Evidence Submitted by the Mines Advisory Group (MAG)
30 October 2020
Summary
- The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the clearance of explosive ordnance and the delivery of explosive ordnance risk education in affected states, almost all of which are developing countries in the Global South. This evidence seeks to argue that:
a) mine action has been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic;
b) landmine clearance is often a pre-requisite for development in affected communities, therefore reduced mine action activities will in turn slow progress in lifting communities out of poverty;
c) in order to accelerate progress during the ‘decade of action’, the UK Government should extend and expand its Global Mine Action Programme (GMAP), use its position as a leader in the mine action sector to promote universalisation of treaties such as the Convention on Cluster Munitions, and help partner countries establish capable mine action centres whose work is aligned to broader development frameworks and national plans.
Introduction to the Mines Advisory Group
- MAG is a non-governmental organisation headquartered in Manchester with more than 5,000 staff worldwide. Our mission is to create safe futures for people affected by violence, conflict, and insecurity by destroying landmines, unexploded ordnance, and surplus weapons and ammunition.
- MAG is committed to advocacy that prevents future harm caused by conflict. Our work in support of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, for which we were co-recipients of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize, continues with our campaign for a Landmine Free 2025. We also support governments to meet their obligations under other instruments of international humanitarian law, such as Convention on Cluster Munitions, and the United Nations Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons.
- MAG’s work has been generously supported by the UK government since our earliest field operations. In the 2018-19 fiscal year, this support amounted to more than £18.7 million, the majority of which was provided by the DFID as part of its Global Mine Action Programme (GMAP).
- Now in its seventh year, the GMAP funds a consortium of three non-governmental organisations (MAG, the HALO Trust, and Norwegian People’s Aid) to conduct humanitarian mine action in 11 countries, along with activities in a further four countries through the United Nations. A DFID review in 2019 awarded the GMAP a score of ‘A+’ and described it as providing good value for money[1].
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic
- The Covid-19 pandemic has hindered the progress of landmine clearance. In most countries where MAG operates, governments ordered the suspension of clearance for two months. Since May, all but one such country has allowed clearance to resume. However, social distancing requirements, as well as periodic national and local lockdowns, make the work of mine clearance teams less efficient and more time-consuming.
- Limits to in-person interaction with communities makes it more difficult to deliver life-saving risk education and collect information about possible mined areas. As a result of Covid-19, in some countries MAG has adapted its risk education work to deliver remote messaging to local populations, such as in Myanmar where community volunteers are trained to deliver remote risk education messages. However, it is difficult to subject these remote ways of working to the same levels of quality control.
- In some communities, concerns over the spread of Covid-19 has led people to relocate, sometimes into areas which are contaminated with landmines and other unexploded ordnance. In Iraq, many Yazidi families living in crowded Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps feared the virus would spread, and moved into Sinjar and surrounding villages despite many of these areas still being contaminated with explosive ordnance. MAG was able to deliver remote risk education to individual families, but could not conduct in-person risk education sessions due to Covid-related restrictions. The restrictions also prevented MAG from conducting rapid response clearance in the event of explosive ordnance being reported.
- The financial impacts of Covid-19 may also slow the work of mine action as economies contract, public budgets shrink, and governments’ priorities shift. While many donor governments have maintained their support to mine action in the near-term, not all have committed to doing so. Moreover, many low- and middle-income countries affected by mines already struggle to allocate domestic resources to mine action, which limits their ability to conduct mine action themselves or coordinate the efforts of others. Covid-19 will likely worsen this situation.
Paving the Way for Sustainable Development
- Mine action includes survey and destruction of explosive ordnance (which yields safe land), risk education to help affected communities avoid accidents, victim assistance, destruction of stockpiled weapons, capacity building of national authorities, and advocacy. These activities aim to reduce the social, economic and environmental impact of landmines and explosive remnants of war, and can enable a range of interventions in conflict-affected communities – from emergency response through to reconstruction, development, return of displaced people, peacebuilding and peacekeeping.
- The interconnected nature of mine action means that it contributes to achieving almost all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), therefore the negative impact on mine action could in turn negatively impact other areas of development. A 2017 study by the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) concluded that “there is much potential for the work of mine action in fragile contexts to prepare the foundations on which sustainable peace and development can be built.” [2] The study found that mine action was directly relevant to twelve SDGs, and indirectly contributed to achieving four more. These include:
a) SDG2 (zero hunger): released agricultural land enables communities to grow crops, improving food security and nutrition
b) SDG3 (good health and wellbeing): safe access to healthcare facilities in previously affected communities improves health and wellbeing
c) SDG5 (gender equality): removing explosive hazards and providing education on safe behaviour reduces violence against women and girls
- The clearance and release of safe land facilitates immediate access to water and sanitation, education, transport and other critical infrastructure in the immediate aftermath of conflict. It also enables the safe delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need.
- In the longer term, the clearance of land yields economic benefits by enabling more (and more productive) livelihood opportunities that alleviate poverty and propel development. For example, a study by the United Nations Development Programme and the Lebanon Mine Action Center found that in Lebanon, every dollar spent on mine action generated an economic return of $4.15.[3]
Recommendations for the UK Government
- Given its wide-ranging positive social and economic impacts, mine action should remain a long-term priority for the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office and be fully integrated into the UK’s development strategies, with increased funding to low- and middle-income countries at risk of being left behind. MAG supports the Landmine Free 2025 campaign’s call for 0.7% of all official development assistance to be allocated to mine action[4].
- It is crucial that global mine action efforts are increased and coordinated effectively over the next decade to achieve a landmine free 2025 in as many countries as possible, and to advance development. This is especially important for so-called ‘legacy contamination’ countries, where landmines planted decades ago still pose a deadly threat to communities. Many such countries have seen funding for mine action stagnate or decline in recent years. For example, Angola, one of the most heavily contaminated countries, receives just 1.5% of global funding annually despite its strong national commitment to complete landmine clearance, while 55% of total funding is split between just five other countries[5]. The UK can support further development in countries with ‘legacy contamination’ by ensuring they receive a fair share of mine action funding, particularly when they possess a strategic, costed plan for completion.
- As a leader in the mine action and disarmament sector, the UK should continue to promote universalisation of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention and the Convention on Cluster Munitions, strengthening the norm against these weapons. The UK should directly advocate in favour of ratification to states not party; encourage compliance among those who have; and condemn the use of landmines and cluster munitions by any state. States that join these treaties or demonstrate improved compliance, should be rewarded with increased UK funding for mine action. The UK should also help partner countries establish capable mine action centres whose work is aligned to broader development frameworks and national plans. Finally, the UK should extend and expand the GMAP, which is clearing a path to safer, more sustainable futures for communities around the world.
- The Mines Advisory Group thanks the International Development Committee for considering this evidence and welcomes further questions.
Our vision is a safe future for men, women and children affected by conflict and insecurity.
MAG shared the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for its work to ban landmines.
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