Landmine Action

Landmine Action
Name	Landmine Action
Formed	1990
Type	Non-governmental organization
Purpose	Mine action, advocacy, victim assistance
Headquarters	London, United Kingdom
Region served	Global

Landmine Action Landmine Action was a United Kingdom–based non-governmental organization focused on anti-personnel landmine eradication, humanitarian demining, and survivor support. It engaged with international actors, treaty bodies, and field operators to influence policy, support clearance, and assist victims across conflict-affected regions. The organization collaborated with a wide array of partners, advocates, and operational agencies to further implementation of disarmament instruments and post-conflict recovery.

History

Landmine Action was established in 1990 amid increased international attention to the humanitarian impact of landmines following conflicts such as the Gulf War, the Sierra Leone Civil War, and the First Liberian Civil War. Early work intersected with campaigns led by organizations like Mines Advisory Group, International Campaign to Ban Landmines, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch. The group contributed to momentum that produced the Ottawa Treaty (1997), the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons meetings, and engagement with the United Nations Mine Action Service. Over time Landmine Action worked alongside UN agencies including the United Nations Development Programme, veteran groups such as Veterans for Peace, and medical institutions like Royal College of Surgeons to address clearance and rehabilitation needs. The organization responded to crises in regions including Afghanistan, Angola, Cambodia, Iraq, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Laos, Sierra Leone, and Colombia.

Mission and Activities

Landmine Action’s mission encompassed advocacy for prohibition of anti-personnel mines, promotion of clearance standards, and assistance to survivors. It engaged with diplomatic forums of the European Union, the Commonwealth Secretariat, and national legislatures such as the UK Parliament to push for stronger implementation of mine ban norms. The organization produced technical reports cited by bodies including the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, and the Landmine Monitor. Landmine Action partnered with research institutions like Chatham House, Oxford University, London School of Economics, and policy centers including International Crisis Group. It liaised with aid agencies such as OXFAM, Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières, and CARE International to align humanitarian response and clearance priorities.

Advocacy and Campaigns

Advocacy work targeted states, manufacturers, and multilateral processes through campaigns, briefings, and public outreach. Landmine Action coordinated with campaigners from Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Greenpeace, Amnesty International and civil society networks including International Committee of the Red Cross forums. It engaged with parliamentary groups like the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cluster Munitions and met diplomats from states party to the Ottawa Treaty as well as holdout states such as United States, China, and Russia. Campaign materials referenced precedent cases like the Nairobi Declaration and legal frameworks including the Rome Statute discussions. Media engagement involved outlets such as BBC, The Guardian, The New York Times, and specialist journals like The Lancet to highlight humanitarian impacts and policy gaps.

Mine Clearance and Risk Education

Operationally, Landmine Action supported clearance methodologies, risk education, and clearance verification coordinated with implementers such as MAG (Mines Advisory Group), Halo Trust, and national bodies including the Afghan National Army demining units and the Angolan National Directorate of Demining. Technical collaboration extended to standards framed by the International Mine Action Standards and testing centers like the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining laboratories. Risk education programs were delivered in partnership with ministries and NGOs across communities in Cambodia, Laos, Mozambique, and Vietnam, combining community liaison used by Norwegian People’s Aid and locally trained teams modeled after Society for Threatened Peoples field approaches. Landmine Action monitored clearance operations, produced assessments comparable to Landmine Monitor reports, and advocated for survivor-centered clearance priorities in line with Sustainable Development Goals deliberations at the United Nations General Assembly.

Victim Assistance and Rehabilitation

The organization emphasized comprehensive victim assistance, integrating medical care, prosthetics, psychosocial support, and socioeconomic reintegration. Landmine Action collaborated with medical and rehabilitation centers such as St John Ambulance, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, prosthetics providers like International Committee of the Red Cross orthopaedic programs, and disability rights groups including Disabled Peoples' International and Humanity & Inclusion (formerly Handicap International). Projects linked to vocational training institutions, microfinance initiatives promoted by World Bank programs, and NGO partners including Sightsavers and Terre des Hommes sought to expand livelihood opportunities for survivors. The group engaged in policy advocacy at forums like the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and sponsored research with universities such as University College London and King’s College London on long-term rehabilitation outcomes.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding for Landmine Action derived from philanthropic foundations, governmental aid agencies, and institutional grants, with donors including national development agencies such as Department for International Development (UK), European mechanisms like the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office, and foundations akin to Ford Foundation and Open Society Foundations. Partnerships spanned international NGOs including Halo Trust, MAG (Mines Advisory Group), Norwegian People’s Aid, and corporate partners engaged in compliance and remediation efforts. Collaborative networks included the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, the Geneva Call, and regional bodies such as the African Union and the Organisation of American States for coordinating policy and action. The organization also worked with academic partners on monitoring and evaluation frameworks used by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute and research centers at Harvard Kennedy School.

Category:Mine action organizations