International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action 2023: Date, History, Facts about Landmines

Every year on April 4, the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action is observed. The purpose of the day is to raise awareness of landmines, solicit assistance for mine action work, and make progress in removing them. With the assistance of the United Nations and other organizations, the campaign calls for the development of national mine-action capacities in countries where mines and explosive remnants of war continue to pose a grave threat to the safety, health, and lives of civilians. It is also a major impediment to national and local social and economic development.

The background of International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action

The General Assembly authorised the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action on December 8, 2005. It affords the United Nations Mine Action Service (U.N.M.A.S.) and other organisations the opportunity to reflect on and raise awareness about landmines, explosive remnants of war, and improvised explosive devices (I.E.Ds), as well as to take additional steps towards their abolition. This organisation has been sensitive to the threat posed by explosive hazards to civilians, peacekeepers, and humanitarians for over two decades. It has been driven by the needs of those affected by landmines.

U.N.M.A.S. focuses on preserving lives and facilitating the deployment of United Nations personnel. missions; delivering humanitarian aid to safeguard civilians; supporting the voluntary return of displaced persons and refugees; facilitating humanitarian and recovery efforts; and advocating for international humanitarian and human rights laws. United Nations Mine Action Service’s five pillars of mine action are Clearance, Mine-Risk, Education, Victim Assistance, Advocacy, and Stockpile Destruction. The organisation aids in the identification of risky areas, provides aid and rehabilitation to victims, and advocates for the prohibition and regulation of landmines. The organisation also provides technical assistance for the destruction of stockpiled explosive hazards. Inadequately managed conventional ammunition stockpiles endanger public safety and pose a dire threat to the security of the people in these regions.

Clearing vital access routes and releasing farmland from mines also aids in the survival and prosperity of the populace. Afghanistan, Colombia, the Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya, Nigeria, and Syria are among the locations where U.N.M.A.S. is active. The global mine action community is committed to eradicating landmines and saving lives under its leadership.

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5 FACTS ABOUT LANDMINES YOU DIDN’T KNOW

Daniel Craig was appointed as U.N. United Nations Advocate for the Elimination of Mines and Explosive Dangers. 2015 Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Afghanistan, Angola, Cambodia, Iraq, China, Egypt, and Laos are the nations most afflicted by landmines.

The removal of all extant mines would cost between 50 and 100 billion U.S. dollars.

Thousands of mines were released from aircraft by the United States during its nine-year bombing campaign in Laos.

Embedded landmines can remain operative for over fifty years.

INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR MINE AWARENESS AND ASSISTANCE IN MINE ACTION DATES

Year	Date	Day
2023	April 4	Tuesday
2024	April 4	Thursday
2025	April 4	Friday
2026	April 4	Saturday
2027	April 4	Sunday