Clearing the Mines 2021

As at 1 October 2021, 56 States and 3 other areas (territories that are not internationally recognised as States) were contaminated by anti-personnel mines, as listed in Table 1. Asia (including the Middle East) is the most affected continent, with 23 mine-contaminated States. Most are not party to the APMBC. Across Asia (including the Middle East), Afghanistan, Cambodia, Iraq, Oman, Palestine, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, and Yemen are all States Parties. China, India, Iran, Israel, Kyrgyzstan, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Lebanon, Myanmar, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), Pakistan, the Republic of Korea (South Korea), Syria, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam are all States not party

Mitigating the Environmental Impacts of Explosive Ordnance and Land Release

Environmental considerations are rightly gaining increased prominence and awareness. Environmental experts agree that unprecedented changes in climate and biodiversity are taking place, threatening nature and human livelihoods around the world. The humanitarian community increasingly understands the need to identify and assess how their operations affect the natural environment and to mitigate the negative environmental impacts wherever possible. The mine action sector has begun to recognise that in order to follow the humanitarian principle of “do no harm” it must be aware of and take action to mitigate the potential environmental damage that can occur during land release operations. While an affected community clearly benefits from the removal of explosive ordnance from nearby land, long-term harm may also be caused when environmental mismanagement occurs during clearance operations. Environmental impacts were first reported by the mine action sector more than thirty years ago, and in recent years the sector has begun to engage ever more meaningfully with the topic. This Policy Brief builds on existing knowledge and research, and aims to outline the key environmental impacts of explosive ordnance contamination and land release operations and the potential impact of climate change on land release. It also offers an overview of the environmental impacts of post-clearance land use; outlines some of the relevant regulatory frameworks and treaty commitments; and emphasises the importance of environmental management. The aim is to present the key issues in an accessible format while offering recommendations of measures that would improve environmental management practices within the sector

Clearing the Mines 2019: A Report by Mine Action Review for the Fourth Annual Review Conference of the 1997 Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention

We welcome the publication of Mine Action Review’s Clearing thhe Mines 2019 in this important year of the Oslo Review Conference, where the mine action community is taking stock of progress made and setting the agenda for the next five years. In positive developments, since last year’s report Jordan has completed clearance of the remaining mined areas that required verification and Palau has determined that it does not have any mined areas under its jurisdiction or control. It is always preferable to report good news, but the reason we came together as Advisory Board members to support this project was to ask the difficult questions, even when we don’t like the answers. This is how we improve programme performance. We believe that Mine Action Review has changed the mine action narrative since it was launched at the Third Review Conference in 2014. Many states have shown great maturity by engaging positively with the project and continue to do so, even when this means openly discussing the challenges and not just the progress. The Mine Action Review works best where it has provoked debate and discussion. In-country coalitions which bring together the national authority, implementing partners, and donors, can use the annual report to pull together towards completion, despite operators working in a sector in which competition is hardwired in national and international frameworks. Impressively, some of the closest intra and inter-sector cooperation has happened in the most challenging environments, where recent conflict has led to new contamination – and new victims

Clearing the Mines 2020: A Report by Mine Action Review for the Eighteenth Meeting of States Parties to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention

Key Findings: In 2019, a global total of more than 131 square kilometers was cleared of anti-personnel mines, with more than 96% of recorded clearance occurring in States Parties to the APMBC. However, this total is a marked decrease on output in 2018 of more than 155 square kilometers, and was the lowest recorded clearance globally for more than ten years. The true total area of clearance is probably considerably greater, but data recording and reporting problems prevent accurate reporting of a higher figure, in addition to a lack of transparency by several States not party. In total, almost 164,000 emplaced anti-personnel mines were destroyed during clearance and explosive ordnance disposal operations (EOD), an increase compared to 153,800 in 2018. In addition, 39,700 anti-vehicle mines were destroyed during clearance of anti-personnel mined areas in 2019, a slight increase on the 38,500 destroyed the previous year. When considered together with the area of land cleared, this might indicate more targeted and efficient clearance was achieved in 2019. No clearance was recorded or reported for 2019 in eight States Parties: Cameroon, Cyprus, DR Congo, Eritrea, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, and Senegal. A small amount of mined area was, however, cancelled through non-technical survey in Cyprus and reduced though technical survey in Senegal. Some clearance, including in spot tasks, may also have occurred but which was not reported. No State Party fulfilled its APMBC Article 5 obligation to survey and clear all mined areas containing anti-personnel mines in 2019, but Chile declared completion in February 2020. Since entry into force of the APMBC in 1999, 33 States (all States Parties to the APMBC, except for Nepal) and 1 other area (Taiwan) have completed mine clearance.1 Mauritania was on this achievement list last year but has since reported newly discovered mined areas under its jurisdiction or control and is seeking a new extension to its Article 5 deadline. As at 1 October 2020, 57 States and 3 other areas were confirmed or suspected to have anti-personnel mines in mined areas under their jurisdiction or control,2 an overall increase of one State on the previous year. While Chile was removed from list, Mauritania and Mali3 were added. Of the 57 affected States, 35 are party to the APMBC. As at 1 October 2020, three of the 35 States Parties (Cameroon, Mali, and Nigeria) did not have a legal Article 5 deadline in force, but have ongoing Article 5 obligations due to new contamination from the use of anti-personnel mines of an improvised nature by non-State armed groups on areas under their jurisdiction or control. These States must therefore request an extension to their previously expired deadlines and submit Article 7 reports detailing the new contamination and clearance of anti-personnel mines of an improvised nature. In addition, Eritrea’s Article 5 deadline expires on 31 December 2020 after it was granted an interim extension at the Fourth Review conference in November 2019. However, as at 1 October 2020 Eritrea had yet to request a deadline extension

