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research themes >
global security > human security >
mine action > |
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HUMAN SECURITY
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human security and mine action
According to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, the contamination of conflict-torn countries by mines, cluster munitions and other explosive remnants of war kills and injures some 15,000 to 20,000 people every year. Long after the guns fall silent, landmines, cluster bombs and unspent shells block access to farmland, prevent refugee return and are a constant psycho-social reminder of the brutality of war.
Since 1989 a network of states, NGOs and companies has developed a new sector of humanitarian assistance called ‘mine action,’ mitigating the impact of landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO), through mine clearance, mine risk education, mine victim assistance, stockpile destruction and political advocacy.
Mine action programs can offer a practical example of how concepts of human security – prioritizing the security of the individual and community rather than the state – can be put into action. However, there are also many political and economic vested interests involved that distract humanitarian priorities. Therefore, mine action has become a sector in which many different and competing conceptions of security are put into action. Research into mine action can provide insight into how ideas of security impact the lives of ordinary people in conflicted settings.
A Human Security Doctrine for Mine Action
Grounded in field research conducted in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Sudan and interviewees with high level officials in New York, Washington DC, Geneva and Oslo, Centre researcher Matthew Bolton has developed a “Human Security Doctrine for Mine Action” that explains how the concept of human security can enrich mine action programmes. He proposes the following five guiding
principles:
1. Doing no harm
2. Protecting the vulnerable
3. Participation
4. Stewardship
5. Building peace
Read document
Research and Publications on Human Security and Mine Action
To see more empirical research on human security and mine action in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Sudan (funded by the Economic and Social Research Council), go to the mine action research output page by clicking on the below link.
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