International Day of Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action: April 4, 2015

| March 30, 2015

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“The United Nations has a proud record of helping millions of people in mine-affected countries. On this International Day, let us resolve to mobilize the resources, partners and resolve we need to further advance our vision of a planet free from mines.”

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, April 2014

The United Nations General Assembly has declared April 4 the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.

As conflicts evolve, spread or migrate, agricultural land is all too often polluted by the hidden danger of land mines. The United Nations has called for people living in countries where land mines and explosive remnants of war are a serious threat to call for the establishment and development of national strategies to find, remove and destroy land mines.

This year, the UN agencies working to clear minefields and reduce the future use of land mines are promoting the work of women in the dangerous business of removing land mines. The UN states: “Women must be empowered in all societies to be a part of … all stages of mine action: surveying mined areas, deciding where to begin clearance, conducting mine risk education, and post-clearance development initiatives.”

To find out more, and for additional resources, go to the UN web pages devoted to the Day: http://www.un.org/en/events/mineawarenessday/

Photo credit: UNMAS/Gwenn Dubourthoumieu