Determining disarmament and development priorities - the case of mine action (Linking Mine Action and Development)

This article picks out the achievements of numerous objectives in mine action in a country emerging from conflict. Agreement concerning the need for mine action is symbolic of the desire for peace. Mine action can unify former adversaries around a common goal, thereby building confidence in the transition to peace. This article is about the importance of mine action in relation to peace-building in the sense that it depends on the negociations of access by parties to the conflict; it is addressing an instrument of war; and it is freeing up essential resources, which may also be disputed ones. There is, of course, the immediate safety and disarmament aspect of mine action - the physical removal and destruction of weapons from the community. Lastly, mine action enables development (of land, human resources, the economy and peace).