Social impact of mines should be stressed in mine action programmes: UNDP

The impact of mines on people's lives, not their sheer number, should decide the viability and focus of mine action programmes, according to a study commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) that was released in Geneva today.

UNDP said that until now, demining programmes have been mostly concerned with numbers -- how many mines planted and how many square meters cleared. The new study recommends that emphasis be placed on the economic and social effects of mines.

"A straight cost-benefit analysis is not the end of the story," said Ian Mansfield, team leader of UNDP's mine action unit in New York. "Social aspects should also count when the feasibility of a mine action programme is considered."

The study was managed by the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining and supported by Canada, Germany, the United States, the World Bank, the Survey Action Centre and the International Development Research Centre.

Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Laos and Mozambique are generally considered to be the countries most heavily affected by landmines and unexploded ordnance. In all, the United Nations is providing support to 29 mine-affected countries.