A Guide to the Oslo Action Plan and Provisional Results of 2020 Monitoring: Survey and Clearance

This Guide and provisional results of 2020 monitoring by Mine Action Review aim to support the measurable and accountable implementation of Article 5 of the 1997 Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention. They do so by focusing on the Oslo Action Plan, adopted at the Fourth Review Conference in November 2019, describing how the Action Plan addresses survey and clearance, and explaining how progress in implementing those commitments in the Action Plan will be assessed. This Guide follows the Oslo Action Plan’s approach by detailing commitments that apply specifically to survey and clearance operations in all affected States Parties, as well as general best practices in mine action that are cross-cutting in nature. Mine Action Review’s formal assessment of progress under the Oslo Action Plan will be published annually before each Meeting of the States Parties, through to the Convention’s Fifth Review Conference in 2024. Our annual assessment will draw on research conducted for Mine Action Review’s annual Clearing the Mines reports,1 and will monitor 24 indicators from the Oslo Action Plan which are relevant to survey and clearance. These include selected indicators from Section II (best practices for implementing the Convention); Section V (survey and clearance of mined areas); Section VII (international cooperation and assistance); and Section IX (measures to ensure compliance). A summary table of the provisional 2020 baseline value results of Mine Action Review’s Oslo Action Plan monitoring is in Annex 1. Sources for the monitoring of progress according to the 24 indicators include official Convention reporting (Article 7 reports, and statements in both intersessional meetings and meetings of States Parties); statements in the annual United Nations (UN) National Mine Action Directors meetings and other relevant fora; and information provided directly to Mine Action Review by national authorities, clearance operators, the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and other key stakeholders. This report is offered in the spirit of openness and constructive dialogue, accountability, and measurability. Viewed alongside Mine Action Review’s annual Clearing the Mines report, we hope it will enable the mine action community to determine what measures are needed to improve the rate of progress in Article 5 implementation in affected States Parties between now and the Fifth Review Conference. Successful national ownership of mine action programmes requires political engagement by both the affected nation and supporting states. It also often requires support from implementing partners, be it financial, technical, or strategic, as well as honest reflection on challenges to progress. Different actors can add value in different ways in supporting affected States Parties to achieve their Article 5 obligations efficiently and effectively. It is intended that Mine Action Review’s constructive monitoring and analysis serve as a strategic tool in these endeavours. The provisional assessment is based on information available to Mine Action Review as at 1 October 2020. A final version will be published following the Eighteenth Meeting of States Parties to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention on 16–20 November 2020. Mine Action Review welcomes feedback from States Parties and other stakeholders on the results of the provisional assessment. Please email MineActionReview@npai

