The vision of the United Nations is a world free of the threat of landmines and explosive remnants of war, where individuals and communities live in a safe environment conducive to development and where the needs of victims are met. The inter-agency partners working towards the achievement of this vision are:
Members |
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| Chair United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) |
DPO/UNMAS (IACG-MA Chair): The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), is the designated centralized service provider to all Secretariat entities for mine action and the United Nations system-wide coordinator providing expertise to United Nations Member States and system partners, ensuring rapid response to requests for assessments and implementing responsive programmes in peace operations and non-mission settings leading on strategy development, programme design, monitoring and oversight and stakeholder engagement. UNMAS is mandated to coordinate the United Nations system through the UN IACG-MA and subsidiary groups, and the Global Protection sub-cluster Mine Action Area of Responsibility. UNMAS also chairs the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) Review Board and its Steering Committee and is the United Nations depositary of these Standards. In representing the United Nations system in international legislative bodies and other fora, UNMAS represents mine action as a critical enabler of the humanitarian, development, human rights and peace and security efforts and as an accelerator of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. UNMAS is a committed advocate for victim assistance. | |
| Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) | FAO: The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is the specialized agency of the UN that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Its goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. FAO’s resilience building agenda focuses on developing, protecting and restoring sustainable livelihoods so that the integrity of societies that depend on farming, livestock, fish, forests and other natural resources is not threatened by crises. Where relevant FAO recognizes and promotes the importance of working with relevant entities to clear valuable farmlands of undetonated ordinances, so farmers can plant crops and graze their livestock safely. Restoring people's ability to farm and engage in productive livelihoods is important for food security and key for building prosperity and lasting peace in conflict/post conflict settings. | |
| United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) | UNHCR: In alignment with its mandate to protect and advocate for the rights of refugees, forcibly displaced individuals, and stateless populations, the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) plays a pivotal role in providing policy advice and guidance within the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC). Working closely with its partners, UNHCR: 1) advocates for the integration of mine action and explosive ordnance risk education into protection strategies and plans for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) and promotes awareness about the risks associated with explosive ordnance among the affected populations; 2) supports data collection and needs assessments to identify the extent of the explosive ordnance problem in areas where refugees and IDPs are located; 3) supports the development and implementation of risk education programs to educate refugees and IDPs about the dangers of explosive ordnance and how to stay safe in affected areas; 4) collaborates with partners to ensure that survivors of explosive ordnance accidents and their families receive necessary medical and psychosocial support and to integrate them, to the extent possible, to existing protection referral mechanisms; 5) advocates for the implementation of policies and legal frameworks related to mine action at the national and international levels, including supporting the advocacy for universalization of, and adherence to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention and the protection of civilians from the use of weapons with indiscriminate effects; and 6) as Cluster lead, supports the Mine Action Area of Responsibility (MA-AoR) within the Protection Cluster by ensuring a unified approach to addressing mine action related issues and helps mobilize resources to fund mine action. | |
| Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) | In line with its mandate for the protection and promotion of the rights of refugees and others of concern to the High Commissioner, lead role for protection policy advice and guidance in the IASC, and in collaboration with its partners, UNHCR: 1) is directly engaged in support of risk education, clearance programmes and associated humanitarian activities linked to displacement; 2) seeks to build the capacity of its local and international partners to undertake effective mine action projects in support of refugee programmes; 3) supports UNMAS and UNICEF in the development of national and international MRE policy, tools and techniques, guidelines and standards and 4) is an active advocate for the promotion of the total ban on anti-personnel landmines, the elimination of weapons that have indiscriminate effects, the development of legal instruments in relation to ERW and protection of the rights of women and children affected by armed conflict. | |
| United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) | UNICEF: The protection and promotion of the rights of children, including through the implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions on Children and Armed Conflict is central to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). In collaboration with its partners, UNICEF supports: 1) the development and implementation of explosive ordnance risk education (EORE), including national and international EORE policy, guidelines and standards and in its capacity as co-chair of the EORE Advisory Group; 2) advocacy for the implementation and universalization of international humanitarian and human rights law and inter-governmental political commitments such as the Safe Schools Declaration and the Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences arising from the use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas; 3) victim assistance. In humanitarian situations where national mine action authorities do not exist or are unable to respond, UNICEF acts directly to identify and prioritize at-risk populations, carry out emergency EORE, and support other risk reduction and victim assistance. Wherever possible UNICEF works to build the capacity of its partners, seeking to ensure that initial mine action responses and life-saving assistance are people and child-centered and move rapidly toward medium- and long-term solutions. This is done with an emphasis on community engagement, including engagement of children and their families. | |
| Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) |
UNOCHA: The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) coordinates the global emergency response to save lives and protect people in humanitarian crisis, and advocates for effective and principled humanitarian action. In collaboration with mine action partners, OCHA: 1) ensures that humanitarian planning and response meets the assistance and protection needs of those impacted by explosive ordnance and supports the mitigation of threats posed by them; 2)highlights the humanitarian impact of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and promotes universalization and supports implementation of the Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences arising from the use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas; and 3) advocates for adherence to international humanitarian and human rights law as well as practical measures to reduce harm and suffering, including through its role in supporting the Security Council’s agenda on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict. |
