The International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action is observed on April 4, annually to raise public attention towards mine action activities, the land mines, its threats to the safety of mankind and how to work towards its elimination. Mining materials pose a major threat to the health, lives and safety of the people. United Nations-supported platforms, like every year on this day, organise and carry out initiatives to reduce the threat caused by mines and explosives. As per UN, on an average, one person is killed or injured by such explosive devices every hour. It also have an impact on children.
International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistant in Mine Action 2024 Theme
The 2024 International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistant in Mine Action on April 4 will focus on the survivors of the explosive hazards with disabilities and the ones living with disabilities in conflict.
International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action History
On December 8, 2005, the UN General Assembly accepted the decision and announced April 4 of each year to be marked as the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. It was first observed in 2006.
With the support of the UN and other organisations, the service calls for the continuation of certain initiatives that promote the expansion of national-mine action capacity in areas where mines and explosives pose a threat to civilians’ lives. Over the past almost 20 years, the United Nation Mine Action Service’s (UNAMS) work has encouraged the needs of affected individuals and adapted to the threat of risks faced by humanitarians.
International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action Significance
The International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action seeks to achieve a world free of landmines and explosive remains of war. This is to help individuals and communities to survive in a safe environment where the victim’s needs are taken care of. The day is significant as it marks the establishment of the UN’s accountability framework and the introduction to the UN’s Theory of Change in mine action program.
The day also aids peacekeepers to carry out patrols, help humanitarians, raise awareness against mines among people living in dangerous atmospheres and educate them how to survive fearlessly and not worry about compromising their lives.
Last year, the United Nation Mine Action Service (UNMAS) had chosen the theme ‘Mine Action Cannot Wait’ to highlight problems faced in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam due to these explosives.
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