51�Թ� - Peace and Security

Witnessing A Way Forward

AKAHNJOC — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 20:11:00 +0000

UN Global Advocate Giles Duley

Mr. Giles Duley is a documentary photographer, writer, and storyteller. His work focuses on the longterm humanitarian impact of conflict. He captures the strength of those who fight adversity rather than succumb to it and his photographs draw the viewer to the subject, creating intimacy and empathy for lives differing from ours only in circumstance.

The 51�Թ� appointed Mr. Giles Duley on 3 December, the International Day for Persons with Disabilities, as the first 51�Թ� Global Advocate for persons with disabilities in conflict and peacebuilding situations. The Global Advocate will speak to the immediate and long-term needs and rights of persons injured in conflict and living with disabilities in conflict and peacebuilding situations, including those affected by explosive ordnance. He will ensure that the voices of those disabled by explosive ordnance are heard in the larger conversations on persons with disabilities in peacebuilding processes. Mr. Duley will complement the work of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities. He will advocate for the universalization of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The 51�Թ� Secretary-General has stated: “There are more than one billion people with disabilities in the world. Realizing their rights is a matter of justice and investment in our common future. It is also central to realizing the core promise of the 2030 Agenda to leave no one behind." The role is administered by the 51�Թ� Mine Action Service (UNMAS), Department of Peace Operations.

Credits: Alice Kayibanda/Legacy of War Foundation

Who is UNMAS?

Established in 1997, the 51�Թ� Mine Action Service (UNMAS) works to eliminate the threat posed by mines, explosive remnants of war and improvised explosive devices by coordinating 51�Թ� mine action, leading operational responses at the country level, and in support of peace operations, as well as through the development of standards, policies and norms. As a specialized service of the 51�Թ� located within the Department of Peace Operations, UNMAS operates under UN legislative mandates of both the General Assembly and the Security Council and advocates for the universalization and supports the implementation of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction; (ii) Protocol on prohibitions or restrictions on the use of mines, booby-traps and other devices (Protocol II); and (iii) Convention on Cluster Munitions (A/C.1/63/5 Part II). In addition to anti-personnel mines, challenges remain with respect to all other explosive remnants of war. On 12 November 2006, the Secretary-General welcomed the entry into force of Protocol V on explosive remnants of war from the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.

What is April 4th?

On 8 December 2005, the General Assembly declared that 4 April of each year shall be observed as the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. It called for continued efforts by States, with the assistance of the 51�Թ� and relevant organizations, to foster the establishment and development of national mine-action capacities in countries where mines and explosive remnants of war constitute a serious threat to the safety, health, and lives of the civilian population, or an impediment to social and economic development at the national and local levels.

Witnessing A Way Forward

In conflict and post-conflict situations the goal should always be to create projects designed, implemented and led by local partners and communities. In my experience, this is the most impactful and sustainable way to rebuild lives; allow marginalised communities to empower themselves; and to create a lasting peace."

Credit: Legacy of War Foundation

Giles Duley

51�Թ� Global Advocate for persons with disabilities in conflict and peacebuilding situations.

Throughout the exhibit, learn more about each topic from Giles Duley

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At least 60 states around the world are still contaminated with landmines, some dating back more than 50 years.^*

Despite the efforts of the 51�Թ�, Member States, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and communities, in 2022 unexploded remnants killed or injured at least 4,710 people across 49 countries. To commemorate International Mine Action Day 2024, we invite you to hear from those directly involved in and affected by mine action - and witness the way forward. Find out how mine-affected and post-conflict communities are working together with state parties around the world to bring about impactful and sustainable change: from finding new ways to locate and clear landmines, to educating young people about the risks of unexploded ordnance, and creating opportunities for those living with landmine and conflict-related disabilities.

STATE PARTIES CLEARED A TOTAL OF 219.31km² CONTAMINATED LAND IN 2022 & 169,276 ANTIPERSONNEL LANDMINES WERE DECONSTRUCTED IN 2022^*

The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the 51�Թ�.

Map developed with support from the Geospatial Information Section, Technology Operations Service | Operations Support Division Office of Information and Communications Technology. Base map: 51�Թ� Geospatial

LANDMINE CONTAMINATION MAP

^*Sources: Geneva: ICBL-CMC, 2023 | International Campaign to Ban Landmines | Landmine Monitor 2023 Report

UKRAINE CASE STUDY

Ukraine is one of the most mined states in the world. The HALO Trust employs over 1,200 Ukrainian staff - nearly 30% of whom are women - to conduct mine clearance, carry out surveys, and provide mine risk education around the country. As well as keeping Ukrainians safe, their work is also enabling the recovery of the country’s agricultural sector and helping displaced people to return home.

Oleksandra lives in a part of the Kyiv region that is now contaminated with unexploded ordnance. She joined HALO Trust to train as a deminer to help ensure that Ukraine’s land is safe for her two children and future generations.

