Brimstone Supports the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action
On 8th December 2005, the UN General Assembly declared that the 4th of April each year would be observed as the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. Mine action is the humanitarian effort to clear the world of landmines and other explosive hazards, which contaminate over sixty countries worldwide.
Humanitarian Mine Action
The five pillars of humanitarian mine action are:
- Advocacy
- Stockpile destruction
- Demining (landmine and explosive hazard clearance operations)
- Victim assistance
- Risk education
The overall aim of mine action is to meet the immediate and long-term needs of explosive hazard survivors, affected families and communities.
Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty
In 1999 the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty came into force, banning the use, stockpiling and transfer of anti-personnel landmines. The aim of the treaty was to destroy existing stockpiles of antipersonnel landmines, identify and clear mine areas under their control, aid victims of landmines and to submit annual reports on implementation activities.
However, not all countries signed up to the treaty, including the United States, Russia and China. In recent weeks, there have been reports of other types of landmines being used by Russia in Ukraine, along with confirmed cluster munition strikes.
Safe Ground, Safe Steps, Safe Home
The theme for this year’s International Mine Awareness Day is ‘Safe Ground, Safe Steps, Safe Home’, which draws on the impressive achievements of the global mine action community, from campaigning through to the ratification of treaties.
‘Safe Ground’ is a campaign to turn minefields into playing fields, launched by the UN General Secretary in 2019. ‘Safe Steps’ focuses on the fear that many people experience when living in UXO contaminated areas, with the constant danger of encountering buried landmines that could kill or injure without warning. Finally, ‘Safe Home’ is about restoring a sense of communal and personal security.
In 2022, Brimstone won a contract to support vital work in the Middle East, acting in a quality assurance role for landmine clearance, unexploded ordnance risk management and other survey tasks. Brimstone is committed to the UN’s sustainable development goals and is a signatory and supporter of the UN Global Compact, helping raise awareness of conflict, landmine contamination and unexploded ordnance contamination.
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