On 8 December, 2005, the General
Assembly declared that 4 April of each year shall be observed as the
International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.
The United Nations advocates for the
universalization of existing legal frameworks and encourages Member States to
expand those regimes and develop new international instruments to protect
civilians from the scourges of landmines and explosive remnants of war. It
undertakes this work in collaboration with interested states, civil society,
mine action and international organizations.
It called for continued efforts by States, with the
assistance of the United Nations and relevant organizations, to foster the
establishment and development of national mine-action capacities in countries
where mines and explosive remnants of war constitute a serious threat to the
safety, health and lives of the civilian population, or an impediment to social
and economic development at the national and local levels.
The theme Advancing Protection, Peace, and Development
echoes the vision of the Secretary-General and his reforms of the peace and
security architecture comprising the entire humanitarian, peace building and
sustainable development continuum. For over 20 years, the work of the United
Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) has been driven by the needs of affected
people and tailored to the threat of explosive hazards faced by civilians,
peacekeepers and humanitarians.
UNMAS works to save lives, to facilitate deployment of
UN missions and the delivery of humanitarian assistance, to protect civilians,
to support the voluntary return of the internally displaced and refugees, to
enable humanitarian and recovery activities and to advocate for international
humanitarian and human rights law.
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