PURPOSE: The United Nations General Assembly declared that 4 April of each year shall be observed as the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. It called for continued efforts by States, with the assistance of the United Nations and relevant organizations, to foster the establishment and development of national mine-action capacities in countries where mines and explosive remnants of war constitute a serious threat to the safety, health and lives of the civilian population, or an impediment to social and economic development at the national and local levels. Twenty-five years since the Anti-Personnel Landmine Convention came into force, millions of landmines have been destroyed, and the weapon is generally considered out-of-bounds by most countries. And yet, 68 countries and territories still have an explosive remnant of war problem, and there has been new contamination in Myanmar, Ukraine, and Yemen.

FORUM: ”Protecting Lives. Building Peace.” International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action 2024. Mines, explosive remnants of war, and improvised explosive devices continue to cause death and injury, especially in situations of armed conflict. On average, one person is killed or injured by such explosive device every hour. Many children are among the victims. The use of improvised explosive devices has expanded, terrorizing civilians and threatening humanitarian actors and United Nations missions and personnel. ”Disabled survivors of explosive hazards, and all people with disabilities living through conflicts”, is the focus of the 2024 commemoration of the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action (4 April). The United Nations is calling for a greater responsiveness to the needs and rights of all people with disabilities in conflict and peacebuilding settings. The 2024 campaign will bring attention to the five-year anniversary of Security Council resolution 2475, which calls upon Member States, and specifically Security Council members, to consider and protect persons with disabilities; to ensure they have access to assistance, and to include them in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. Follow the conversation with the hashtags: #ProtectingLivesBuildingPeace, #MineAwareness; #landmines; #4april; #Mineaction.

EVENTS: To commemorate the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action 2024 on April 4th; The UNMAS is advocating for a greater awareness of the needs and rights of all people with disabilities in conflict and peacebuilding settings. Bringing attention to the five-year anniversary of Security Council resolution 2475, which calls upon Member States and Security Council members to protect persons with disabilities by ensuring to victims of exploded ordonances with access to assistance and inclusion in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. In light of the appointment of Mr. Giles Duley as the United Nations Global Advocate for persons with disabilities in conflict and peacebuilding situations, the UN mine action community will seek to strengthen the implementation of resolution 2475 and focus attention on ensuring that no one, included persons with disabilities, is left behind.

Events Around the World:

Abyei - On 4 April in Abyei, UNISFA set up an interactive exhibition area about the “Prize Survey” and invited the staff to the “Show and Tell” event. They will be presenting a skit on explosive ordnance risk education to raise awareness about the dangers of explosive ordnance. Additionally, there will be live music and an award ceremony to recognize the most meaningful answers to the “Prize Survey”.

Afghanistan - The IMAD commemorations in Afghanistan will be led by the Directorate for Mine Action Coordination (DMAC) and the mine action implementing partners on 4 April in Kabul. UNMAS Afghanistan and other key stakeholders will participate in the event. On the day around 100 deminers along with their technical equipment including (metal detectors, visors, and armor jackets) will be displayed/ paraded. There will also be an exhibition area for demining equipment, risk education and victim assistance.

Colombia - On 3 April, UNMAS Colombia will host the Forum and exhibition themed “Protecting Lives, Building Peace” at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogota, Jaime Hoyos Auditorium, to discuss “The Contributions of Mine Action to Peacebuilding in Colombia.” This event will be accompanied by a thematic exhibition in which the organizations of Humanitarian Demining, Explosive Ordnance Risk Education and VA will present samples of the work they carry out in the communities, and will include an exhibition of the Museum of Improvised Prosthesis of the CIREC Foundation, pieces that have been collected from APM victims who have generated handmade prosthesis after their accidents. Participated in the social media campaign “Protecting Lives, Building Peace” (In Spanish) and was adopted by the 16 humanitarian organizations that make up the The Mine Action Area of Responsibility (MA AoR). Additionally, five UNMAS humanitarian coordinators present in the departments of Cauca, Córdoba, Chocó, Nariño and Valle del Cauca, have arranged with the regional governors to carry out activities aimed at landmine survivors. These local authorities will also disseminate the messages of the campaign agreed in the MA AoR.

Ethiopia -  On 4 April, the United Nations in Ethiopia would like to stress the need for enhancing support to victims affected by Explosive Ordnance with a commemorative event in Addis Ababa, bringing together the United Nations, donors and members of the Mine Action community. Keynote speaker will be the director of the Ethiopian Mine Action Office, with further contributions by the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, the UNICEF Ethiopia Head and a representative of a local NGO involved in Mine Action in the country.

