Support to More Effective Mine Action and Strengthening of National Mine Action Capacities

Project completed

More than 20 years after the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), landmines, cluster munitions and other explosive remnants of war (ERW) still pose a serious social, economic, environmental and security threat. This last project phase will focus on the improvement and practical implementation of land release techniques and procedures, thus contributing to mine-risk free Bosnia and Herzegovina within reasonable deadlines and to sustainable improvement of living conditions for the inhabitants in communities previously affected by ERW.

RegionCountry Topic Period Budget
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Conflict & fragility
Employment & economic development
nothemedefined
Removal of land mines
Rural development
01.09.2018 - 30.06.2021
CHF  1’080’000
Background

More than 20 years after the war, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) remains among the countries the most contaminated by landmines, cluster munitions and other explosive remnants of war (ERW). This still poses a serious social, economic, environmental and security threat. According to the BiH Mine Action Centre, approx.545’000 people remain affected by more than 80’000 mines still in the ground. The estimated size of contaminated areas in 2017 was 1’068.7 km2 or 2.2% of the total land surface.

According to the Mine Ban Treaty (“Ottawa Convention”), BiH should have cleared all anti-personnel mines by 1st March 2019. Due to the extent of contamination, the lack of sufficient financial resources as well as delays in the implementation of strategic plans, it is obvious that the country will not meet this objective. However, the mine-free status can be achieved by 2025 if a new strategic and legal framework is applied, including new and/or revised methodologies to speed up the clearance process.

The deadline to clear and destroy all cluster munition remnants under the Convention on Cluster Munition is March 2021. This target is likely to be met even earlier.

Significant external support is still needed to sustain and speed up mine action activities thus enabling land release for productive use by the affected population.

Target To contribute to sustainable livelihoods and improved socio-economic development for the inhabitants in the communities affected by mines, cluster munitions and other types of explosive remnants of war.
Target group

At the institutional level, the Demining Battalion of the Armed Forces of BiH, whose mine action capacities will be enhanced.

The Project’s end beneficiaries:. 10’000 people living in mine and cluster munition affected communities (903 households with 2’886 members directly benefiting from the productive use of released land).

Outcomes

- The inhabitants in nine communities have safe access to land cleared of mines and cluster munitions for productive use

- The Bosnia and Herzegovina mine action authorities and public operators have improved ca-pacities and productivity for the implementation of their international mine action obliga-tions

Results

Expected Results:  

  • More than 5’700’000 m2 of blocked natural resources and infrastructure will be released and handed over to the local population for safe and productive use.
  • Threat from cluster munition eliminated and risks linked to mines significantly reduced for 10’000 people living in mine and cluster munition affected communities

  • Increased productivity of the BiH Armed Forces Demining Battalion by at least 5% (annual output of the Batallion in land release increased to 3,500,000 m2)

  • The national Land Release Board supported for more efficient coordination and implementation of the newly introduced standards and methodologies, in particular the adoption of the mid-term land release plan for the country

  • Sustainable demining capacities within the Demining Battalion further strengthened through provision of trainings (dog handlers) and equipment (cluster locators)
  •  


Results from previous phase:  

- More than 7 million m2 of land released and now available for productive use (660 households with a total of 2’120 family members already benefiting from the use of the released land and see their revenues increased)

- Threat from cluster munition eliminated for 20’000 people and risks linked to mines significantly reduced for 3’000 people (in both cases more than 110% of initially targeted results)

- The new concept of “land release” and the introduction of a “targeted technical survey” successfully tested. Both measures have proven to contribute to more efficient and effective mine action techniques and are endorsed by the BiH mine action authorities.

- NPA's work on improved methodologies and techniques has had a high impact on the development and improvement of the entire land release system in BiH.

- The capacities of the BiH Armed Forces Demining Battalion with regard to working with mine detection dogs and manual demining are significantly improved (mainly achieved through the provision of additional trainings, specialized mine detection dogs and technical equipment).


Agency SDC
Credit Swiss cooperation with Eastern Europe
Project Partners Contract Partner
International or foreign NGO
  • Other international or foreign NGO North


Other Partners
Norwegian People’s Aid, Humanitarian Disarmament Programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as implementer
Projects Coordination Swiss political engagement regarding the implementation of the BiH National Mine Action Strategy (policy dialogue with the relevant BiH authorities and other international donors in the field of mine action that the Embassy has been conducting since 2014).
Budget Current Phase Swiss Budget CHF    1’080’000 Swiss Disbursement Till Know CHF    1’087’747
Project Phases

Phase 2 01.09.2018 - 30.06.2021   (Completed)

Phase 1 01.12.2015 - 31.08.2018   (Completed)