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Credits: The HALO Trust

MEET OLEKSANDRA

Credit: Giles Duley

MOTIVATION

Assistive technologies, including wheelchairs and mobility aids, can help people with landmine injuries and other disabilities to live full and independent lives. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities considers mobility and inclusion to be a human right. Yet in the Global South, less than 5% of people who need them have access to appropriate wheelchairs.

Sometimes, wheelchairs designed for use in urban settings aren’t functional in rural environments. Resource constraints can make them unaffordable, or too expensive to repair if they get damaged. A lack of appropriate training means that people may receive wheelchairs that don’t fit properly or aren’t suitable, which can have serious health implications.

In Kenya, NGO Motivation has partnered with Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology to design and locally manufacture durable, affordable, rough terrain wheelchairs to ensure everyone has access to suitable wheelchairs.

OVER 75 MILLION PEOPLE NEED AN APPROPRIATE WHEELCHAIR BUT LESS THAN

OF THOSE IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH HAVE ACCESS TO ONE.^*

Credit: Jake Honeywill / Motivation

Nawali, Chad

Credit: Giles Duley / Humanity & Inclusion

Back in Sudan, Nawali (who was paralysed following an illness in childhood) was an activist and community organiser working to support those around her. But when the fighting started, she and her family had to flee after soldiers stole her motorised wheelchair. Now living alongside over 150,000 other refugees in Chad’s Adré camp, Nawali is confined to a tent and has to crawl to get to the communal latrines.

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^*Sources: Global report on assistive technology. Geneva: World Health Organization and the 51�Թ� Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2022. CRPD OR Mary Goldberg, Mohammed Alharbi, Krithika Kandavel, Yohali Burrola-Mendez, Nancy Augustine, Maria L. Toro-Hernández & Jonathan Pearlman (2023) An exploratory analysis of global trends in wheelchair service provision knowledge across different demographic variables: 2017–2020, Assistive Technology, 35:2, 142-152, DOI: 10.1080/10400435.2021.1992541 | Elizabeth McSweeney & Rosemary Joan Gowran (2019) Wheelchair service provision education and training in low and lower middle income countries: a scoping review, 14:1, 33-45, DOI: 10.1080/17483107.2017.1392621 | Global report on assistive technology.

Conflicts leave people disabled, and in the case of unexploded ordnance and landmines, this can happen decades later. The 51�Թ� aims to address how the needs of persons with disabilities are accounted for before and during conflicts, as set out in Security Council resolution 2475 which recalls the Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Here are two examples.

Physical injuries aren’t the only danger: UXO risk, and displacement create a constant lack of safety which takes a toll on the mental health of children and young people.

The Ayjal Foundation runs group psychosocial support sessions to help give young people the skills to manage emotional distress and trauma. Working with child psychology experts, as well as local artists and storytellers, they’ve also developed a free Arabic language Psychological First Aid toolkit for teachers and carers.

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^*Sources: Euro-Med Monitor, One war older: Israeli violations against children and women during the military attack on Gaza. Geneva: 2021.

Credit: Ajyal Foundation

ODAI AND MARYAM, GAZA

Odai has a developmental disorder which left him Deaf. As a result, he was unable to hear the warning alarm indicating a rocket attack which paralysed him.

Maryam was born with severe cerebral palsy after her mother nearly died in a suicide bombing while pregnant. Maryam is unable to speak, walk or feed herself. Because of her mobility issues her family weren’t able to flee quickly enough when they heard a warning alarm, and she was injured when a rocket hit their family home.

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RESOLUTION 2475^*

URGES MEMBER STATES TO ENABLE THE MEANINGFUL PARTICIPATION AND REPRESENTATION OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES, INCLUDING THEIR REPRESENTATIVE ORGANIZATIONS, IN HUMANITARIAN ACTION, CONFLICT PREVENTION, RESOLUTION, RECONCILIATION, RECONSTRUCTION AND PEACEBUILDING, AND TO CONSULT WITH THOSE WITH EXPERTISE WORKING ON DISABILITY MAINSTREAMING."

This year is the fifth anniversary of 51�Թ� Security Council resolution 2475 which calls on Member States to protect the rights of people with disabilities during and in the aftermath of armed conflict. That means making sure that people with disabilities aren’t left behind: making sure safety information like evacuation alerts, sirens, landmine warnings and mine risk education reach everyone who needs to understand them.

Credit: Giles Duley

^*Sources: Paragraph 6, S/RES/2475 (2019)

Mr. Gerald Quinn, the Special Rapporteur for persons with disabilities 2021 - 2023, wrote about Resolution 2475 in his final report:

Security Council resolution 2475 (2019) should be used as a basis to:

(a) Make disability, peace and security a permanent theme of the Security Council;
(b) Better address the intersectional nature of disability with other personal characteristics within the women and peace and security and the youth, peace and security agendas;
(c) Give closer attention to the case for developing a set of guidelines on persons with disabilities in armed conflict and in post-conflict situations equivalent to the women and peace and security and youth, peace and security agendas...

