A/RES/78/70
Assistance in mine action
Noting with appreciation the resilience shown by the mine action sector in the
face of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, including the continuous use
of innovative methods, such as virtual training platforms or merging health campaigns
and risk education messages, which has allowed for safety and security training and
risk education to continue to be delivered to affected communities and international,
national and local personnel operating in high-risk areas,
Deeply concerned that children continue to be disproportionately affected by
mines and explosive remnants of war in conflict and post-conflict situations,
Bearing in mind the serious humanitarian risk that mines and explosive
remnants of war pose, in affected countries, to the safety, health and lives of
populations, including local civilian populations, as well as of personnel participating
in humanitarian, peacekeeping, rehabilitation, reconstruction and mine clearance
programmes and operations,
Deeply concerned by the increasing threat of improvised explosive devices to
civilian populations, humanitarian personnel, United Nations personnel, including
peacekeepers, and national defence and security forces,
Strongly condemning all acts of violence, including direct attacks, against
humanitarian mine action personnel and facilities and their means of transport and
equipment,
Emphasizing the increased necessity and urgency of strengthening mine action
efforts by the international community with a view to eliminating the risk and the
humanitarian impact of mines and explosive remnants of war on civilians as soon as
possible and to facilitating the safe and unhindered access of humanitarian personnel
and the delivery of supplies and equipment, in accordance with the humanitarian
principles,
Recognizing the continued progress made through a comprehensive approach to
mine action, including assessing, surveying and clearing mines and explosive
remnants of war, providing risk education to affected populations and supporting
victims,
Noting that, for the purposes of the implementation of the present resolution,
improvised explosive devices meeting the definition of mines, booby traps or other
devices fall under the scope of mine action when their clearance is undertaken for
humanitarian purposes and in areas where major active hostilities have ceased,
Recognizing that, in addition to the primary role of Member States, the United
Nations plays a significant role in the field of assistance in mine action, in particular
through the implementation of the Strategy of the United Nations on Mine Action
2019–2023 by members of the Inter-Agency Coordination Group on Mine Action, 3
chaired by the Mine Action Service at the working level,
Considering mine action to be an important and integrated component of United
Nations humanitarian assistance and development activities, and noting the
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3
2/7
Consisting of the Mine Action Service of the Department of Peace Operations of the Secretariat,
the Office for Disarmament Affairs of the Secretariat, the United Nations Development
Programme, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Office for Project Services,
the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs of the Secretariat, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the
Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the World
Food Programme and the World Health Organization. The United Nations Institute for
Disarmament Research and the World Bank are observers.
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