How the Work Is Done
Most aspects of humanitarian mine action are guided by International Mine Action Standards, which name preferred methods and technologies for activities such as mine detection, mine clearance, destroying or disposing of landmines, and providing mine-risk education. The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining developed these standards in cooperation with the UN Mine Action Service and mine-action experts.
One of the more important services provided by the United Nations and other organizations is quality management. The United Nations monitors, for example, mine-clearance operations, to make sure the work is done according to the International Mine Action Standards and to ensure that dangerous areas are free of landmines and explosive remnants of war before people are allowed access.
Various policies and guidelines also influence the way the United Nations and other organizations provide mine-action services. For example, the United Nations developed Gender Guidelines for Mine Action Programmes to encourage mine-action program managers and directors to consider the different needs and concerns of men, women, girls and boys when planning or implementing operations or setting priorities. Also, the methods for providing mine-action services in countries where conflicts that ended long ago are very different from the ones needed in crisis and emergency situations. For these situations, the United Nations developed a special Rapid-Response Framework, which was piloted in 2003 in Iraq.
For specific information on how mine action work is carried out on the ground, please refer to "What is Mine Action?"