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United Nations Development Programme

FAST FACTS

Mine ActionLong ater conicts are over, landmines, abandoned munitions

and other explosive remnants o war still kill and maim,

sometimes or decades. Every year they are responsible or

15,000 to 20,000 deaths and countless more severe injuries.

Development and economic growth oten increases the demand

or land, so that communities can plant more crops and improve

ood security, or build new housing, roads and inrastructure.

Mines and explosive remnants o war not only pose a health

and saety risk - in many post conict countries, they impede

economic growth by preventing people rom using land. They

also deprive people o basic services; hinder the use o natural

resources; and severely undermine the achievement o the

Millennium Development Goals.

The global economic impact o unexploded ordnance is

estimated to be in the hundreds o billions o dollars a year; costs

that are oten borne by developing countries that can least

aord them.

In ragile societies, unexploded ordnance can also stop reugees

and displaced people rom returning home, adversely aecting

stability, security, and the realization o long-term peace.

UNDPs approach

UNDPs mine action eorts centre on clearing mines and

explosive remnants o war; mine risk education; stockpile

destruction; advocacy; and victim assistance.

UNDP provides training, advice and support to mine action

authorities in 40 countries, helping to reinorce local capacity.

As well as the humanitarian imperative o clearing mines, UNDP

ocusses on how explosive remnants o war aect development.

UNDP works closely with the governments o post conictdeveloping countries to ensure that mine action eorts are an

integral part o recovery, development and livelihoods

endeavours. For example, the act o clearing and releasing a

previously mined road can expand income generating

opportunities or a poor community by minimizing armers

travel time to markets. This could in turn enable the cultivation

o new crops that generate a better return; better link armers to

ood processing actories; improve productivity by

providing better access to ertilizer and modern arming inputs;

and reduce agricultural waste, as well as having other

development benefts, such as improving access to health

clinics, or allowing children to travel to school saely.

UNDP supports programmes in 40 countries aected by mines. A deminer in action inthe city o Kisangani in eastern Democratic Republic o the Congo. Photo: GwenDubourthoumieu/IRIN

Because the removal o mines and unexploded ordnance can

have such a broad impact on development, UNDP backed

clearance activities oten occur in tandem with other livelihoo

advice and fnancial support, such as small business loans,

vocational training and technical help with transport, ood

storage and livestock handling.

Globally, UNDP advocates or countries to sign up to treaties

and international legal instruments that ban mines and cluste

munitions (such as the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention

and the Convention on Cluster Munitions). UNDP also helps

Member States to meet their existing obligations under these

treaties, such as clearance deadlines, developing victim

assistance legislation, reporting on progress, and stock pile

destruction.

UNDP is part o the United Nations Mine Action Community -

UN bodies that work towards the eradication o landmines an

explosive remnants o war.

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UNDP in action

In 2012, Uganda andJordan declared themselves mine

feld-ree, meeting obligations under the Anti-Personnel Mine

Ban Convention. UNDP assisted in the establishment o both

countries Mine Action Centers and has provided long-term

advice, technical, logistical and fnancial support or several

years.

Globally in 2012, nearly 75,000 people were reached by UNDPs

mine risk education initiatives. Forty per cent o these wereschoolchildren.

In 2012, UNDP provided advice and support to Albania,

Cambodia, Colombia, Iraq, Sudan and Yemen to meet their

obligations under the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention.

UNDP assistance was also instrumental or Lao PDR, Lebanon

and Mozambique, who submitted transparency reports, as per

their obligations under the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

In 2012, UNDP helped over 4,600 landmine survivors living in

extreme poverty in Angola, Egypt, Tajikistan, Sri Lanka and

Uganda by providing clearance programmes, and sustainable

livelihood opportunities, such as vocational training, access to

small grants, livestock, small business start-up kits and

government employment.

In addition, in the same year, in Cambodia, Lebanon and Sri

Lanka, over 100,000 people in conict-aected communities

benefted rom improved livelihoods through access to land,

housing, social services and energy inrastructure. In Sri Lanka

this number included over 43,000 displaced people who were

able to return to their homes or resettle.

UNDP supports educational programmes that inorm aected communities about therisks posed by mines. At a mine risk education session at a school in Shorish district,Iraq, the students learn about the risks o landmines and how to avoid them. Photo:UNDP

In Tajikistan, UNDP support to mine awareness education

programmes has helped halve the number o annual mine

accidents since 2003. More than 73,000 people, including

40,000 women have now beneftted rom mine clearance

schemes that have released productive land in the country. In

2012, UNDP helped over 540 mine survivors to gain access to

credit and vocational training.

Agriculture starts over in Zubeir, Iraq ater mine-cleaning. Photo: UNDP/JahalPenjwery

In Lebanon, approximately 2,650 people were able to increas

arm capacity ater their land was cleared and released in 2012

UNDP support has now helped clear 71 per cent o the 28,000hectares o land contaminated by landmines and 68 per cent

the 5,600 hectares contaminated by cluster munitions.

In Cambodia, in 2012, with UNDP support, about 700 poor

households directly beneftted rom the release o agricultura

land, training in agriculture and provision o seeds, ertilizer

and other agricultural equipment; in some cases, doubling the

income.

In Angola, since 2008, UNDP has helped train more than 1,000

demining specialists; supported the clearance o more than

87,000 hectares o land; and assisted more than 2,000 landmin

victims with physical rehabilitation, training and ood. In 2012

this number included 548 mine and unexploded ordnance

survivors who received vocational training and support to

develop small businesses, as well as 137 disabled secondary

teachers and 23 other specialists, who were helped to take up

positions within the state education sector. Menongue airport

several key railway lines and residential areas have now been

cleared, aecting over 3 million people. Clearance work has

also allowed fbre optic cables to be saely laid and maintained

throughout the country, improving communication links.

For further information contact:United Nations Development ProgrammeBureau or Crisis Prevention and RecoveryOne United Nations Plaza, 20th FloorNew York, NY 10017bcpr@undp.orgwww.undp.org/cpr

April 2013