Mine action

Mine action is a combination of humanitarian aid and development studies that aims to remove landmines and reduce the social, economic and environmental impact of them and the explosive remnants of war (ERW). Mine action is commonly represented as comprising five complementary groups of activities: Humanitarian demining, i.e. mine and ERW survey, land release, mapping, marking and clearance Risk education (RE), i.e. the communication to the public of the risk of ERW and how to act in the presence of ERW Victim assistance, including rehabilitation and reintegration Stockpile destruction Advocacy to promote policies and practices that will reduce the threat from landmines and ERW, usually in the context of disarmament and international humanitarian law. The most commonly applied treaties including the 1997 anti-personnel Mine Ban Treaty (Ottawa Treaty), the Convention on Cluster Munitions, and the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. The objective of these activities is to provide a safe environment in which landmines and ERW do not impede economical, social and health development, and to address the needs of victims. Gender mainstreaming will ensure that the different needs of women, girls, boys and men are taken into account and inequality is not perpetuated. The coordination of mine action activities in affected countries is commonly conducted by Mine Action Coordination Centers (MACC) managed either by the United Nations or the host country government. In its broad sense, mine clearance includes surveying, mapping and marking of minefields and removal of mines from the ground. This range of activities is also sometimes referred to as demining. Humanitarian mine clearance aims to clear land so that civilians can return to their homes and their everyday routines without the threat of landmines and unexploded remnants of war (ERW), which include unexploaded ordnance and abandoned explosive ordnance. This means that all the mines and ERW affecting the places where ordinary people live must be cleared, and their safety in areas that have been cleared must be guaranteed.