International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action 2024: April 4 is annually observed as International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. The purpose of the day is to increase public consciousness regarding landmines, solicit support for initiatives aimed at demining them, and promote progress in this direction.
The United Nations and other international organizations support the campaign, which calls for the establishment of domestic mine-action capabilities in nations where mines and explosive remnants of war continue to pose a serious threat to civilian lives, health, and safety. Additionally, it significantly hinders social and economic progress on both the national and local scales.
International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action History
The resolution to designate December 8, 2005 as International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action was passed by the General Assembly. This occasion presents the United Nations Mine Action Service (U.N.M.A.S.) and other organizations with a chance to engage in introspection, enhance public consciousness regarding explosive remnants of war (I.E.Ds), and landmines, in addition to undertaking further measures to eradicate these threats. This organization has prioritized the needs of individuals impacted by landmines for more than two decades and is cognizant of the hazardous dangers that humanitarians, peacekeepers, and civilians encounter.
U.N.M.A.S. is dedicated to the following objectives: preservation of human lives; facilitation of U.N. mission deployment; provision of humanitarian aid to safeguard civilians; promotion of voluntary repatriation of internally displaced persons and refugees; support for humanitarian and recovery endeavors; and advocacy for adherence to international human rights and humanitarian legislation. The U.N.M.A.S. has established five pillars of mine action, namely stockpile destruction, education, victim assistance, advocacy, and mine risk reduction.
The organization supports and rehabilitates victims, aids in the identification of risky areas, and campaigns for the prohibition and regulation of landmines. Additionally, the organization provides technical assistance in the destruction of explosive stockpiles. In such regions, conventional ammunition stockpiles that are not managed adequately endanger public safety and pose a severe threat to the security of the populace.
Additionally, mine action promotes human survival and development by liberating arable land for cultivators and clearing vital access routes. U.N.M.A.S. operates in numerous countries, including, among others, Syria, Afghanistan, Colombia, the Central African Republic, Sudan, and Libya. Under its leadership, the global mine action community is committed to the elimination of landmines and the preservation of human lives.
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FAQs regarding International Day for Mine Action Awareness and Assistance
Which two varieties comprise landmines?
There are two primary classifications of landmines: anti-tank mines, which are specifically engineered to disable vehicles and tanks, and anti-personnel mines, which aim to cause harm and casualties to personnel.
What are the concerns regarding landmines?
Landmines are perilous due to their design intent to cause severe harm to individuals, potentially resulting in permanent disabilities or fatalities. Landmines, once planted, are difficult to remove and must be removed with extreme caution. Destruction and loss of life continue to result from landmines planted during World War I in certain regions of Europe and North Africa.
At this time, how many landmines are present in the world?
An estimated 110 million landmines are presently deployed underground, as per estimations. Egypt is home to the most of these, then China, Cambodia, Iran, Afghanistan, Angola, and Iraq. Even with advanced technology for detecting and clearing landmines, the United Nations estimates that it could take approximately 1,100 years to remove them all.
International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action 2024 Activities
Increase consciousness
Raise awareness and disseminate information regarding the perils that landmines present to civilian communities on an international scale. Numerous individuals are taken aback by the fact that these weapons continue to be deployed globally and cause casualties.
Exhibit support
Request in writing that your local leaders and representatives take more practical measures to eliminate landmines. Beg your leadership to assist in the effort to eliminate landmines.
Reflect on donating
Contribute to one of the numerous charitable organizations that have been diligently clearing landmines so that individuals may once again cultivate their property. The Halo Trust, Landmine Relief Fund, and A.P.O.P.O. are a few examples.
Five landmine-related facts you did not know
Daniel Craig represents
2015 saw the appointment of Daniel Craig as the United Nations Global Advocate for the Elimination of Explosive Hazards and Mines by Ban Ki-moon, its Secretary-General.
Most impacted nations
Landmine-affected countries in that order of severity are Laos, Afghanistan, Angola, Cambodia, Iraq, China, and Egypt.
Eliminating them is costly.
Eliminating every mine in existence at this time would cost between fifty and one hundred billion U.S. dollars.
Numerous of them were disseminated at random.
During its nine-year bombing campaign in Laos, the United States released thousands of mines from aircraft.
They maintain an extended shelf life.
It is possible for buried landmines to remain active for over fifty years.
INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR MINE AWARENESS AND ASSISTANCE IN MINE ACTION DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | April 4 | Thursday |
| 2025 | April 4 | Friday |
| 2026 | April 4 | Saturday |
| 2027 | April 4 | Sunday |
| 2028 | April 4 | Tuesday |