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Source: Paragraph 83. of the A/78/174: Peacebuilding and the inclusion of persons with disabilities - Report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities. 2023: 20-21

Around half of civilian landmine casualties are children, making mine risk education (MRE) a crucial part of reducing harm.^*

^*Sources: UNICEF; see also The Impact of Mines/ERW on Children Factsheet, Landmine Monitor. Geneva: 2022. Syrian Network for Human Rights, ‘On International Day for Mine Awareness: Syria Is Among the World’s Worst Countries for the Number of Mines Planted in Unknown Locations’. 2022: 5.

UNMAS SYRIA

Photo: Caption: Mr. Ahmad, in one the sessions in Rural Damascus ©UNMAS August 2023

In 2023 UNMAS Syria trained six people with landmine injuries to deliver MRE training, including Hanan and Ahmad. Ahmad was injured as a teenager, playing in an area with landmines. Now a law student, he teaches other young people about the danger of landmines. This programme has since been paused due to a funding shortage.

KOALAA

Although many people require access to prosthetic devices, upper limb prosthetics in particular face a significant rate of abandonment - sometimes because users don’t find devices to be sufficiently comfortable, functional or culturally appropriate.

Koalaa is one example of a project creating upper limb prosthetic devices designed to be comfortable and affordable. In 2021, they ran a pilot in Sierra Leone, which has a disproportionately high number of amputees. Prosthetic users explained it was important to have the option of a cosmetic prosthetic with a choice of skin tones.

Koalaa worked with them to design a cosmetic attachment to help users feel more comfortable.

Around 100 million people globally need a prosthetic limb.^*

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Alimatu, Sierra Leone

Alimatu was born with a below elbow limb difference and uses her Koalaa prosthetic for sweeping, writing, laundry and scraping fish. Alimatu found it difficult when growing up to make friends but since she started mingling with others who have limb differences she has built her confidence and has been trying new things.

^*Source: C. D. Metcalf, C. Ostler, P. Thor, S. Kheng, S. Srors, R. Sann, P. Worsley, L. Gates, M. Donnovan-Hall, C. Harte & A. Dickinson (2024) Engaging multisector stakeholders to identify priorities for global health innovation, change and research: an engagement methodology and application to prosthetics service delivery in Cambodia, Disability and Rehabilitation, 46:4, 685-696, DOI: 10.1080/09638288.2023.2173313

injured by landmines and unexploded ordinance (UXO) in 2022 (on average)^*

Up to 1/3 of survivors

will be left with amputations and will need lifelong rehabilitation and access to prosthetics and orthotics devices^*

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is contaminated with anti-personnel mines and other explosive remnants of war, and the ongoing conflict makes it difficult for people with disabilities to access the services they need.

Social enterprise Ugani uses 3D scanners and printers to create lower limb prosthetics. Their digital system makes remote services possible, improving access and allowing prosthetists to reach 10 times more patients.

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UGANI

My prosthetic allows me to walk to school by myself and play with my classmates” - Cecile

^*Sources: International Campaign to Ban Landmines, Landmine Monitor 2023. Geneva: ICBL-CMC, 2023

Coupland RM. The effect of weapons: defining superfluous injury and unnecessary suffering. Medicine and Global Survival 1996;3;A1.

CAMBODIA

Since 1979 over 45,000 people have been injured by UXO and landmines in Cambodia, with many left with lifelong impairment. The country is working to be mine free by the end of 2025.

2,500 sq. km.^* CLEARED since 1992

AGRILAB

Many people injured by landmines and UXO live in rural areas where agriculture is the primary source of income.

People’s Action for Inclusive Development’s AgriLab works with farmers with disabilities, including landmine injuries, to develop assistive technology tools to help them return to work. Over 300 Cambodian farmers have taken part in AgriLab workshops, co-designing items like water collectors, accessible chicken coups, and trailer attachments so wheelchair users can transport their tools and goods.

Mrs. Suon Pheap has a physical disability affecting one side of her body, as well as caring responsibilities for 3 generations of her family. AgriLab’s workshops introduced her to other farmers with disabilities, and the tools they developed together have improved her farm’s productivity and increased her income.

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Credit: People’s Action for Inclusive Development

^*Source: Khmer Times. Close to 3,000 sq km of landmine, ERW contaminated land in Cambodia cleared and returned to farmers. June 16, 2023.

LAND FOR WOMEN

Donatha, LFW Farmer

Today we have hope that we will use this land forever: even when we get old, our children will use the land. We have seen that it is possible to eradicate poverty and malnutrition. We want to become an inspiration to many”.

Credit: Legacy of War Foundation

People cannot recover from trauma when their basic needs - like food, shelter and sustainable incomes - are not met.

