Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining

The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) is an international organisation working in mine action, legally based in Switzerland as a non-profit foundation. It was established by Switzerland and several other countries in April 1998. In March 2003, the GICHD concluded a status agreement with the Swiss Government guaranteeing its independence and freedom of action. The Centre has over 40 staff members and is financially supported by about 20 countries and international organisations. As long as there is armed conflict, there will be explosive remnants of war (ERW) which may affect civilians, and expertise will be required to develop solutions to this problem.

The GICHD works for the elimination of anti-personnel mines, cluster munitions and for the reduction of the humanitarian impact of other landmines and explosive remnants of war. The GICHD is committed to the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence.

The Centre's areas of competence include anti-personnel mines, all other types of mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) in a broad sense of the term, including all forms of mines, booby traps, unexploded ordnance (UXO) including cluster munitions, and abandoned ordnance (AXO). The GICHD responds across the full spectrum of emergency, reconstruction, peace-keeping, disarmament, reconstruction and development. It does so by respecting the primary responsibility of affected states for mine action, and by placing emphasis on local ownership and capacity building.

The Centre’s main partners are national governments, international and regional organisations, local and international non-governmental organisations, research centres and commercial companies working in the area of mine action and explosive remnants of war. Its sister organisations are the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy. The GICHD shares its offices with the Gender and Mine Action Programme of the Swiss Campaign to Ban Landmines.

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