Mine action is an umbrella term for activities that reduce the social, economic, and environmental impact of landmines, cluster munitions, and other explosive remnants of war (ERW). The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), established in 1997, coordinates the UN system's work in this area, and the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) provide the technical baseline used by national authorities and operators worldwide.
Mine action is conventionally organised around five pillars:
- Clearance (survey and physical removal of mines, ERW, and improvised explosive devices)
- Mine risk education (teaching at-risk populations how to recognise and avoid hazards)
- Victim assistance (medical care, rehabilitation, and socio-economic reintegration of survivors)
- Stockpile destruction (eliminating government-held munitions)
- Advocacy for universalisation of relevant treaties
The legal framework rests primarily on the 1997 Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (Ottawa Treaty), the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions (Oslo), and Protocol V (2003) to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, which addresses ERW. Article 5 of the Ottawa Treaty obliges states parties to clear mined areas under their jurisdiction within ten years of entry into force, though extensions are routinely granted.
Operationally, mine action is delivered by a mix of national mine action authorities (such as Cambodia's CMAA or Colombia's Descontamina Colombia), UN agencies, and NGOs including the Halo Trust, Mines Advisory Group (MAG), Norwegian People's Aid, and Handicap International / Humanity & Inclusion. The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) houses IMAS and supports national capacity.
For delegates, mine action regularly surfaces in First Committee (DISEC) debates on conventional weapons, in Security Council mandates for peacekeeping operations (e.g., MINUSMA, UNMISS), and in humanitarian financing discussions. It sits at the intersection of disarmament, humanitarian action, and post-conflict development, and is explicitly linked to multiple Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 16.
Example
In 2024, the HALO Trust and Cambodian Mine Action Centre continued clearance operations in Cambodia's western provinces under the country's extended Ottawa Treaty Article 5 deadline.