MAG (Mines Advisory Group) – Written Evidence to the International Development Committee inquiry on “The FCDO's approach to displaced people”

21 January 2025

Introduction

This submission details the reflections of MAG (Mines Advisory Group) on the FCDO’s approach to displaced people, drawing on our experience as an NGO working in conflict-affected communities and with FCDO as a valued partner and donor. It makes recommendations on how the UK Government could strengthen its approach.

Key Recommendations

Recommendation: The UK Government should increase focus and attention on programmes that contribute to conflict prevention and peacebuilding, which are vital in addressing the root causes of displacement.

• Conflict, organised crime, and criminal activities – often characterised by illicit transfer, unrestricted proliferation, and misuse of firearms – generate fear and insecurity and have direct and indirect effects on displacement and human mobility.  The uncontrolled circulation of firearms and ammunition fuels and sustains conflicts and violence, driving displacement and enabling human rights violations. Additionally, it undermines attempts to strengthen governance, democracy, and socio-economic development. The economic cost of armed conflict further highlights its profound impact; in 2023 it amounted to USD 907.5 billion. Conflict-related displacement accounted for over half of this impact, approximately 56%, while GDP losses from conflict totalled 34%[1].
• The widespread displacement observed in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and North Africa is closely linked to the pervasive issue of arms diversion in these regions. Stockpile leakage and diversion—resulting from corruption, poor stockpile management, or the loss of government control following state collapse—have fuelled illicit markets and contributed to instability by arming unauthorised non-state actors.
• For instance, in the Middle East, the 2003 Iraq war resulted in the transfer, trafficking or loss of at least 4.2 million firearms from the military to armed non-state actors or the wider civilian population[2]. This occurred due to the government’s pre-invasion arming of militia forces and the post-invasion looting of stockpiles. Similarly, the collapse of the Gaddafi regime in Libya in 2011 facilitated the looting of poorly guarded stockpiles. In both cases, the loss of arms led to widespread proliferation across the Middle East and North Africa region, driving and fuelling conflicts, of which the pernicious effects are still felt today. The diversion of firearms into the hands of unauthorised non-state actors such as ISIS has contributed significantly to displacement, as communities are forced to flee violence and insecurity.
• Although most new displacements are caused by armed conflict, other drivers of displacement include criminal, communal and/or political violence. Furthermore, organised crime linked to illegal activities such as drug trafficking and gang activity, have also driven high levels of displacement, particularly in the Northern Triangle of Central America (NTCA)[3]. All these different forms of criminal activity are connected by the uncontrolled proliferation and indiscriminate use of firearms.
• Unplanned explosions also cause significant displacement, for example the Mpila ammunition depot explosion in Congo-Brazzaville in 2012 killed at least 300 people and left 121,000 displaced. In August 2020, the detonation of ammonium nitrate at the port of Beirut destroyed the homes of 300,000 people.
• Armed violence reduction programmes that reduce the spread of weapons and ammunition in conflict-affected and fragile contexts can disrupt the cycle of armed violence and foster peace and stability, thus enabling people to safely remain in or return to their homes if they choose to do so. The UK Government should utilise funding streams such as the UK Integrated Security Fund to support programmes that reduce armed violence, prevent and resolve conflicts, and build peace and stability. The UK through the Counter Proliferation and Arms Control Centre is currently funding MAG’s work to reduce gun violence in the Caribbean[4] and should look at ways to scale up this type of work in other parts of the world that are impacted by armed violence and firearms proliferation.

Recommendation: In response to rising conflict, violence, and forced displacement globally, the UK Government should increase its ODA budget as soon as possible and direct more support to fragile and conflict-affected states.

• There is a strong correlation between conflict, violence, and displacement. The FCDO continues to provide significant support to those displaced, such as funding for mine action in Sri Lanka to help people return and resettle after conflict, and emergency humanitarian support when conflict breaks out, such as in Lebanon[5]. However, reductions in the UK’s ODA budget in recent years – including to conflict prevention and peacebuilding[6] – have limited the scope and scale of the support that can be provided to displaced populations affected by conflict and crises, thus reducing the impact the UK can have in this area.
• The cuts to the UK's ODA budget happened at a time when displacement has been rising due to factors like conflict and violence. Between 2021 and 2023, the number of forcibly displaced people surged to over 27.8 million annually, nearly doubling the long-term average, and by mid-2024, an estimated 72.1 million people remained internally displaced due to conflict or violence[7].
• The UK Government should increase its ODA budget as soon as possible and reduce the proportion currently being spent on in-donor refugee costs. More support should be directed toward fragile and conflict-affected states to reduce the drivers and root causes of displacement and foster the safety and stability necessary for people to safely remain or return home if they choose to do so.

Recommendation: The UK Government should integrate mine action within the broader humanitarian response in situations of conflict to ensure the safety of populations, including displaced people.

