International Mine Awareness Day 2021

For 15 years, the UN has been highlighting the importance of national mine-action capacities with its International Mine Awareness Day on April 4th. The UN thereby draws attention to the particular danger mines pose to the civilian population: According to the annual Landmine Monitor, 70 to 80 percent of fatalities caused by land mines affect civilians.

Once planted, landmines do not obey peace agreements or ceasefires. Mine clearance is therefore one of the key mandates of 25 peace operations worldwide. It can also serve as a confidence-building measure, enable the return of internally displaced persons or secure roads for civilian use.

For this reason, the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) and its 3,000 employees aim for the elimination of the threat posed by mines. In February 2021, the German government provided the organization with additional funding for mine clearance in Iraq in order to protect communities living in areas retaken from the so-called Islamic State.

In accordance with UN Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, eleven organizations in the Gender Working Group are furthermore advocating a gender-sensitive approach to landmine clearance. The importance of gender equality is also underlined by UN mine action expert, Rose Muhindo, in an interview about her work.

Alongside 163 other countries, Germany is a signatory state to the Ottawa Convention, which aims to ban landmines. Since the Convention entered into force in 1999, the estimated global amount of landmines has been reduced from 160 million to 50 million, and 33 formerly contaminated countries/territories have been declared mine-free.