About 100 million people in more than 60 countries are faced with the threat of ground mines and explosive objects, and Ukraine covered by conflict today occupies the first place in the world in terms of mine “pollution”, the UN service (Yunmas) said.
Armed violence around the world is aggravated, against this background, the number of wounded and killed as a result of incidents with mines and other explosive objects increased by 22 percent in 2024, the UN press service notes.
About 85 percent of the victims of explosive devices around the world are civilians, more than half of them are children.
Those who live in the zones of active conflict are most at risk. But for many, the threat remains for many years even after the end of hostilities.
Monation has existed for decades, it plays a crucial role in ensuring long -term security and development, noted in the UN.
“You cannot engage in agriculture and ensure food security if the land is dotted with mines,” said the representative of Junmas James Stapls.
“Children cannot go to school. You cannot create jobs. People cannot return to their homes, whether they are internally displaced faces or refugees,” Stapls said.
At the same time, armed actions that are aggravated around the world make it difficult to work specialists in clearance.
“We see that the number of conflicts is growing both by quantity and in scale,” said the representative of Junmas, speaking in Geneva on the eve of the annual clearance conference that will be held in the Swiss city from April 9,
In the front -line regions of Ukraine, the UN agency supports efforts to increase the awareness of mine danger among children.
In the classes organized together with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Anna Popsuy, senior inspector of the State Emergency Service, is present. After the end of the lessons, she and her colleagues give children stickers and coloring on the topic of mine safety.
“If we see a mine, we must call the police so that they can neutralize it,” said Kira, a seven -year -old girl from Zaporozhye.
“We also have lessons devoted to what to do if they are under the rubble,” adds pop.
According to a survey conducted by partners of the UN Development Program (UNDP), 13 percent of Ukrainians found explosive devices.
The vast majority of respondents – 90 percent – reported that they would take safe, in their opinion, actions in case of mining mines and other explosive objects, for example, will cause emergency services or move as far as possible.
Moreover, more than half of the respondents mistakenly believe that the marking of the territory around the object is a safe action. We would approach and examine the subject of 21 percent of Ukrainians, and 14 percent would try to remove it. Such actions pose a serious threat to life and health, warn in OO