Democratic Republic of the Congo -  On 4 April, UNMAS RDC partner with the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the Congolese Mine Action Coordination Center (CCLAM) to organize an event in Kinshasa, in recognition of mine action day. The event brought together important people and organizations, including donors, embassies, national authorities, and others to raise awareness about the dangers of landmines and explosive remnants of war.

South Sudan -  On 4 April, from 09:00 to 11:30 CAT, UNMAS South Sudan will lead a commemoration with a focus on youth, featuring a performance by a local musician and engagements with school students showcasing their molded art at Imperial Hotel, Juba. School children will present clay works along with an explosive ordnance risk education song produced by a local musician. Highlights will also include speeches by Honourable Angelina Teny, Minister of Interior Affairs; UNMISS, National Mine Action Authorities (NMMA), and mine action partners; as well as the launch of the National Mine Action Authority Law.

Syria - The ​​UNMAS team in Syria invited heads of agencies in Syria for a field visit to Yarmouk on Thursday 14th March (Yarmouk is a Palestinian refugee camp and was heavily affected by the crisis). The joint visit by UNMAS ,UNRWA and Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) survey and clearance teams took place then.The event has been arranged to mark Mine Action Day. In cooperation with agencies including UNHCR, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNRWA, WHO, OSE, and OCHA, a series of joint media posts will be published to mark the day and raise awareness of affected populations. Furthermore, a joint initiative with UNICEF was organized to promote mine awareness through painting activity in two schools located in Rural Damascus. There was also an SMS awareness campaign to all mobile phone subscribers in the country, and a Facebook campaign to ensure the messages and visual contents reach beneficiaries. Additionally, official ceremony will be held on 16 April, an open-door afternoon at the UNMAS office in Damascus allowing visitors to learn about the organization’s demining operations in the country.

EXHIBITS: The UNMAS opens a multi-media exhibition themed “Witnessing a Way Forward: Protecting Lives. Building Peace.” The exhibition’s walls will utilise images and interviews of people affected by UXO and conflict-related injury and trauma around the world, and spotlight impactful projects designed by and with these communities. The exhibition will highlight the need for the full implementation of Security Council resolution 2475 (2019), which calls on all Member States and Council members to take into account the needs of persons with disabilities in conflict situations. The exhibit is in the Lobby of Visitor’s Centre of the United Nations General Assembly Building in the Visitor’s lobby near the information desk for visitors, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Mr. Giles Duley, the United Nations Global Advocate for persons with disabilities in conflict and peacebuilding situations, will share stories of the people he has spent time with over the last decade, in his legacy of war documentation, through stories, photos and films. On the 4 April Giles will open the photo/audio exhibition “Witnessing a Way Forward” in a public “fireside chat” with Under-Secretary-General Melissa Fleming. Over the next week we will bring you more stories from the occupied Palestinian territories, Rwanda, Syria, Ukraine and elsewhere.“Leave no one behind”, the goal of the 2030 Agenda, and as disability rights activists have stated for decades, “Nothing about us, without us”. 

STATEMENTS: Read the statement from the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres’ on the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action 2024; April 4th.

PUBLICATIONS: In 2018 UNMAS convened, coordinated and led the drafting of the United Nations Mine Action Strategy 2019-2023. Two of the most significant aspects of the Strategy are that it represents an accountability framework for the United Nations system and introduces a Theory of Change for the United Nations engagement in mine action. The current humanitarian situation is challenging and requires stronger cooperation among its key stakeholders. The Mine Action Area of Responsibility (MA AoR) strategy 2022-2024 focusses mainly on countries in humanitarian emergencies or emerging from conflict, however mine action (MA) is also often required for years beyond the signature of peace agreements. The needs of victims will continue years after the last EO has been removed. The challenges identified by the Landmine Free 2025 campaign in Mine Action’s Fair Share: An Agenda for Change are observed in both conflict and post-conflict situations: insufficient international funding, standards and good operational practice not being applied, barriers to access due to ongoing conflict or contested jurisdiction, and level of contamination. The mine action sector needs to work together to address these issues and the (global MA AoR) can contribute based on its comparative advantages.

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Mine action is an investment in humanity. It is a prerequisite for humanitarian relief efforts and the foundation of lasting peace and sustainable development. Over 55 million mines have been destroyed, more than 30 countries across the world have been declared mine-free, and casualties have dramatically decreased.