Some 70 countries and territories remain contaminated by 110 million landmines many of which date back to conflicts that ended decades ago. Between 1,000 and 2,000 people are killed or maimed each month by this unexploded ordinance, according to the United Nations Mine Action Service.
Set against this background Irish Aid’s humanitarian demining programme can be counted as a quiet success. It is also a good example of how a small country with a limited aid budget – in absolute terms – can make a meaningful difference.
Ireland has contributed €55 million for landmine removal in 17 countries since 2006. We currently fund demining in Afghanistan, Colombia, Somaliland/Somalia, South Sudan and Zimbabwe. All can be classed – to a greater or lesser degree – as forgotten conflicts.
Irish Aid works in partnership with the Halo Trust – the mine clearance charity founded in Kabul in 1988 following the Soviet withdrawal from the country. It has – in the round – been a successful partnership, according to a recent review of the demining programme prepared for Irish Aid.
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It found that in most cases demining operations have met or exceeded targets. Between 2018 and 2020, 4.01 million square metres of land were cleared of mines at a cost of €9.9 million. This is an area roughly half the size of Phoenix Park. It may not seem like a lot of ground, but it has benefited 64,000 people.
The question considered by the review is whether funding should be switched to demining operations in higher profile and arguably more urgent theatres such as Ukraine and Syria.
The answer – somewhat counterintuitively – is no. Ireland’s contribution would be a drop in the funding ocean in Ukraine and Syria. But the same money can make a big difference addressing the legacies of forgotten conflicts overlooked by bigger donors, particularly in areas such as Zimbabwe, which are approaching mine-free status.
Steady and consistent funding by Irish Aid to fill this gap and help these countries complete the “last mile/last mine” makes enormous sense.