20th Meeting of Mine Action National Programme Directors and United Nations Advisers

The 20th annual meeting of Mine Action National Programme Directors and United Nations Advisers was organized in Geneva, Switzerland between 7 and 10 February 2017. ITF was there to meet partners from the mine action world, exchange experience and knowledge with its counterparts, and participate in the discussions on the future of mine action.

This year's event, themed »Twenty years of Mine Action: Needs driven, People centered« was primarily about taking stock of the past two decades of mine action and paving the way for mine action's future relevance in the world of increasingly competing humanitarian and development needs.

The 2025 deadline for achieving the mine-free world that has been decided on by the Ottawa Convention states parties during the 2014 Maputo Review Conference, is approaching with great speed. At the same time, mine/explosive remnants of war contamination has worsened in the past couple of years with the number of victims rising again. To turn the tide, deliberations on intensifying efforts in mine action and finding synergies with other related fields (e.g. peace processes, the control of small arms and light weapons) are now relevant more than ever. 

ITF with its 19 years’ worth of experience is determined to continue sharing its knowledge and put in efforts in assisting the countries and territories in which it is currently present, and to strengthen its operations in those conflict-affected communities that need support and see the value of our partnership.