Transitioning Mine Action Programmes to National Ownership

Background on the Study and Guide

At the heart of UN’s mine action approach is the principle that ultimate responsibility for the landmine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) rests with the State under whose jurisdiction the contamination exists. This principle has long been recognised and accepted, including in international law. Therefore affected states and the international community have worked to :

• fulfil national ownership responsibility;
• use approaches that incorporate how to ensure sustainability;
• establish competency and capacity;
• adhere to international standards and best practices.

Transition approaches have differed and results have been mixed and there is limited information available that documents and analyses the different types and phases of transitions. There is also limited guidance on how to plan and implement the transition of UN-managed mine action programmes to full national ownership.

Case studies

In response, GICHD commissioned nine country case studies in 2011 to highlight different contexts, processes, challenges, good practices and lessons learnt from the transition stage of mine action programmes to full national ownership.

• Afghanistan PDF 698KB
• Albania PDF 2.0MB
• Azerbaijan PDF 0.9MB
• Cambodia PDF 1.1MB
• Ethiopia PDF 0.9MB
• Lebanon PDF 554KB
• Mozambique PDF 611KB
• Nepal PDF 1.4MB
• Sudan PDF 1.0MB
  

Launch of the Guide

Based on lessons learnt and the good practices highlighted in the case studies, the GICHD, in collaboration with UNMAS, produced a Guide on Transitioning Mine Action Programmes to National Ownership, which was launched at the Sixteenth International Meeting of National Mine Action Programme Directors and UN Advisors in Geneva in April 2013.

• Meeting documents available on page Side Events

Guide on Transitioning Mine Action Programmes to National Ownership

The Guide aims to provide hands-on guidance to the mine action community on how to plan and implement transition processes.

• Download or order the Guide

Transitioning Workshop

A Transition workshop on this study will also be organised in Geneva on 22-24 May 2013.

The main goal of the workshop is to promote strengthened national ownership of mine action programmes. The methodology will be hands-on-work to learn how to adapt approaches and tools to situations that mine action programmes face. The organisers will encourage collaboration among states, donors and the UN, with an understanding that successful transition to national ownership is not necessarily an exit plan for the donors and the UN, but a relationship that emphasises national control and ownership.

The workshop will attract representatives from a wide range of national mine action programmes, international non-governmental organisations, UNMAS and UNDP.

• Agenda PDF 388KB

For further information, please contact

Åsa Massleberg