Founded in 2017, Legacy of War Foundation’s Land for Women program is one example of a project working to address these basic needs through sustainable, community-led development. Land for Women partners with groups of Rwandan women who have experienced trauma and gender-based violence. It doesn’t seek to empower them - instead, by providing a route into land ownership and sustainable cooperative farming, it helps dismantle the barriers they face to self-empowerment and lifts whole families out of poverty. The pilot was created in collaboration with Imboni Cooperative, led by genocide and sexual violence survivor Olive whose story is shared in a film on the right.

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Credit: Giles Duley

Victorine From Rwanda

During the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda, Victorine's husband was murdered and she and her children were violently attacked. Decades later she still lives with constant pain and mobility issues, in a home with stairs which limit her activites.

NOTHING ABOUT US

WITHOUT US

Disability rights activists have used this slogan to highlight the need to involve people with disabilities in activities and initiatives that affect them. All of us have the power to help build a more inclusive world.

What can you do to create change in your community or organization?

People with disabilities make up over 15% of the global population but:

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^*Development Initiatives, Disability-inclusive ODA: Aid data on donors, channels, Recipients. 2020. | Murray, Elizabeth, Disability-Inclusive Peacebuilding: State of the Field and the Way Forward. Washington: United States Institute of Peace Press, 2021. | A/77/344: Secretary-General’s report on the implementation of the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy, 2022. | UNICEF, Seen, Counted, Included: Using data to shed light on the well-being of children with disabilities. New York, 2022.

AFRICAN DISABILITY PROTOCOL

The African Disability Protocol was adopted in 2018 by the African Union to ensure the rights of persons with disabilities - but requires 15 ratifications to come into force.

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Like the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the African Union’s disability protocol recognises the social model of disability, which promotes:

a human rights-based approach to disability, providing a more modern understanding of disability as the consequence of the interaction between an individual and an environment that does not accommodate the individual’s differences.” - Office of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict

Bearing in mind the slogan of the disability rights movement “nothing about us without us”, which is built into the spirit of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the voices of persons with disabilities must be included heard and are the most effective tool for change.”^* - Ms. Heba Hagrass, 51�Թ� Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities

People like Alimatu, Nawali, Odai, Maryam and Victorine are not limited by their impairments - they are limited by circumstances and barriers that exist in the world around them.

^*https://au.int/en/treaties/protocol-african-charter-human-and-peoples-rights-rights-persons-disabilities-africa | A/HRC/55/56: Rights of persons with disabilities - Report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities

This exhibit was launched in April 2024

Local category:

Peace and Security

Witnessing A Way Forward

AKAHNJOC — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 15:48:34 +0000

10-nothing-about-us-without-us-english-charles.mp4

Teaser image:

75 Years of 51�Թ� Peacekeeping: Peace Begins With Me

AKAHNJOC — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 19:13:37 +0000

For 75 years, UN peacekeepers have saved and changed lives in the world’s most fragile political and security situations. They are ordinary people striving to achieve extraordinary outcomes in difficult and often dangerous conditions.

Peacekeepers help prevent conflict, protect civilians, advance political solutions, promote human rights, and support democratic processes. They also help build the capacity of state institutions and services and ensure that women and youth can participate in and lead peace processes.

Today, around 87,000 women and men work in environments that are more complex and hazardous than ever, amid rising global tensions and more complex conflict. More than 4,100 peacekeepers have given their lives while serving under the UN flag. While UN Peacekeeping is a unique tool of multilateralism and international solidarity, the pursuit of peace is not a solitary journey. Each of us has a role to play in building and sustaining peace.

This exhibit tells the story of 51�Թ� peacekeeping and reminds us that Peace Begins With Me, you, and all of us.

Peacekeeping Begins

51�Թ� Peacekeeping began in 1948 when the Security Council authorized the deployment of military observers to the Middle East. The role of the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) was to monitor the Armistice Agreement between Israel and its Arab neighbours. Since then, more than 2 million uniformed and civilian personnel have served in 71 peacekeeping operations around the world, contributing to the cause of international security, peace and progress for all peoples.

Yugoslav peacekeepers serving with the UN Emergency Force (UNEF) helped provide a buffer between Egyptian and Israeli forces and impartial supervision of a ceasefire. Photo/UN (Egypt, 1957)

Military observers serving with the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) on duty at Observation Post Mike, Suez Canal Sector. Photo/UN (Suez Canal, 1967)

A Ghanaian police officer serving with the UN Operation in the Congo (ONUC) stands guard on a street in Leopoldville, now known as Kinshasa. Photo/UN (Congo, 1960)

51�Թ� Police

In 1960, police officers were deployed to a peacekeeping mission for the first time to serve with the UN Operation in the Congo (ONUC). Today, up to 9,000 UN Police officers from at least 90 countries protect vulnerable communities, strengthen the security sector and rule of law, and build the foundations for inclusive, effective, and accountable police services.

