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Integrated Mine Action and Recovery

Afghanistan has one of the highest levels of explosive hazard contamination in the world, with a legacy of conflict that continues to claim innocent lives and disrupt local livelihoods. In a context in which more than 70 percent of the population live in rural areas and 80 percent of livelihoods depend directly or indirectly on agriculture, the presence of explosive ordnance (EO) hazards cripples Afghan communities prospects to recover and achieve self-reliance. Numerous studies conducted in conflict settings have confirmed that EO contamination is a significant barrier to long-term development. For example, affected communities are often considered too dangerous for development programmes, especially for initiatives such as road construction or infrastructure rehabilitation. Conversely, land clearance and EO disposal have created the space for NGOs and authorities to become more involved in local development and recovery efforts in decontaminated areas.

As a result of the relative cessation of conflict following the political takeover of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) in August 2021, DRC now has greater access to communities and EO contaminated sites than ever before, representing a unique window of opportunity to expand clearance efforts rapidly and significantly also into areas that have seen little to no Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) response in the past. DRC is the only actor in Afghanistan capable of delivering integrated HMA and recovery programming, with the potential to contribute to socio-economic development and stability through the clearance of otherwise inaccessible land, followed by livelihoods and infrastructure rehabilitation initiatives for the sustainable and productive use of cleared land to enable Afghan populations trapped in post-conflict phases to recover and reconstruct their communities. Through this carefully phased approach, DRC is addressing the multifaceted issues arising from EO contamination, including the inability of many farming communities to practice traditional livelihoods or access natural resources and markets. At the same time, DRC is generating employment opportunities by training and financially supporting (through salaries) a locally sourced deminer workforce, thereby transferring skills and knowledge beneficial for sustainable engagement in the HMA job market. A typical deminer will often come from rural communities and an environment characterized by little to no formal education, high levels of illiteracy, limited economic resources, and tend to be the main breadwinners of large households. As such, deminers largely align with the beneficiary profile most aid actors aim to target.

DRCs Approach:

Step 1: Integrated Assessments

Joint teams of MEAL, HMA, and Economic Recovery members conduct a series of assessments to identify hazards and establish a baseline for the prioritization of clearance in accordance with community perspectives and potential for development of productive land and assets.

Step 2: Humanitarian Mine Action

HMA staff initiate operations by conducting detailed re-survey of hazardous areas to clearly define the boundaries of safe and unsafe areas. Subsequently, clearance teams are deployed based on detailed task implementation plans to clear and release unsafe areas. To supplement these activities, a localised and targeted approach to Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) is implemented.

Step 3: Recovery Interventions

Economic Recovery teams conduct post-clearance rehabilitation focusing on early recovery and development interventions, such as the distribution of agricultural start-up kits, rehabilitation of agro-based infrastructure and land through cash-for-work schemes, and the provision of equipment needed to resume farming activities.

Step 4: Impact Evaluation

MEAL teams conduct a multi-sector evaluation to measure the joint impact of HMA and recovery interventions to evaluate the effectiveness of the response and inform future programming.

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Promoting Rural Development and Employment Creation through Mine Action - A Case Study on Integrated Programming - Afghanistan - ReliefWeb