Syria

Support for Mine Action

Last updated: 09 October 2015

The Syrian Arab Republic is contaminated by mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW), including cluster munition remnants, a legacy of Arab-Israeli wars since 1948 and the ongoing armed conflict. The fighting has involved extensive use of indiscriminate weapons, which cause both immediate and long-term damage as they result in high levels of ERW contamination.[1] The Syrian conflict has been marked by a severe lack of access to affected populations, including mine action activities.

In 2014, four donors reported contributing US$1,366,000 to risk education and capacity-building activities in Syria, 60% less than in 2013 when international funding totaled $3,618,767.

In 2012, UNMAS reported that it received US$1.4 million from the UN Supervision Mission in Syria for initial operations in Syria. Also in 2012, Sweden contributed SEK7.26 million ($1.07 million)[2] to the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) to provide three technical experts to support emergency operations planning and training with UNMAS.[3]

International contributions: 2014[4]

Donor

Sector

Amount

(national currency)

Amount

($)

Netherlands

Risk education

€570,000

757,929

Norway

Capacity-building

NOK1,987,000

315,552

Luxembourg

Risk education

€170,000

226,049

Slovenia

Risk education

$66,470

66,470

Total

 

 

1,366,000

 



[1] Global Protection Cluster, “Syria Situation Update,” 20 February 2013; and UNMAS, “Syria,” last updated February 2015.

[2] Sweden, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form J, 27 March 2013. Average exchange rate for 2012: SEK6.7721=US$1. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 2 January 2015.

[3] UNMAS, “UNMAS 2012 Annual Report,” p. 9; and “MSB operations as a result of the conflict in Syria,” MSB International Operations Magazine, June 2013, p. 11.

[4] Average exchange rate for 2014: €1=US$1.3297; NOK6.2969=US$1. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 2 January 2015.