Welcome to the United Nations

Inter-Agency Coordination Group Members

The vision of the United Nations is a world free of the threat of landmines and explosive remnants of war, where individuals and communities live in a safe environment conducive to development and where the needs of victims are met. The inter-agency partners working towards the achievement of this vision are:

Members

   
Chair
United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) 

UNMAS, as the entity specialized in all mine action related matters, provides States, the UN system and its leadership, as well as the mine sector at-large, with authoritative impartial expertise and experience acquired through its humanitarian, peace operations, peacebuilding assistance, and development, to affected countries, as well as through its participation in, and contributions to, treaty-related and diplomatic processes. UNMAS is mandated to coordinate the UN system through the UN IACG-MA and subsidiary groups, and the Global Protection sub-cluster Mine Action Area of Responsibility. UNMAS also chairs the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) Review Board and its Steering Committee and is the United Nations depositary of these Standards.  In representing the UN system in international legislative and other fora, UNMAS ensures the recognition of mine action as a critical enabler of the humanitarian, peace and security, and development nexus, and as an accelerator of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) FAO is the specialized agency of the UN that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Its goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. FAO’s resilience building agenda focuses on developing, protecting and restoring sustainable livelihoods so that the integrity of societies that depend on farming, livestock, fish, forests and other natural resources is not threatened by crises. Where relevant FAO recognizes and promotes the importance of working with relevant entities to clear valuable farmlands of undetonated ordinances, so farmers can plant crops and graze their livestock safely. Restoring people's ability to farm and engage in productive livelihoods is important for food security and key for building prosperity and lasting peace in conflict/post conflict settings.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

UNDP works with local, national and international partners on linking mine action to development and achievement of the SDGs and helping mine-affected communities achieve resilience and sustainable development. UNDP’s Mine Action programmes have three major areas of focus: 1) Translating mine action into sustainable development dividends, including human, food or community security and livelihoods; 2) Strengthening national institutions that accelerate development benefits, including food, human security, jobs and livelihoods; and 3) Supporting international normative frameworks on mine action.

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) In line with its mandate for the protection and promotion of the rights of refugees and others of concern to the High Commissioner, lead role for protection policy advice and guidance in the IASC, and in collaboration with its partners, UNHCR: 1) is directly engaged in support of risk education, clearance programmes and associated humanitarian activities linked to displacement; 2) seeks to build the capacity of its local and international partners to undertake effective mine action projects in support of refugee programmes; 3) supports UNMAS and UNICEF in the development of national and international MRE policy, tools and techniques, guidelines and standards and 4) is an active advocate for the promotion of the total ban on anti-personnel landmines, the elimination of weapons that have indiscriminate effects, the development of legal instruments in relation to ERW and protection of the rights of women and children affected by armed conflict.
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

UNICEF has central to its mandate the protection and promotion of the rights of children, including through the implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions on Children and Armed Conflict. In collaboration with its partners, UNICEF supports: 1) the development and implementation of mine risk education (MRE), including national and international MRE policy, guidelines and standards; 2) advocacy for the implementation and universalization of international humanitarian law and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; 3) victim assistance. In emergencies where national mine action authorities do not exist or are unable to respond, UNICEF acts directly to identify and prioritize at-risk populations, carry out emergency MRE, and support other risk reduction and victim assistance activities. Wherever possible UNICEF works to build the capacity of its partners, seeking to ensure that initial mine action responses and life-saving assistance move rapidly toward medium- and long-term solutions. This is done with an emphasis on community participation.

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) OCHA coordinates the global emergency response to save lives and protect people in humanitarian crisis, and advocates for effective and principled humanitarian action. In collaboration with mine action partners, OCHA: 1) ensures that humanitarian planning and response meets the assistance and protection needs of those impacted by explosive ordnance and supports the mitigation of threats posed by them; 2) highlights the humanitarian impact of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas; and 3) advocates for adherence to international humanitarian and human rights law as well as practical measures to reduce harm and suffering.
United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA)

 