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| United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) | UNODA: The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) promotes universalization, supports compliance measures and activities, and assists in the implementation of the mine action normative framework. UNODA has been delegated the implementation of the Secretary-General’s responsibilities under the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), the Anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention and the Convention on Cluster Munitions, with the exception of his/her depositary functions. UNODA also supports States in safe, secure and sustainable weapons and ammunition management, in line with the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons and the International Tracing Instrument, as well as the Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management and through the development and dissemination of relevant international guidelines and standards such as the Modular Small-arms-control Implementation Compendium (MOSAIC) and the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG). UNODA supports the informal consultative process on IEDs established pursuant to General Assembly resolution “Countering the threat posed by improvised explosive devices” and relevant discussions under CCW Amended Protocol II. Furthermore, UNODA promotes universalization and assists in the implementation of the Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences arising from the use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas. | |
| UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) | UNOHCHR: The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is mandated to promote and protect the enjoyment and full realization, by all people, of all rights established in the UN Charter and international human rights law, including through prevention of human rights violations, securing respect for all human rights, promoting international cooperation to protect human rights, coordinating related activities throughout the UN, and strengthening and streamlining human rights throughout the UN system. OHCHR monitors violations committed during armed conflict and advocates for increased compliance with international human rights law and international humanitarian law by parties to armed conflicts. OHCHR is engaged in a number of areas directly relevant to mine action, such as protecting the rights of and combating discrimination against persons with disabilities and undertaking advocacy on and assistance with the implementation of the Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities, including in relation to survivors of mines and other explosive ordnance. | |
| United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) |
UNOPS: The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) enables the UN and its partners to operationalize their mandates and objectives through the design and implementation of solutions across peace and security, humanitarian, and development contexts. As an operational arm of the UN in mine action and broader explosive hazard threat mitigation, UNOPS works closely with its partners on project, programme, and portfolio design, implementation, oversight and management controls. It does so across a number of key areas, such as, human resources and talent management, supply chain and contract management of works, goods and services. With a focus on highly-effective project management and associated delivery of results, UNOPS supports partners to expand capacities, improve agility, manage risks, boost cost-effectiveness and increase quality. |
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| UN Women (UN Women) | UN WOMEN: The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women - UN Women - is committed to ensuring gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls as partners and beneficiaries throughout all stages of the humanitarian, development and peace nexus (HDPN). UN Women’s mandate supports and enables the UN and the wider HDPN system in the integration of gender equality and women and girl’s empowerment throughout all aspects of humanitarian, recovery and sustainable development planning and programming, including mine action. Through its inter-agency leadership and coordination role, UN Women supports other UN entities to promote gender equality and women and girls’ empowerment. This includes sharing evidence-based best practice, minimum standards and guidance tools. UN Women also assists States develop policies and commitments to gender equality and women and girls’ empowerment. Furthermore, it also promotes the voices, agency and capacity of women’s civil society organizations and national women’s machineries in HDPN efforts. | |
| World Food Programme (WFP) | WFP: The World Food Programme (WFP) delivers life-saving food, cash and other assistance in emergencies. At the same time WFP focuses on sustainable development, promoting long-term change by working in partnership with national governments and communities. WFP leads the Logistics Cluster, which stores and transports urgent relief items to disaster zones. Also, WFP leads the Emergency Telecommunication Cluster, which sets up or restores connectivity in remote areas. Furthermore, WFP manages the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service and the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot, ensuring staff and supplies from across agencies and NGOs can reach the areas where they are most needed. Food security is increasingly compromised by unexploded ordnance (UXO)/landmine contamination in some of WFP’s largest operations including Ukraine, Afghanistan, Central Sahel and Lake Chad Basin, among others. Mine contamination directly impacts food systems by denying the cultivation of agricultural land, as well as influencing population movements, market viability and livelihoods options. Finally, mines can significantly impact logistical operations via limiting access and cutting off critical supply lines and infrastructure, also key to food security and humanitarian operations. | |
| World Health Organisation (Injuries and Violence Prevention Department) (WHO) | WHO: The World Health Organization (WHO) works with its Member States as well as local, national and international partners to promote access to emergency trauma care, treatment and rehabilitation, including mental health services and assistive products for those injured by explosive ordnance. In line with its mandate, WHO provides direct technical support to affected countries, supports the integration of survivor needs in relevant health strategies and action plans, and promotes preventative practices. In accordance with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, WHO works closely with both governments and civil society to ensure the full and active participation of survivors with disability in education, labor, and social life on an equal basis with others. |
Observers
| United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) | UNIDIR: The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) is an autonomous institute within the UN dedicated to generating ideas and actions on disarmament and security. UNIDIR conducts research on key areas of the UN Mine Action Strategy, which includes supporting identification of good practices, sharing of lessons learned, and developing new and innovative policies, practices and approaches in the field of through-life weapon and ammunition management as well as countering threats posed by improvised explosive devices. UNIDIR contributes to the IACG-MA by consolidating knowledge, generating ideas, facilitating dialogue and providing policy and research advisory in these substantive areas. | |
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