A Chinese police officer helps build strong relationships with local communities while serving with the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). Photo/Albert González Farran (Liberia, 2019)

Graduates from the Haitian Police Academy appreciate the training provided by their UN Police instructor from the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Photo/Marco Dormino (Haiti, 2009)

A Tanzanian police officer serving with the African Union-UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) helps protect women in the Zam Zam displacement camp. Photo/Albert González Farran (Sudan, 2014)

Civilians in Action

More than 14,000 civilians serve in diverse roles in UN peacekeeping operations, including leading field missions, supporting political and peace processes, promoting and protecting human rights, helping strengthen the rule of law, and communicating with communities affected by conflict.

A Human Rights Officer serving with the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) speaks with community members in Menaka. Photo/Marco Dormino (Mali, 2018)

Election materials are delivered by UN personnel, with the support of the National Police Force of Timor-Leste, ahead of presidential elections. Photo/Martine Perret (Timor-Leste, 2012)

A UN photographer captures life from inside an armored personnel carrier on patrol with the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). Photo/MONUSCO (D.R. Congo, 2019)

Military Action

Known as Blue Helmets, UN military personnel are often deployed in the most remote and dangerous locations where they overcome huge challenges to help prevent violence, protect civilians, facilitate the safe delivery of humanitarian aid, and build peace.

Today, around 70,000 military personnel from national armies around the world serve in 12 UN peacekeeping missions.

Indian peacekeepers serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol the Blue Line alongside Lebanese Armed Forces near Kafar Chouba. Photo/Pasqual Gorriz (Lebanon, 2020)

Bangladesh, one of the largest contributors to UN Peacekeeping, deployed women pilots for the first time to serve with the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). Photo/MONUSCO (D.R. Congo, 2017)

UN Peacekeepers pay tribute to colleagues who have paid the ultimate price by giving their lives in the cause of peace under the UN flag. Photo/Harandane Dicko (Mali, 2018)

UN Mine Action

Since 1997, the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) has helped reduce the threat of explosive hazards in conflict zones. Today, UNMAS works in 21 operations to destroy explosive devices and remnants of war to protect communities, enable the delivery of humanitarian aid and ensure the safe passage of peacekeepers. UNMAS also assists victims, provides risk education, and advocates for a world free of mines.

A deminer checks for explosive ordinances in Nicosia, Cyprus. Photo/UNFICYP (Cyprus, 2011)

UNMAS personnel provide mine risk awareness training at the Um Serdiba Arabic Basic School in Southern Kordofan. Photo/Johann Hattingh (Sudan, 2017)

Two battle area clearance operators help keep communities safe from explosive remnants of war in Mehaires, Western Sahara. Photo/Martine Perret (Western Sahara, 2010)

Political & Peace Processes

Securing political solutions and sustainable peace is a top priority. Peacekeeping missions help create safe spaces for dialogue, facilitate reconciliation and peacebuilding, and support free, fair, and inclusive democratic processes, including elections.

In 1988, UN Peacekeeping was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize because "under extremely difficult conditions, its forces contributed to reducing tensions where an armistice had been negotiated but a peace treaty was yet to be established.”

An electoral officer serving with the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) assists voters during elections in Walikale. Photo/Sylvain Liechti (D.R. Congo, 2011)

UN Peacekeeping was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Photo/John Isaac (New York, 1988)

Signing of a peace agreement to resolve conflict between communities in Bangui, supported by the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). Photo/Igor Rugwiza (C.A.R., 2019)

Protection of Civilians

In 1999, the UN Security Council made Protection of Civilians a core responsibility of a peacekeeping mission for the first time. Since then, 14 peacekeeping operations have been deployed with this specific mandate. Civilian, military and police peacekeepers contribute to this effort by providing protection, creating safe environments for displaced people to return home, supporting conflict resolution and peace talks, and strengthening the capacity of host governments through rule of law and security sector reform.

Peacekeepers help protect civilians and their property south-west of Gao in Mali during Operation "FRELANA". Photo/Harandane Dicko (Mali, 2017)

In 2013, the UN opened its gates to civilians fleeing violence in South Sudan, and ultimately provided sanctuary to more than 200,000 displaced people in camps such as Bentiu. Photo/UNMISS (South Sudan, 2016)

Peacekeepers from the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) observe the Line of Control that separates the two countries near Bhimbar. Photo/Evan Schneider (Pakistan, 2005)

Child Protection

Children are disproportionately affected by war: killed and maimed, recruited and used as child soldiers, abducted, subjected to sexual violence, and denied access to humanitarian aid, healthcare and education.

Peacekeepers provide protection, ensure safe access to water, food, and medical care, help rebuild schools and medical facilities, and secure the release of child soldiers. By protecting children, who have often known nothing but war, peacekeepers can break the cycle of violence and lay the foundations for durable peace.