UNODA promotes universalization and assists in the implementation of the mine action normative framework. UNODA has been delegated the implementation of the Secretary-General’s responsibilities under the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), the Anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention and the Convention on Cluster Munitions, with the exception of his/her depositary functions. UNODA also supports States weapons and ammunition management, principally through dissemination of relevant international guidelines and standards such as the Modular Small-arms-control Implementation Compendium (MOSAIC) and the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG). UNODA supports the informal consultative process on conventional ammunition established pursuant to General Assembly resolution “Problems arising from the accumulation of conventional ammunition stockpiles in surplus”, as well as the informal consultative process on IEDs established pursuant to General Assembly resolution “Countering the threat posed by improvised explosive devices” and relevant discussions under CCW Amended Protocol II.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) OHCHR is mandated to promote and protect the enjoyment and full realization, by all people, of all rights established in the UN Charter and international human rights law, including through prevention of human rights violations, securing respect for all human rights, promoting international cooperation to protect human rights, coordinating related activities throughout the UN, and strengthening and streamlining human rights throughout the UN system. OHCHR is engaged in a number of areas directly relevant to mine action, such as protecting the rights of and combating discrimination against persons with disabilities and undertaking advocacy on and assistance with the implementation of the Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities, including in relation to survivors of mines and other explosive ordnance.
United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)

UNOPS enables the UN and its partners to operationalize their mandates and objectives through the design and implementation of solutions across peace and security, humanitarian, and development contexts. As the operational arm of the UN in mine action and broader explosive hazard threat mitigation, UNOPS works closely with its partners on project, programme, and portfolio design, implementation, oversight and management controls. It does so across a number of key areas such as, human resources and talent management, supply chain and contract management of works, goods and services. With a focus on highly-effective project management and associated delivery of results, UNOPS supports partners to expand capacities, improve agility, manage risks, boost cost-effectiveness and increase quality.

UN Women (UN Women) UN Women - is committed to ensuring gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls as partners and beneficiaries throughout all stages of the hu¬manitarian development and peace nexus (HDPN). UN Women’s mandate supports and enables the UN and the wider HDPN system in the integration of gender equality and women and girl’s empowerment throughout all aspects of humanitarian, recovery and sustainable development planning and programming, including mine action. Through its inter-agency leadership and coordination role, UN Women supports other UN entities to promote gender equality and women and girls’ empowerment. This includes sharing evidence-based best practice, minimum standards and guidance tools. UN Women also assists States develop policies and commitments to gender equality and women and girls’ empowerment. Furthermore, it also promotes the voices, agency and capacity of women’s civil society organizations and national women’s machineries in HDPN efforts.
World Food Programme (WFP) As well as providing food assistance as its core mandate, WFP provides leadership to humanitarian inter-agency coordination mechanisms in food security and logistics. WFP’s operations and effective mine action are mutually reinforcing. For example, delivery and distribution of food assistance is critically reliant on safe routes and safe access to distribution sites. At the same time, the nature of WFP’s operations, in particular its deep field presence, provides key capacity support to the reach of risk education programmes. WFP actively seeks to include mine action considerations in the planning and conduct of its operations and, through its food security and logistics leadership roles, to that of the wider humanitarian community.
World Health Organisation (Injuries and Violence Prevention Department) (WHO) WHO works with its Member States as well as local, national and international partners to promote access to emergency trauma care, treatment and rehabilitation, including mental health services and assistive products for those injured by explosive ordnance. In line with its mandate, WHO provides direct technical support to affected countries, supports the integration of survivor needs in relevant health strategies and action plans, and promotes preventative practices. In accordance with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, WHO works closely with both governments and civil society to ensure the full and active participation of survivors with disability in education, labor, and social life on an equal basis with others.

 

Observers

United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) UNIDIR is an autonomous institute within the UN dedicated to generating ideas and actions on disarmament and security. UNIDIR conducts research on key areas of the UN Mine Action Strategy, which includes supporting identification of good practices, sharing of lessons learned, and developing new and innovative policies, practices and approaches in the field of weapon and ammunition management as well as improvised explosive devices. UNIDIR contributes to the IACG-MA by consolidating knowledge, generating ideas, facilitating dialogue and providing policy and research advisory in these substantive areas.
World Bank (WB)

The World Bank helps address the long-term consequences of landmines and unexploded ordnance on economic and social development. It also plays a significant role in mobilizing resources.