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: ”Safe Futures Start Here” International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action 2025. 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. The United Nations mine action community will commemorate the annual International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action under the theme “Safe Futures Start Here”.  The UN mine action community will bring attention to the progress made over the last year and the challenges that remain in countries around the world. Building on the Pact of the Future, considering the condemnation of the devastating impact of armed conflict on all persons including persons with disabilities (Action 14) and seizing “on opportunities provided by new and emerging technologies to empower and advance equity for persons with disabilities, including through promoting the availability of assistive technologies” (Action 29), events and campaigns will focus on raising awareness about the needs of people around the world. 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 2025 campaign will also bring attention to the 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: #IMAD2025, #safefuturesstarthere, #MineAwareness; #landmines; #4april; #Mineaction.

EVENTS: On April 3rd, 2025; The Assistant Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions, Mr. Alexandre Zouev, and two other UN officials will be guests at the Noon Briefing of the Spokesperson of the Secretary-General. Watch the press briefing!

On April 4th; To commemorate the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action 2025; The Permanent Mission of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United Nations will hold a roundtable discussion entitled “Saving Lives through Humanitarian Mine Action in Azerbaijan”. The briefing will be held in cooperation with the Center of Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center). Details to follow.

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. See how Sharafuddin, Team Leader at Halo Trust is working to demine Afghanistan for a safer tomorrow.

Colombia - On 3 April, UNMAS Colombia a panel discussion will be held from, 10am - 12pm at the Auditorio Marino Troncoso, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá; Join us for a conversation on 'Humanitarian Demining and Territorial Transformation: Contributing to the Construction of Peace from the Territories' organised by the High Commissioner for Peace. Get the flyer (in Spanish) and Register for the event.

Somalia; On April 6th, 2025, from 10am to 12pm at theTukul, UN Compound, Mogadishu. We invite you to join us in this important commemoration with remarks from key UN and Somali officials and presentations on the ongoing efforts to strengthen Somali-led mine action capabilities. You will have an opportunity to meet our wonderful explosive detection dogs and watch them go through their paces, as well as to familiarize yourself with the equipment and engage with technical experts to discuss all aspects of mine action in Somalia. Personnel from SNA and SPF will be present to participate in the interactive session for the EDD response Demo.
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. 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: In the Washington D.C., United States, on April 7th 2025, from 6pm - 8pm at the Rayburn House Office Building; an Exhibition and Reception will be held to mark the day. You are cordially invited to join the bipartisan Congressional Unexploded Ordnance/Demining Caucus for an exhibition and reception to celebrate International Mine Awareness Day, and to acknowledge the United States' historical commitment to Conventional Weapons Destruction. Join us for an evening with refreshments, interactive exhibits from leading demining organizations, cutting edge technology from the Department of Defense (including Spot the robot dog), and demonstrations from live demining dogs and rats. Hear from Members of Congress (including Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Chrissy Houlahan and David Valadao, and HFAC Chairman Brian Mast), Administration representatives, and Ambassadors about the modern field of humanitarian demining and how the United States is saving lives and strengthening security around the world. Get the flyer and Register to participate!

ACTIVITIES: 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 2025; 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.