An Australian peacekeeper serving with the UN Mission In South Sudan (UNMISS) reads from a book she created to raise funds for children at the Exodus Academy in Juba. Photo/Isaac Billy (South Sudan, 2020)

Child Protection personnel serving with the African Union-UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) raise awareness about ending the recruitment and use of child soldiers in Sortony, North Darfur. Photo/Salah Mohammed (Sudan, 2019)

Children formerly associated with armed groups are transported to temporary transit centres where they will receive reintegration support in the Masisi territory, North Kivu. Photo/Jacob Cornelis Bastiaan De Lange (D.R. Congo, 2019)

Women, Peace and Security

Violent conflict has a devastating impact on women and girls and intensifies existing gender inequalities and discrimination. In 2000, Security Council Resolution 1325 recognized this impact as well as the important contribution of women to conflict prevention and resolution, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding.

By advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda, UN Peacekeeping works to protect women and girls from sexual and gender-based violence, promote their participation and leadership in political and peace processes and ensure that their voices, needs and priorities are included in all peacekeeping work.

The Women’s Peace Hut (Case de la Paix) brings together 76 women’s groups from diverse backgrounds and communities to prevent conflict and build peace in the volatile region of Gao in Mali. Photo/Kani Sissoko (Mali, 2021)

A gender officer with the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) provides training on gender violence in Bangui. Photo/Eskinder Debebe (C.A.R., 2017)

The UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) was the first mission to have women simultaneously leading its civilian, military and police components. Photo/Courtney Martin/HER Documentary (Cyprus, 2020)

Rule of Law and Security Sector Governance

Strong rule of law and security institutions are vital to stabilizing and securing sustainable peace in conflict-affected countries. UN Peacekeeping works to build the capacity of these institutions and services so that host countries can deliver justice and correctional services, ensure that all citizens are treated equally under the law, and that police and defense forces operate professionally and effectively.

International judges and a prosecutor appointed to the Special Criminal Court in the Central African Republic are sworn into office at the Court of Appeals in Bangui. Photo/MINUSCA (C.A.R., 2021)

Inmates at Haiti's main penitentiary are trained to read and write as part of a Quick Impact Project by the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Photo/Logan Abassi (Haiti, 2011)

UN peacekeepers serving with the UN Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) collect weapons during the disarmament of militia groups. Photo/Basile Zoma (Côte d'Ivoire, 2007)

Alone, we cannot succeed.

As we mark the 75th anniversary of UN Peacekeeping, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to our uniformed and civilian personnel, host countries, Member States, media, civil society partners, and community members working to change lives for the better.

Peace Begins With Me, you, and all of us.

This exhibit was launched in April 2023

Local category:

Peace and Security

75 Years of 51�Թ� Peacekeeping: Peace Begins With Me

AKAHNJOC — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 18:25:26 +0000

Teaser image:

Mine Action Cannot Wait

AKAHNJOC — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 15:13:35 +0000

UNMAS demining team operating in Abyei as part of the 51�Թ� Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA). Photo UNMAS/Irina Punga

As a specialized service of the 51�Թ� located within the Department of Peace Operations, UNMAS operates under UN legislative mandates of both the General Assembly and the Security Council. UNMAS also responds to specific requests for support from the UN Secretary-General or designated official.

The designations and the presentation of the materials used in this exhibition, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the 51�Թ� concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Also, the boundaries and names shown and the designations used in this exhibition do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the 51�Թ�.

This exhibition was produced by UNMAS, with illustration and design by Portia Kitner, and assistance from an anonymous designer. Content was provided by Legacies of War, Legacy of War Foundation, Mines Advisory Group, Norwegian People's Aid, UNDP, and UNICEF. A special thanks to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor, Mine Action Review, the Yemen Executive Mine Action Centre, and Daeyong Kim (UNMAS Threat Mitigation Advisor) for providing data.

Mines, explosive remnants of war and improvised explosive devices continue to kill or injure thousands of people every year – many of whom are children. We must do more to protect people living under the shadow of explosive ordnance, from Syria, Somalia and Afghanistan to Myanmar, Cambodia, and beyond."

- 51�Թ� Secretary-General, António Guterres

Secretary-General António Guterres travelled to Instanbul and oversaw the departure of two ships involved in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a UN-brokered operation to bring urgently needed hunger relief to the Horn of Africa. UNMAS supported the Black Sea Grain Initiative by providing sea mine expertise. UN Photo/Mark Garten

SURVIVORS CANNOT WAIT

Children grow up surrounded by decades old ERW. This is Mor, a 6 year old girl, leaning against a fence made from giant bomb canisters. Xieng Khouang, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, 2006. Photo Legacies of War/Phil Borges

Khont Som, Tong (7), Lita (4), Maya (15), Khnit (64) “I am so happy to see MAG, we are all relieved. We hear explosions all the time so they are finding a lot of bombies^*. It makes me feel safer.

I have been here for four years. I came from Stung Treng because there wasn’t enough land there. The land was cheaper, and we have a chance of a future here. I knew about the dangers; villagers told me when I came. I didn’t quite realise how bad it was though. I found out many people had died here – that made me feel scared working on the farm. I was so afraid for the children.