Clearing Cluster Munition Remnants 2020

Key Findings: In the 10 years since the entry into force of the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) in 2020, a total of more than 766 square kilometres of cluster munition-contaminated area has been cleared. During survey, clearance, and spot task operations nearly one million unexploded submunitions have been destroyed. Countless lives and limbs have undoubtedly been saved as a direct result, as well as the broader contribution to development. In 2019 alone, a global total of more than 130 square kilometres was cleared of cluster munition remnants (CMR), a new record, beating the previous high (in 2018) by nearly 2km2. An impressive number of unexploded submunitions, more than 132,000, were destroyed during clearance, survey, and spot tasks in 2019 (slightly less than in 2018). The true total area of clearance is probably considerably greater, given that several States not party have either not reported at all on clearance progress or have done so only partially or inaccurately. No State Party completed CMR clearance in 2019, but in 2020, three States Parties to the CCM—Croatia, Montenegro, and the United Kingdom—fulfilled their Article 4 obligations, all within their original 10-year treaty deadlines. Croatia and Montenegro both completed clearance of known CMR-contaminated areas and the United Kingdom confirmed that UK bombing data for the Falkland Islands shows there is no evidence that cluster munitions were dropped on the four remaining minefields in Yorke Bay which the United Kingdom is clearing as part of its Article 5 obligations under the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC). In total, ten States Parties and one State not party have been declared free of cluster munition-contaminated area in the last 10 years.2 Mauritania, which had reported fulfilment of its Article 4 clearance obligations in 2013, was added back to the list of affected States Parties after discovering cluster munition-contaminated areas in territory under its jurisdiction or control. As at 1 October 2020, 25 States and three other areas were confirmed or suspected to have CMR-contaminated areas under their jurisdiction or control,3 an overall decrease of two States on the previous year. While Croatia, Montenegro, and the United Kingdom were removed from list, Mauritania was added. Thanks to the progress under the CCM to date, of the 110 States Parties to the CCM, only ten had cluster munition-contaminated areas to release: Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Chad, Chile, Germany, Iraq, Lao PDR, Lebanon, Mauritania, and Somalia. Of the ten affected States Parties, only Lao PDR is massively contaminated (defined as covering more than 1,000km2 of land), while heavy contamination exists in Iraq (covering more than 100km2). In all other affected States Parties, the extent of contamination is medium or light. As in previous years, the highest amount of clearance took place in the world’s most CMR-contaminated State, Lao PDR, with more than 45km2 of CMR-contaminated area released through clearance (excluding commercial clearance) along with destruction of more than 80,000 submunitions during survey, clearance, and spot tasks. To help put the scale of this clearance achievement into perspective, 45km2 is close to three times the size of the city of Geneva. Very significant clearance also occurred in States not party Vietnam and Cambodia. No clearance was recorded or reported for 2019 in three States Parties: Chile, Mauritania, and Somalia. While Chile did not clear any CMR contamination in 2019, it did cancel a significant amount of land found not to be contaminated, which marks the first progress in Article 4 implementation since Chile became a State Party to the CCM in 2011. As mentioned previously, Mauritania reported discovering cluster munition-contaminated areas in territory under its jurisdiction or control and planned to investigate the contamination. But again in 2019, Somalia made no progress in survey specific to CMR or clearance of submunitions

Zimbabwe National Mine Action Strategy 2018-2025

This National Mine Action Strategy, the first of its kind in Zimbabwe, presents the overall vision, mission, goals and objectives of Zimbabwe’s mine action programme for the period 2018-2025. The strategy’s timeline corresponds to Zimbabwe’s Article 5 Extension Request, submitted in March 2017 and its end state is the completion of clearance obligations under Article 5 of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC). Its vision is for a mine/ERW-free Zimbabwe where women, girls, boys and men safely engage in sustainable livelihood activities and where mine/ERW victims are fully integrated into society. While its mission is to develop a sustainable national mine action programme that facilitates effective and efficient survey and clearance activities and addresses the needs of affected communities through well-coordinated activities in accordance with national mine action standards and convention obligations

Multi-Year Plan (2006-2011) - Sudan

The purpose of the Multi-Year Plan is to demonstrate the commitments of each partner in the Mine Action Sector in Sudan to implement mine action activities in accordance with the National Strategic Framework and towards meeting national and international obligations, most importantly the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty (the Ottawa Convention). Under Article 5 of the Ottawa Convention, each country must clear all known or suspect minefields within ten years after the Convention came into force in that country: Sudan\u27s deadline for clearance is 2014. This document presents the sector plan for the Phase 1 starting in January 2009, ending in June 2011

Portfolio of Mine Action Projects 2011

We are pleased to present to you the 2011 Portfolio of Mine Action Projects and simultaneously to highlight the immense value mine action brings to peacekeeping, humanitarian relief and development efforts. As a cross cutting activity, mine action delivers concrete and measurable results. It saves lives, protects livelihoods and provides assistance to mine victims, including through job skills training, socio-economic initiatives, and employment opportunities. Mine action workers assist victims and their families, reduce the risk to affected communities, and remove dangers from farmer’s fields, from roads, from villages; all of which allow children to safely travel to school, communities to have access to water and to collect firewood, and commercial trade to return to assist with the socio-economic recovery of affected areas. With increased awareness of the links between mine action and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, mine-affected countries are pursuing mine action as a development priority as well as a humanitarian, security and human rights priority, and are giving it due prominence in their national development plans, strategies and budgets

UNMAS 2015 Annual Report

The centrality of mine action in humanitarian responses was widely and unanimously recognized by United Nations Member States and throughout the mine action sector in 2015. In his biennial report to the United Nations General Assembly on Assistance in Mine Action, the Secretary-General highlighted that mine action is “at the core of postconflict humanitarian response” and emphasised that “contamination of mines and explosive remnants of war remains a major security issue affecting civilian populations, United Nations operations and the sustainment of global peace and security”. The Global Humanitarian Overview for 2016, launched by the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator in Geneva, highlights urgent mine action requirements in a third of countries facing humanitarian crises. The Annual Report we present to you, illustrates the outstanding results this Service has achieved in 2015. I take this opportunity to applaud UNMAS staff working in 17 affected countries and territories, in Geneva, and in New York for their tireless efforts