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Clearing Cluster Munition Remnants 2022

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New Annual Report on Global Cluster Munition Remnant Clearance by Mine Action Review

Mine Action Review has published Clearing Cluster Munition 2022, its eighth annual report monitoring progress in global cluster munition remnant clearance and analysing performance of national programmes.

The report publication is in advance of the forthcoming Tenth Meeting of States Parties to the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions on 30 August–2 September 2022 in Geneva, during which States and observers will consider progress in ridding the world of cluster munition remnants.

According to Clearing Cluster Munition Remnants 2022, a global total of more than 151.7 square kilometres was cleared of unexploded submunitions in 2021, a new annual record.

This is an exceptional achievement despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which continues to negatively impact operations in several countries. The number of unexploded submunitions destroyed during clearance, survey, and spot tasks in 2021—more than 106,300—was a small drop on the 110,000 destroyed in 2020.

No State Party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) fulfilled its Article 4 clearance obligations in 2021. But Mine Action Review no longer considers State not party Georgia to have cluster munition-contaminated area on its territory. This leaves a global total of 25 States and three other areas that are still confirmed or suspected to have CMRcontaminated areas under their jurisdiction or control.

New use of cluster munitions was recorded in Ukraine in 2022 following the Russian invasion that began in late February. The exact number of attacks involving cluster munitions is unknown, but organisations and media outlets have documented several hundred. As of writing, Russia continued to use cluster munitions in its military operation against Ukraine.

Many attacks seem to have targeted civilian objects protected under international humanitarian law, including hospitals, or have been indiscriminate in nature, sparking widespread international condemnation and allegations of possible war crimes.

As a result of progress achieved under the CCM, of the 110 States Parties, only ten had cluster munition-contaminated areas to release: Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Chad, Chile, Germany, Iraq, Lao PDR, Lebanon, Mauritania, and Somalia. Of these ten affected States Parties, only Lao PDR is massively contaminated (defined as covering more than 1,000km2 of land), while heavy contamination exists in Iraq (covering more than 100 km2 ). In the other eight affected States Parties, the extent of contamination is medium or light.

Four of the world’s most heavily contaminated States—Lao PDR, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Iraq—again saw the greatest amount of area clearance during the year, together accounting for over 85% of recorded global output in 2021.

The importance of environmental considerations is also becoming increasingly prominent in mine action as it is across all sectors. This year, for the first time, Mine Action Review has included a section on Environmental Policies and Action in each of our country reports.

We have also assessed implementation of the Lausanne Action Plan – a five-year action plan adopted in 2021 by States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. The provisional results of our monitoring of indicators related to survey and clearance show that progress is not fast enough in several States Parties.

Lucy Pinches, the Mine Action Review’s Project Manager emphasises: “We know that addressing cluster munition contamination requires political will, elaboration of concrete strategies and work plans, the application of efficient land release methodology, strong national mine action standards, and well-managed information management systems to support land release efforts. It also takes sufficient and sustained funding through to completion. These key elements, among others, are captured in the Lausanne Action Plan, which provides a very useful blue print for efficient, effective, and inclusive implementation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions.”

“While huge progress has been achieved since the entry into force of the Convention in 2010, many States Parties are falling short in key areas of implementation. For example, the provisional results of Mine Action Review’s monitoring of the Lausanne Action Plan show that only 40% have established an evidence-based baseline of contamination; only half have updated their national mine action standards to ensure best practice; and only 30% integrate gender and diversity into their national work plans and strategies.”

“Affected States Parties must intensify their efforts to identify and overcome challenges, and fulfil their clearance obligations under the Convention as soon as possible. Clearance of cluster munition remnants not only saves lives and limbs, but it also enables communities to live free from the fear of unexploded submunitions and for land be used safely and productively which makes an important contribution to development.” -----Notes to editor:

Key Findings on page 1 of the Clearing Cluster Munition Remnants 2022 report.
Mine Action Review was launched in 2014 and conducts the primary research and analysis on landmine and cluster munition remnant contamination, survey, and clearance worldwide, including assessing fulfilment of clearance obligations by States Parties to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) and the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM).

Supported and published by Norwegian People's Aid (NPA), as an independent project, Mine Action Review collates and analyses mine action data globally from national authorities, clearance operators, the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and other key stakeholders.
Mine Action Review produces two annual reports, ‘Clearing the Mines’ and ‘Clearing Cluster Munition Remnants’, which provide information on contamination and progress in clearance for every State and other area affected by anti-personnel mines and/or cluster munition remnants.

The reports also contain country-specific analysis of the performance of national mine action programmes of affected States Parties to the APMBC and CCM, including accompanying Recommendations for Action.

The HALO Trust, Mines Advisory Group (MAG), and Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) form Mine Action Review’s Advisory Board.

Clearing Cluster Munition Remnants 2022 report: https://www.mineactionreview.org/assets/downloads/NPA_Cluster_Munitions_2022_WEB. pdf Contact: Lucy Pinches, Project Manager, email: lucyp@npaid.org