UNMAS

United Nations Mine Action Service

The 2013 logo
Abbreviation	UNMAS
Formation	October 1997
Purpose	landmine clearance, mine risk education, victim assistance and advocacy
Headquarters	United Nations, New York
Location	worldwide
Main organ	Department of Peacekeeping Operations / Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions
Parent organization	United Nations
Website	www.unmas.org

United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) is located in the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations. It is responsible for ensuring an effective, proactive and coordinated United Nations response to landmines and explosive remnants of war through collaboration with 13 other UN departments, agencies, funds and programmes. In peacekeeping and emergency settings, UNMAS establishes and manages mine action coordination centres in mine-affected countries, plans and manages operations, mobilizes resources and sets mine-action priorities in the countries and territories it serves. The current director is Ms. Agnès Marcaillou.

The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) is a section of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and was formed in October 1997 to serve as the United Nations focal point for mine action and to support the UN vision of a "world free of the threat of landmines and unexploded ordnance".

In its broad sense, mine clearance includes surveys, mapping and minefield marking, as well as the actual clearance of mines from the ground. This range of activities is also sometimes referred to as demining.

Humanitarian mine clearance aims to clear land so that civilians can return to their homes and their everyday routines without the threat of landmines and unexploded remnants of war (ERW), which include unexploded ordnance and abandoned explosive ordnance. This means that all the mines and ERW affecting the places where ordinary people live must be cleared, and their safety in areas that have been cleared must be guaranteed. Mines are cleared and the areas are thoroughly verified so that they can say without a doubt that the land is now safe, and people can use it without worrying about the weapons. The aim of humanitarian demining is to restore peace and security at the community level.

Surveying, or the formal gathering of mine-related information, is required before actual clearance can begin. Impact surveys assess the socio-economic impact of the mine contamination and help assign priorities for the clearance of particular areas. Impact surveys make use of all available sources of information, including minefield records (where they exist), data about mine victims, and interviews with former combatants and local people. Technical surveys then define the minefields and provide detailed maps for the clearance operations.