Speaking at the end of a meeting of Mine Action National Directors and UN advisers in Geneva, Kazumi Ogawa said, “They are saying to me, ‘I have never seen so many conflicts in my career.’
Despite the clear need to continue mining operations in the world’s conflict zones and now peace zones, “for various reasons, the level of funding in terms of humanitarian assistance has decreased”, Ms. Ogawa said.
Gaza timebomb
For example, in Gaza, 90 percent of those injured by explosive threats from the Hamas-Israel war are civilians – “and among them, the majority of them are children”, he stressed.
UNMAS warned that between five and 10 percent of all munitions fired into Gaza did not explode. The result, the head of the Mine Action Service said, is that potentially lethal unexploded ordnance is now “grounded” in the devastated area.
“We can collect explosive threats and we surround them in Gaza so that they are blocked, but we are not able to destroy them… and so, they sit there in piles waiting for children to wander through.”
He added: “You’ve got fathers who will go through debris to try to get home and find explosive devices and not know what to do with it; you’ve got kids who are playing, well, and are exposed to these dangers.”
More landmines have been laid in Syria during the nearly 14-year conflict. (file)
lack of support
Despite such a great threat, there is not enough support for devastation and risk education, especially today amid the increase in the number of crises and conflicts, the support of international agencies and bodies, including the United Nations.
“The problem is that as the budget – for example, the national budget – is diverted towards defense and away from humanitarian aid, what we are seeing is its impact on the ground,” Ms Ogawa said. “So, for example, in Afghanistan,Every day a child dies.”
The problem in Syria is no less shocking.
“Whereas you might normally see 300 people killed a year in a particular mine-stricken country because of explosive hazards, in Syria 200 people are killed a week,” said the UNMAS director.
“It’s unimaginable. And these are the things that donor funding will help us with a lot: explosive ordnance risk education, victim assistance, real clearance, advocacy to large parts of the humanitarian community… to make sure these people remain safe.”
In addition to the human cost of landmines and other unexploded remains of war, the economic impact is also a significant brake on development.
Demining Agency for Afghanistan (DAFA) Explosive Ordnance Risk Education Trainer equips children with life-saving knowledge on explosive risks, Kunar Province, Afghanistan.
long term care
“If there’s a child with a disability, you’re asking the family to care for that child until adulthood, asking the community to make concessions for that child as he or she becomes a participant in the community. I mean, it’s not just the death of one person, right?” Ms. Ogawa explained.
The UNMAS Director highlighted the positive work supported by the United Nations around the world to combat landmines and other unexploded weapons, which is helping communities and nations rebuild.
In Colombia, where decades of civil war leave a legacy of antipersonnel mines and other explosive ordnance contamination, an initiative of the National Transitional Justice Mechanism involves former fighters “to help the recovery and restoration of those communities, including de-mining and mine action, victim assistance, risk education,” Ms. Ogawa said.
“It’s a way of inclusion – instead of punishing former combatants by putting them in prison, it’s actually involving them to be part of the community.”
If you talk to the Special Jurisdiction for Peace in Colombia, what they are doing is extremely exciting.
The Convention promotes ‘safety and security’
The 1997 International Treaty on the Destruction of Landmines – officially known as Anti-Personnel Landmine Convention – Antipersonnel landmines have proven effective in interdiction but as of 2025 and early 2026, several European countries have begun or completed the process of withdrawing from them.
The new UNMAS Director stressed the value of the Treaty and its relevance to everyone, everywhere:
“Let’s remember that we’re not here just to follow international conventions, but to be able to say, ‘Oh, here’s another country.’ This is so that it then flows downwards and creates conditions for people to live in safety and security.”
