UN: Global demining work strained by rising conflicts and shrinking aid


Demining experts from around the world have been sharing their collective shock at the widespread and growing threat from unexploded ordnance, the new head of the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) said this week.

“They’re telling me, ‘Never in my career have I ever seen so many conflicts,’” said Kazumi Ogawa, speaking at the close of a Mine Action National Directors and UN advisers meeting in Geneva. Despite the clear need to continue demining work in the world’s conflict zones and those now at peace, “for various reasons, the level of funding has gone down in terms of humanitarian assistance”, Ms. Ogawa noted.

Read more…
Source:  United Nations


Sign up for the Counter-IED Report Newsletters
The latest news and insights delivered right to your inbox


Related:

  • Yemen: Houthi rebels unilaterally release 153 war detainees

    January 26, 2025

    Yemen’s Houthi rebels unilaterally freed 153 war detainees Saturday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said, one of several overtures in recent days to ease tensions after the ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Previous prisoner releases have been viewed as a means to jumpstart talks over permanently ending Yemen’s decadelong war, ...

  • UN Security Council renews sanctions against Al-Shabaab terror group

    December 13, 2024

    The UN Security Council on Friday adopted a resolution renewing the sanctions against al-Shabaab terror group in Somalia until Feb. 28, 2025. The resolution, submitted by the UK, was unanimously adopted by the 15-member Security Council. It allows authorization for maritime interdiction to enforce the embargo on illicit arms imports, the ban on coal exports, and ...

  • Leveraging new technology for a mine-free future

    December 9, 2024

    The devastating legacy of armed conflict – often marked by the indiscriminate use of landmines, improvised explosive devices and other explosive ordnance – poses a significant humanitarian challenge. Innovation in mine action With over 25 years of experience, UNOPS has the largest operational mine action capability in the UN system. This vast expertise has given us ...

  • India-Cambodia joint military exercise concludes in Pune

    December 7, 2024

    The first edition of CambodiaIndia Bilateral Army Exercise (CINBAXI) successfully concluded on Friday, marking a significant milestone in strengthening military cooperation and interoperability between the two nations. The joint exercise saw active participation from both the Cambodian and Indian contingents, enhancing their operational synergy and exposing the Cambodian contingent to the functioning of staff officers during ...

  • UNIFIL and UNMAS hail partnership in demining in south Lebanon

    December 4, 2024

    The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) today highlighted the achievements realized together in south Lebanon while vowing to continue the dangerous but life-saving undertaking of clearing landmines. UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Michael Beary hailed mine action activities conducted jointly with UNMAS and ...

  • UNIFIL Statement: Artillery Shell Hits UNIFIL Sector West Headquarters

    November 15, 2024

    Shama (Lebanon), 15 November 2024 – This afternoon, a 155mm live artillery shell hit UNP 2-3, UNIFIL West Sector headquarters in Shama. The shell did not detonate and Italian bomb disposal experts swiftly secured the area, removed the ordnance, and conducted a controlled detonation. There was no injury among peacekeepers, but only minor damages to the ...

  • Vietnam and India’s engineers coordinate mine clearance to ensure peacekeeping forces

    November 13, 2024

    Engineer forces of Vietnam and India have coordinated together to practice clearing mines and explosives, ensuring safety for United Nations peacekeeping forces. This is the main content of the exercise situation that the engineering forces of Vietnam and India have just organized training and demonstration. This content is within the framework of the Vietnam-India Bilateral Exercise ...

  • Tackling the threats posed by Improvised Explosive Devices

    October 31, 2024

    Following a successful side event organised by France on 14th October 2024, held alongside the First Committee of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on the responses to the threats posed by Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), Sebastian Kasack, MAG’s Head of Programmes Performance and Learning, and Riccardo Labianco, International Policy Manager, reflect ...

  • German UNIFIL ship downs drone off Lebanese coast

    October 17, 2024

    A German Navy warship participating in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has downed a drone off Lebanon’s coast, a military spokesman told dpa on Thursday. The Ludwigshafen am Rhein corvette repelled an approaching drone at around 7 am (0400 GMT), said the spokesman for Germany’s armed forces, the Bundeswehr. The drone was reportedly ...

  • UNDP identifies most promising innovative approaches to financing mine action in Ukraine

    October 15, 2024

    The issuance of thematic bonds linked to sustainable development and result-oriented public-private partnerships are the most promising innovative tools for financing mine action in Ukraine. This is stated in a report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) based on the results of a study commissioned by the Ministry of Economy. “Our partners estimate that USD ...

  • Supporting humanitarian mine action in Yemen

    September 27, 2024

    UNOPS and the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in Yemen are working to scale-up much-needed mine action operations across the country. Years of conflict in Yemen have left a devastating mark on the country, including the widespread contamination of explosive remnants of war. This deadly residue of war poses a constant threat to the people of Yemen, ...

  • UN: 1,500 Somalis killed or injured by explosive devices in 2023

    September 20, 2024

    At least 1,500 civilians were killed or injured by 600 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Somalia over the past year, the UN reported late Thursday. UN Secretary-General’s Acting Special Representative for Somalia James Swan said that the threat of IEDs remains critical as Somalia progresses toward self-reliance and sustainability in national security. “I think everyone in ...

  • French peacekeepers conduct joint training with LAF on first aid, improvised explosive devices

    September 12, 2024

    UNIFIL’s French peacekeepers hosted members of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) in their main base in the south Lebanese village of Dayr Kifa for joint training last week. The three-day activity saw 10 Lebanese soldiers learn skills together with their French counterparts on first aid as well as on detecting and mitigating threats posed by improvised ...

  • New IAEA Publication about Detecting Nuclear and Other Radioactive Material out of Regulatory Control

    September 2, 2024

    A new IAEA publication titled Detection in a State’s Interior of Nuclear and Other Radioactive Material out of Regulatory Control offers law enforcement agencies and frontline officers detailed guidance to support them in combatting criminal acts involving nuclear or other radioactive material that has fallen out of regulatory control. “The new publication is added to a ...

  • Bringing Drone Technology to Iraqi Police

    August 30, 2024

    “In 2021, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Salman Pak Training Center received 20 drones from UNMAS Iraq. These drones were distributed to relevant departments across the Iraqi governorates in order to ensure the best use of this technology during operations. UNMAS Iraq has provided training courses at Salman Pak Training Center since ...