Effective mine action begins with national ownership, OSCE official says

Effective mine action begins with national ownership, Report informs, citing statements by Director of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre Kate Fearon during a panel discussion at the 4th International Mine Action Conference.

According to her, mine action by its nature is a partnership process involving governments, national mine action authorities, local officials, international organizations, donors, operators, and affected communities.

Fearon also highlighted the OSCE's experience in Tajikistan, where the organization has partnered with national mine action bodies for over 20 years. According to her, with OSCE support, approximately 10–11 square kilometers of contaminated land have been cleared in the country.

Turning to Ukraine, she emphasized that the country's experience demonstrates the need to view mine action not merely as a clearance process, but as part of a broader recovery framework.

"The question is which areas need to be cleared first so that communities can rebuild homes, infrastructure, services, livelihoods, and economic activity," she said.

Fearon also underscored the necessity of incorporating environmental considerations into mine action operations.