But MAG is here, and I am very happy. Soon I will be able to let my children play freely. We have been so worried for them. They are just children. MAG gave us lessons and that helped. MAG has cleared the area where we grow rice but other land we have is not safe yet. When MAG clears it, we will grow bananas. We are too afraid to use it now.” Photo MAG Cambodia/Sean Sutton

Cin Sua and baby Chan Phna. Mother Tha Touh: "My baby was born on a cleared minefield. We work as labourers, it’s a hard life." Photo MAG Cambodia/Sean Sutton

Young cattle herder. Photo MAG Cambodia/Sean Sutton

Sokeng: “The hill next to the lake was an important base in the war for the Vietnamese soldiers and it was bombed many times, so there are a lot of UXO. You could see them lying around, a lot of them. We were always worried there would be an accident here. There were times when people would find bombies and throw them in the lake! Two people were killed trying to open a bombie and one was seriously injured here." Photo MAG Cambodia/Sean Sutton

A moment between a father and son, whose farmland had once been contaminated but is now clear thanks to Humanitarian UXO Demining Teams of Lao People’s Army in Bolikhamxay province. Photo UNDP/Pongpat Sensouphone

Sai (not his real name), 14, lost his left leg in a mine explosion in Hsipaw township, Northern Shan State, Myanmar. Photo UNICEF Myanmar/Nyan Zay Htet

As a child Yong Kham recalls seeing and hearing bombs rain down destruction on his family and village. While hiding in a trench, he was wounded by shrapnel from an explosion. Decades later, his eldest son, Tong Dum, was killed in a fatal UXO accident. "What happened in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic should never happen again. No country and its people should have to go through this." Sepon, Savannakhet province, 2022. Photo/Legacies of War

^*A bombie refers to small unexploded ordnance (UXO) that is discharged from a cluster munition.

Ukraine

A deminer from Ukraine’s State Emergency Service searching for explosive ordnance in Makariv, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine. May 2022. Photo UNDP Ukraine/Oleksandr Simonenko

A deminer of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine inspects equipment before humanitarian demining at a village near Kherson, Ukraine. 15 November 2022. Photo UNDP Ukraine/Pavlo Petrov

Deminers from Ukraine’s State Emergency Service use heavy equipment for demining in Kherson region, Ukraine. 15 November 2022. Photo UNDP Ukraine/Pavlo Petrov

Myanmar

Sai Nuu, 13, reads a mine risk education cartoon during a workshop for children at an IDP camp in Wine Maw township, Kachin State, Myanmar. Photo UNICEF Myanmar/Nyan Zay Htet

Jat Sai Naw, 8, was playing with his friends in Man Win Gyi village when a child picked up a grenade that exploded. Jat Sai Naw was badly injured. Photo UNICEF Myanmar/Minzyar Oo

Sai (not his real name), 14, lost his left leg in a mine explosion in Hsipaw township, Northern Shan State, Myanmar. Photo UNICEF Myanmar/Nyan Zay Htet

Colombia

A woman deminer in an UNMAS project in Algeciras, Huila. She is using a metal detector to find landmines. Photo UNMAS Colombia/Juan Arredondo

A minefield in the mountains of Caquetá in southern Colombia. Photo UNMAS/Colombia

A FARC-EP ex-combatant participating in a humanitarian demining training delivered by UNMAS in the municipality of La Montañita, Caquetá. Photo UNMAS/Colombia

Prosthetic limbs being made at Battambang Physical Rehabilitation Center, Battambang province, September 2020. Photo UNDP Cambodia/Manuth Buth

Deminers from the Cambodian Mine Action Center working in Battambang province. Photo UNDP Cambodia

Minefield being cleared by HALO Trust, Pailin province, 10 September 2020. Photo UNDP Cambodia/Manuth Buth

Primary school students in Xieng Khouang province, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic attending Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) session organized by Lao National Unexploded Ordnance Programme (UXO Lao). Photo UNDP/Pongpat Sensouphone

A female deminer from Lao National Unexploded Ordnance Programme team demonstrating how to carry out technical survey in Xieng Khouang province. Photo UNDP/Pongpat Sensouphone

Mr. Veuyang of Xieng Khouang province lost his right eye due to a UXO accident. Photo UNDP/Humanitarian Media Agency

Mrs. Mun was born in 1974, the year after the bombing ended, so she should have escaped the conflict and been brought up in a time of peace. However unexploded cluster munitions still contaminate the ground around her home. She was injured twice as a child and last year, as she worked the fields with her brother and daughter, they accidentally triggered an unexploded bomb (UXO). When she regained consciousness, she found they were both dead. Photo/Giles Duley

Non-technical survey team member Tran Thi My Le (left) with two-year-old Bo (right), one of the youngest direct beneficiaries of NPA’s work (Quang Binh province, Viêt Nam). Photo/NPA

NPA National Technical Officer Bui Trong Hong and NPA Viêt Nam Technical Field Manager Troy Thorpe conduct assessment of a 750 lb bomb in an acacia plantation. (Quang Tri province, Viêt Nam). Photo/NPA

Mr. Dinh Thu lost both arms and was left with brain-damage when an unexploded bomb detonated in his garden as he was planting vegetables. His wife is now his full-time carer. Photo/Giles Duley (Viêt Nam - 2014)

Contributing Partners

International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL)

The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) is a global network of non-governmental organizations, active in some 100 countries, that works for a world free of antipersonnel landmines, where landmine survivors can lead fulfilling lives.

