The International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action is commemorated on 4 April each year. Events take place around the world including in our UN missions, Geneva and New York.
In 2012 we are marking the Day with a global campaign - "Lend Your Leg". Join the Secretary-General and the entire UN Mine Action team by lending your leg to raise awareness and say "no more landmines." Share the campaign on your Facebook page and if you are on Twitter use #lendyourleg.Mine action
UN Photo/Martine Perret
Eliminating mines in Western Sahara.
The problem of landmines and explosive remnants of war, including cluster bombs, can be solved within our lifetime if everyone does their part.
The objective of mine action is to identify and reduce the impact and risk of landmines and explosive remnants of war, including cluster bombs, to a level where people can live safely.
Mine action entails more than removing landmines from the ground. It includes high impact efforts aimed at protecting people from danger, helping victims become self-sufficient and active members of their communities and providing opportunities for sustainable development and stability.
The impact of landmines
Landmines and explosive remnants of war kill or injure thousands of individuals every year. In addition to the human toll they:
- Close roads, prevent children from going to school, stop farmers from working the land.
- Hamper economic and social development.
- Rob people of their livelihoods.
- Hinder reconstruction after war.
- Block safe deployment of peacekeepers and the delivery of humanitarian relief.
Landmines and unexploded cluster bombs don't discriminate, they are just as likely to kill a child as they are a soldier. And they keep on killing long after the guns of war have been silenced.
Interactive mine action map
Hover over the pins on the map to find out about the work of mine action in 2011. You will discover information on the number of mines we have cleared, the amount of land we have made safe and the education programs we run.
UNMAS on the ground
Founded in 1997, the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) is the focal point for the coordination of the UN effort to eliminate landmines and explosive remnants of war and to mitigate their impact on people's lives.
UNMAS has changed lives and protected livelihoods in conflict- torn communities in areas including Afghanistan, Chad, Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, Nepal, Gaza in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Somalia, Sudan, Western Sahara, Guinea Bissau, Libya and South Sudan.
In Somalia, in 2011, 260,000 men, women, boys, and girls were reached with mine and explosive remnants of war awareness messages in the south-central region of the country. Over 993,000 square metres of roads have been reopened and over 12,000 pieces of unexploded ordnance safely destroyed, and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM)’s clearance activities reached all 16 districts of Mogadishu for the first time in 2011, destroying over 6,000 explosive items, and improving access to the city for thousands of aid workers responding to the famine and drought situation throughout South Central Somalia.
UNMAS mine risk education programmes reach over 330,000 people a year in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In Afghanistan, community based demining contributes directly to stabilization and security in post-conflict areas by employing hundreds of villagers to clear their surrounding fields in addition to more than 15,000 Afghans that are currently employed in the mine action sector.
In South Sudan, it is estimated that over two million people benefitted from demining, mine risk education, victim assistance and capacity development activities in 2011.
UN Millennium Development Goals
Global mine action efforts make an invaluable contribution to humanitarian relief efforts and peace operations and development initiatives that are vital to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.
The mine action work of the UN is guided by a solid framework of international humanitarian law, including the new Convention on Cluster Munitions, and also by human rights treaties such as the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Building partnerships
UNMAS administers the Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Action, which has received over $700 million in contributions since its establishment in 1994. UNMAS continues to build new partnerships with traditional and non-traditional donors including individuals, private corporations and foundations.
Get involved. Visit Mine Action.
Related links
- Visit "Lend Your Leg" website
- A personal story from the field
- Follow UN Mine Action on Facebook
- View Mine Action photos on Flickr