• Alongside other factors, the presence of explosive ordnance acts as a driver of displacement by creating an environment of fear, insecurity, and physical danger that compels people to flee their homes and prevents people from returning safely. 75% of the world’s total internally displaced people (IDPs) live in just ten countries, all of which are contaminated by explosive ordnance (Sudan, Syria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Colombia, Yemen, Somalia, Ukraine, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Afghanistan[8].)
• An important element of the immediate assistance at the outset of conflict is to ensure the safety of displaced populations and humanitarian workers. When conflict breaks out, refugees and IDPs are among the most vulnerable to explosive ordnance contamination, as they are often forced to go across contaminated areas that are unfamiliar to them, which increases their risk of death and serious injuries. Displaced people often face protection challenges which force them to take risks such as farming unsafe land or travelling across contaminated areas in search of work or food. Furthermore, the threat of explosive ordnance restricts the provision of humanitarian assistance, including assistance to displaced people. Even after hostilities end, explosive ordnance contamination renders communities and neighbourhoods extremely dangerous and life-threatening to live in, often for years.  
• The presence—or perceived threat—of explosive ordnance restricts freedom of movement and obstructs access to vital resources, including agricultural fields, roads, water supplies, schools, hospitals, and other essential public services. In addition to refugees and IDPs, explosive ordnance contamination also affects other groups considered “at-risk”14 given their mobility patterns, such as nomads, hunters, herders, shepherds, and agricultural workers.
• In urban environments affected by conflict, mine action is an essential precursor to restoration of vital services. In Ukraine, for example, clearance of mines and other explosive ordnance targeted at the power infrastructure and extensively affecting housing will be essential after the conflict to facilitate safe and sustainable returns. In Lebanon, in the immediate aftermath of the ceasefire, ongoing rapid response is required to ensure safe routes for people returning to their homes.
• Humanitarian mine action activities, such as Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE), are a vital tool[9] to ensure the safety of displaced people and local populations and facilitate the safe delivery of humanitarian assistance to those in need. Mine action, including survey and clearance, enables people to return home safely after conflict has ended, and fosters long-term stability in affected communities. A recent evaluation of MAG’s work in Iraq10 demonstrates a correlation between EORE and the adoption of safer behaviours by participants, emphasising that "this knowledge and behaviour change ultimately reduces the number of accidents and enhances the overall safety of the population."11
• The UK is a long-standing leader in the humanitarian mine action sector and currently supports mine action in eleven countries through the Global Mine Action Programme and the UK Integrated Security Fund. The UK Government should capitalise on its leading role in this area by continuing to support the mainstreaming and integration of mine action in the broader humanitarian sector, including close collaboration with the Global Protection Cluster (e.g. providing humanitarian mine action support for the safety of people in refugee and IDP camps). As the threat of explosive ordnance often intensifies at the start of conflict, the UK should incorporate EORE as a fundamental component of its emergency response strategy for communities impacted by both new and ongoing conflicts. Scaling up mine action activities - including EORE and clearance - is essential to support large scale returns (often at the immediate end of a conflict) as the number of accidents peak when people begin to return. This is also usually the point at which explosive ordnance clearance becomes possible.

Recommendation: The UK should continue to promote International Humanitarian Law (IHL), the protection of human rights, and humanitarian disarmament and arms control frameworks.

• Advancing and promoting IHL, human rights, and humanitarian disarmament and arms control frameworks, such as the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) and Political Declaration on Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas (EWIPA Declaration), are critical contributions to enhancing human security, addressing key drivers of displacement, and, in some cases, fostering the conditions necessary for safe and sustainable return. For example, the abovementioned frameworks contain obligations around reducing the threat of explosive ordnance, such as through clearance of landmines and explosive remnants of war, and delivery of explosive ordnance risk education. This helps to prevent harm from explosive ordnance contamination, thus contributing to the protection of civilians and human rights.
• The UK should utilise its soft power advantages alongside its leadership in these areas to continue advocating for the universalisation of the APMBC, the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) and other relevant instruments, such as the EWIPA Declaration and Amended Protocol II and V of the Convention on Conventional Weapons, in cases where states have not yet acceded/ratified/endorsed and/or where implementation is weak. Promoting and strengthening these commitments is increasingly critical to counter emerging narratives that justify the use of weapons such as landmines and cluster munitions as a defensive measure, without taking stock of the harmful, indiscriminate and long-term consequences of its use – for displaced people, local populations, and humanitarian workers alike.
• The UK is well-positioned to continue advocating internationally to combat and eradicate the illicit trade, transfer, and diversion of weapons and ammunition. This should include promoting the universal adoption and effective implementation of key international disarmament and arms control frameworks, such as the UN Firearms Protocol and the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). Additionally, the UK should advocate for and support efforts to fulfil commitments under the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (PoA) and its associated Tracing Instrument, and the Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management. Implementing these frameworks can contribute toward reducing violence and instability that drive displacement.

About MAG (Mines Advisory Group)

MAG (Mines Advisory Group) is a humanitarian, development and peacebuilding organisation that limits the causes and addresses the consequences — both immediate and long-term — of conflict and armed violence. Headquartered in Manchester, UK, MAG employs 6,000+ staff in 40+ countries across Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Our mission is to save lives, ease suffering and enable sustainable development by limiting the causes and addressing the consequences of armed violence and conflict so people can live with dignity and choice, free from fear. We clear landmines and unexploded ordnance, deliver risk education, and work to reduce the threat and likelihood of armed violence, conflict, and unplanned explosions. Our work helps almost two million people every year.

MAG is committed to advocacy that prevents future harm caused by conflict and armed violence. We were co-recipients of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for our work campaigning to bring about the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention. We also support states to meet their obligations under other international frameworks, such as the Convention on Cluster Munitions, the United Nations Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons, and the Arms Trade Treaty.