Legacies of War

Legacies of War is an educational and advocacy organization working to address the impact of the American war and the conflict in South-East Asia, including removal of unexploded ordnance (UXO). We raise awareness about the history of the war bombing of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, provide space for healing the wounds of war, and create greater hope for a future of peace. The UXO problem in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic has persisted for far too long. Too many innocent lives have been lost. Too many farmers and children have been left disabled, their lives forever changed. But it is not too late to stop this senseless suffering. We’ve already proven positive change is possible. Our vision is simple: clear the Lao People’s Democratic Republic as much as possible within our lifetime.

Legacy of War

Since 2017, Legacy of War Foundation has been campaigning for a world without conflict, and supporting the communities and survivors affected by it. We work collaboratively with communities to establish sustainable, localized projects which are led by our partners. Mr. Giles Duley, a documentary photographer, writer, storyteller and the CEO of Legacy of War Foundation, is the first 51�Թ� Global Advocate for Persons with Disabilities in Conflict and Peacebuilding Situations. He will ensure that the voices of those disabled by explosive ordnance are heard in the larger conversations on persons with disabilities in peacebuilding situations.

Mines Advisory Group (MAG)

Mines Advisory Group (MAG) is a global humanitarian and advocacy organization that finds, removes, and destroys landmines, cluster munitions, and unexploded bombs from places affected by conflict. MAG provides education programs so that children and their families can live, work, and play as safely as possible until all the land that surrounds them is clear. Since 1989, MAG has helped over 20 million people in 70 countries rebuild their lives and livelihoods after war. MAG shares the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize as part of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.

Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA)

Norwegian People’s Aid is a politically independent membership-based organization working in Norway and in more than 30 countries around the world. Founded in 1939 as the labour movement's humanitarian solidarity organisation, NPA aims to improve people's living conditions and to create a democratic, just and safe society. NPA's international work covers three core areas: Mine Action and disarmament, Development and Humanitarian relief aid.

UNICEF

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children's lives, to defend their rights, and to help them fulfil their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

51�Թ� Development Programme

UNDP works in about 170 countries and territories, helping to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and exclusion and build resilience so countries can sustain progress. As the UN’s development agency, UNDP plays a critical role in helping countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

This exhibit was launched in April 2023

Local category:

Peace and Security

In Their Hands

AKAHNJOC — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 20:34:14 +0000

Teaser image:

UNMAS 2021

AKAHNJOC — Thu, 11 Mar 2021 20:28:43 +0000

51�Թ� - Peace and Security

Witnessing A Way Forward

Sponsors

UN Global Advocate Giles Duley

Who is UNMAS?

What is April 4th?

Witnessing A Way Forward

Giles Duley

At least 60 states around the world are still contaminated with landmines, some dating back more than 50 years.*

LANDMINE CONTAMINATION MAP

UKRAINE CASE STUDY

MEET OLEKSANDRA

MOTIVATION

Nawali, Chad

ODAI AND MARYAM, GAZA

RESOLUTION 2475*

UNMAS SYRIA

KOALAA

Alimatu, Sierra Leone

UGANI

CAMBODIA

AGRILAB

LAND FOR WOMEN

Donatha, LFW Farmer

Victorine From Rwanda

NOTHING ABOUT US

WITHOUT US

AFRICAN DISABILITY PROTOCOL

Witnessing A Way Forward

10-nothing-about-us-without-us-english-charles.mp4

75 Years of 51�Թ� Peacekeeping: Peace Begins With Me

Peacekeeping Begins

51�Թ� Police

Civilians in Action

Military Action

UN Mine Action

Political & Peace Processes

Protection of Civilians

Child Protection

Women, Peace and Security

Rule of Law and Security Sector Governance

75 Years of 51�Թ� Peacekeeping: Peace Begins With Me

Mine Action Cannot Wait

SURVIVORS CANNOT WAIT

Ukraine

Myanmar

Colombia

Contributing Partners

International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL)

Legacies of War

Legacy of War

Mines Advisory Group (MAG)

Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA)

UNICEF

51�Թ� Development Programme

In Their Hands

UNMAS 2021

At least 60 states around the world are still contaminated with landmines, some dating back more than 50 years.^*

RESOLUTION 2475^*