Innovation Session 2026: Mine Action in Urban Areas
Organized under the Mine Action Innovation Hub, the Innovation Session 2026: Mine Action in Urban Areas is a three-day, in-person event bringing together mine action practitioners, national authorities, debris management and recovery actors, urban planners, researchers, technology providers, and donors. The session addresses one of the most pressing challenges facing the sector today: explosive ordnance (EO) contamination in urban areas.
Recent conflicts have shown that urban contamination, characterized by destroyed infrastructure, extensive rubble and debris, requires:
- adapted methodologies;
- new planning and coordination frameworks;
- stronger engagement with non-mine action actors; and
- innovative operational and technological solutions.
When: 29 September to 1 October 2026
Where: Chemin des Crêts 17, (IFRC), 1209 Geneva, Switzerland
Format: In-person
Application to Participate
Applications to participate in the Innovation Session are now open until 17 July 2026.
Participation will be limited to approximately 100 participants to ensure meaningful interaction and high-quality outcomes. Selection aims to ensure balanced representation across sectors, expertise, geography, and gender. A limited number of sponsorships will be available to facilitate participation from EO -affected countries and territories.
Applicants will be notified of the outcome (accepted/rejected) by the end of July 2026.
*English will be the working language of the session. No official interpretation will be available.
Objectives, Format, and Ideation Themes
The session aims to:
- build a shared understanding of EO contamination challenges in urban areas;
- identify key methodological and operational gaps;
- explore innovative tools, technologies, and approaches; and
- develop actionable, high-impact project concepts for follow-up by the sector.
Format
The session is structured to move from knowledge exchange to solution development:
Day 1: Cross-sector plenary discussions and panel sessions.
Day 2: Thematic working groups focused on ideation and concept development.
Day 3 (morning): Presentation, refinement, and prioritization of project concepts.
Ideation themes and problem statements
On Day 2, participants will be divided into thematic working groups (up to 10 per group), with a balanced representation across stakeholder types (mine action and other sectors, organizational type, expertise, geography, and gender. Each group will summarize their proposed solution in the form of a project concept, addressing a specific problem statement linked to the below-mentioned ideation themes.
Land release in urban areas
Land release in urban areas (NTS, TS and Clearance) presents challenges due to complex, debris-rich, three-dimensional environments, and a wide range of types of EO, including IEDs. These factors impact operational efficiency and increase safety risks.
Building clearance
Searching and clearing EO in multistorey buildings entails addressing the risks posed by possible structural instability, access, and occupational health hazards other than explosives, among other factors, making it a slow time-consuming task.
Debris management versus rubble clearance
Determining whether to adopt debris management or rubble clearance approaches in urban areas is often challenging, given the challenges of determining the likelihood of the presence of EO in the rubble. This creates uncertainty in task classification, roles, and procedures, which can lead either to inefficient use of clearance assets or to safety risks in debris management.
Detection of EO in urban areas
Detecting EO in urban areas presents challenges due to the presence of dense rubble, the wide range of types of EO, including IEDs, and high levels of metal clutter. This limits the use of existing detection systems and reduces detection accuracy.
Adapting information management systems for urban areas
Existing mine action information management systems are not tailored to integrate and analyze complex urban data layers (e.g. three-dimensional environments, infrastructure damage, and dynamic population data), limiting their effectiveness in supporting decision making and reporting of progress in urban operations.
Prioritization and decision-making in urban areas
Mine action prioritization in urban areas lacks clear, risk-based criteria and indicators to guide task selection across NTS, TS, and clearance. As a result, evidence may not be used consistently, and operational data is potentially not well integrated in decision making.
Adapting EORE/CPP for urban areas
Delivering targeted, adequate and timely EORE/CPP in urban settings poses distinct challenges due to population density, fast-changing contexts, and the wide range of types of EO, including IEDs.
EOD and blast mitigation
Render safe procedures and demolition in place of large EO items in populated urban areas and close to critical infrastructure require extensive preparations, and a detonation can produce additional damage to buildings, trigger structural collapse, and endanger structures that communities rely upon for shelter and livelihoods.
Point of Contact
For additional information about the Innovation Session 2026: Mine Action in Urban Areas, please contact Alain Nellen at a.nellen@gichd.org
Donors
The Innovation Session 2026: Mine Action in Urban Areas, was made possible thanks to the financial support of our donors.
