News (Consolidated) - UNSOM

(Photo: Ulrich Tietze) An estimated of 11,000 Colombians participated in the "Lend Your Leg 11k" race in Cali and Medellín, on April the 6th, and in Bogotá en Ibagué, on Sunday 13th April 2014, to call for an end to the use of anti-personnel mines in the country. In Colombia approximately the same…

4 April 2014 - The UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) had adapted its programme in South Sudan to respond to evolving needs during the current crisis, the organization’s programme manager, Lance Malin, said today in a statement. To read more, click here.

(Juba, South Sudan, 3 December 2013) An exhibition match to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities was hosted by the South Sudan Wheelchair Basketball Association, in collaboration with UNMAS on 3 rd December 2013 at the Nimra Tilata Basketball Stadium, in Juba. The match was played…

Mine Clearance Efforts Shift from Humanitarian Focus to Socio-Economic Impact on Affected Communities, Joint Inspection Unit Reports in Briefing (New York, NY 1 November 2013) Remarkable recent achievements in mine action demonstrated the United Nations’ ability to “deliver as one,” delegates in the…

(October, Afghanistan) Kandahar Province, one of the most rugged, rural areas of Afghanistan, is also one of the country’s most mine-contaminated areas. UNMAS estimates that nearly 26,000 inhabitants of Kandahar Province live within 500 meters of a minefield. In 2011, the United Arab Emirates (UAE)…

(24 October 2013, Kinshasa, DRC) UN Day celebrates the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter. With the ratification of this founding document by the majority of its signatories, including the five permanent members of the Security Council, the United Nations was officially…

18 September 2013, Colombia Colombia: Civilian humanitarian demining has officially begun in Colombia. Deminers employed by The HALO Trust, an implementing partner of UNMAS, started work in Southeast Antioquia on Wednesday evening, 18th September 2013. UNMAS will continue to promote the development…

10 October 2013, Kisangani, DRC Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC): UNMAS today handed over a large, brand new ammunition depot, consisting of six separate buildings, to the Ministry of Defence in Province Orientale. Located on the outskirts of Kisangani, the capital of the province, the new…

UNMAS Director Inaugurates new Mine Action Projects in South Sudan This week, the Director of UNMAS, Ms. Agnes Marcaillou, visited South Sudan to meet with senior officials, tour recently launched mine action initiatives and inaugurate an armory newly refurbished. During the three-day visit, Ms…

[News Release] United Nations, New York, 10 July 2013 - The European Commission's Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) has announced they will contribute EUR 1.5 million for mine action activities in South Sudan. This generous contribution will save lives and increase…

Princess Astrid of Belgium to serve as Special Envoy of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention

CONDEMNING LETHAL ATTACK ON UN MOGADISHU COMPOUND, OUTRAGED SECRETARY-GENERAL VOWS IT WILL NEITHER DETER ORGANIZATION NOR WEAKEN RESOLVE TO STAND BY SOMALIA The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: The Secretary-General condemns and is…