Mine Action Review

Mine Action Review
Name	Mine Action Review
Formation	1999
Type	Non-governmental organization
Headquarters	London
Leader title	Director
Leader name	James Elder

Mine Action Review is an independent non-governmental organization that documents and analyses efforts to address antipersonnel mine and explosive remnants of war problems worldwide. It produces annual reports that survey clearance, victim assistance, risk education, stockpile destruction, and compliance with international instruments such as the Ottawa Treaty and the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. Its publications inform policymakers, practitioners, and donor states including United Kingdom, United States, Norway, Switzerland, and Netherlands.

Overview

Mine Action Review provides systematic assessments of mine action operations in countries affected by armed conflict such as Afghanistan, Angola, Colombia, Cambodia, and Iraq. The organization evaluates implementation of international accords including the Ottawa Treaty, the Convention on Cluster Munitions, and relevant protocols of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. It analyses data from national authorities like UNMAS, HALO Trust, MAG (Mines Advisory Group), Norwegian People's Aid, and regional bodies such as the African Union and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Review outputs are used by donors such as European Commission, United States Agency for International Development, UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, AusAID, and foundations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

History and Development

Founded in 1999 by analysts with backgrounds in International Committee of the Red Cross and humanitarian demining operations, Mine Action Review emerged amid global initiatives following the Ottawa Treaty (1997) and the Mine Ban Treaty negotiations. It expanded through partnerships with agencies including United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UNICEF, World Food Programme, and research centres such as Stockholm International Peace Research Institute and James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy. Early coverage focused on post-conflict settings like Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Kosovo (1999–present) before extending to protracted contexts such as Syria Civil War, Yemen Civil War, and Libya Crisis.

Organizational Structure and Funding

The Review is governed by a board comprising representatives from think tanks, legal centres, and humanitarian NGOs including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, International Crisis Group, and academics from institutions such as King's College London, London School of Economics, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Oxford. Operational staff collaborate with field researchers embedded with operators like Danish Refugee Council and national demining authorities including Mine Action Coordination Centre of Afghanistan and Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority. Funding sources include bilateral donors—Norway, Sweden, Denmark—multilateral donors like United Nations Development Programme, thematic funds such as the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights, and philanthropic organizations such as Open Society Foundations.

Programmes and Activities

The Review produces annual country-by-country assessments, policy briefs, and technical evaluations addressing clearance standards, victim assistance, mine risk education, and stockpile destruction. It monitors compliance with treaties by states such as China, Russia, India, Israel, and Pakistan, and reviews implementation in post-conflict reconstruction programmes in Lebanon, Sudan, South Sudan, Nepal, and Philippines. Collaboration with research laboratories and technology partners like Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Fraunhofer Society, and private firms supports testing of sensors, clearance machines, and canine units. Training and capacity-building initiatives are coordinated with universities and vocational institutes including United States Military Academy and Australian National University.

Impact and Effectiveness

Mine Action Review has influenced policy decisions by donor states and international organizations, contributing to revisions of national mine-action plans in countries such as Mozambique, Angola, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Its reporting has supported advocacy campaigns by civil society coalitions like the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and informed UN Security Council briefings on post-conflict stabilization in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Timor-Leste. Evaluations cite measurable reductions in contaminated hectares and civilian casualties where clearance, victim assistance, and risk education programmes align with Review recommendations.

Criticism and Controversies

Critics have questioned the Review's methodologies and data transparency, citing debates with national authorities in Serbia, Ukraine, and Georgia over contamination estimates and land release criteria. Some donor governments and operators such as Mag (Mines Advisory Group) and HALO Trust have contested prioritization recommendations, while academic critiques from Queen Mary University of London and University of Cambridge scholars have called for standardized metrics and open data practices. Legal disputes over treaty interpretation have involved actors like Russia and United States delegations during treaty review conferences.

Regional and Country Reports

The Review publishes detailed regional and national reports covering hotspots and recovery contexts including Horn of Africa, Great Lakes Region (Africa), Western Balkans, Caucasus, Central Asia, and Middle East. Country-specific files include programs and statistics for Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Colombia, Iraq, Laos, Lebanon, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Palestine, Philippines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Timor-Leste, Ukraine, Vietnam, and Yemen.

Category:Humanitarian organizations