United States

Last Updated: 22 November 2013

Support for Mine Action

The United States of America (US) is the largest donor for mine action, having contributed over US$2 billion since 1993. In 2012 as part of the its Conventional Weapons Destruction program within the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement (WRA), the US contributed $134.4 million to mine action in 30 countries and three territories through more than 40 organizations, the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), UNDP, the Organization of American States (OAS), and the International Trust Fund Enhancing Human Security (ITF).[1]

Afghanistan and Iraq received the largest contributions, and together they constituted almost half (48%) of US funding in 2012, approximately the same percentage as in 2011. Six recipients (Afghanistan, Angola, Cambodia, Colombia, Iraq, and Lao PDR) each received at least $5 million each.

In 2012, the US reported on their priorities for the period in different regions: in addition to increased US support in the Pacific to clear World War II-era unexploded ordnance in Palau, the Solomon Islands, and other Pacific nations and to build local capacity in the region,[2] it also increased its assistance to Lao PDR from $5 million to $9.3 million, an increase of 46%.

In southeastern Europe, largely consisting of countries that were part of the former Yugoslavia, the US shifted its major focus from reducing the threat from landmines to reducing excess stockpiles of obsolete small arms, light weapons, and ammunition. Nevertheless, the US contributed $4.7 million to countries in southeastern Europe for mine action, including $2.3 million to Bosnia Herzegovina. All US funding for southeastern Europe is provided through the ITF.

Since 2011, the US has provided approximately $40 million in assistance to locate and secure man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) and other weapons.[3] The WRA in the US Department of State’s Bureau of Political Military Affairs reported a contribution of $21.8 million to Libya from other State Department sources in 2012.[4] The US did not disaggregate this funding to Libya regarding MANPADS and landmines. In an interview with Michael P. Moore from Landmines in Africa, Major General Walter D. Givhan, the US State Department’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Plans, Programs and Operations, said, “In Libya, the US government prioritized securing MANPADS over landmines and while some of the funds made available for MANPADS destruction also covered landmine destruction and removal, the intent was to eliminate the MANPADS.”[5]

The US also provides ongoing support to the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery (CISR), located at James Madison University in the state of Virginia, which supports research, training—including the annual Senior Mine Action Managers’ Course—and the Journal of Mine Action publication.[6]

Since 2008, the US has contributed almost $600 million to mine action, largely through the WRA and the Leahy War Victims Fund of USAID.

Contributions by recipient: 2012[7]

Recipient

Sector

Amount ($)

Afghanistan

Clearance, victim assistance

40,550,000

Iraq

Clearance, risk education, victim assistance

25,000,000

Lao PDR

Clearance, risk education, victim assistance

9,233,333

Angola

Clearance

8,675,000

Cambodia

Clearance, risk education, victim assistance

5,493,899

Sri Lanka

Clearance, victim assistance

5,300,000

Vietnam

Clearance, victim assistance

4,031,296

Colombia

Clearance, victim assistance

3,500,000

Yemen

Clearance

3,153,000

Global

Clearance

2,800,000

South Sudan

Clearance

2,800,000

Mozambique

Clearance

2,635,000

Lebanon

Clearance

2,524,471

Bosnia

Clearance

2,300,000

Myanmar

Victim assistance

2,178,286

Tajikistan

Clearance

1,691,000

Jordan

Clearance

1,250,000

Croatia

Clearance

1,100,000

Nepal

Clearance, victim assistance

1,000,000

Peru

Clearance, victim assistance

1,000,000

Serbia

Clearance

1,000,000

Somaliland

Clearance

960,000

Ethiopia

Victim assistance

939,700

Nagorno-Karabakh

Clearance

920,000

Palestine

Clearance

782,132

Georgia

Clearance

754,867

Somalia

Clearance

600,000

Solomon Islands

Clearance

566,667

Armenia

Clearance

391,000

Azerbaijan

Clearance

365,000

DRC

Victim assistance

267,000

Kosovo

Clearance

260,000

Zimbabwe

Clearance

250,000

Palau

Clearance

150,000

Total

 

134,421,651

In 2012, 88% of US support went towards capacity building, survey, and clearance programs. The US contributed $15.5 million towards victim assistance in 13 countries, an increase of $3 million from 2011.[8] Recipients included the ICRC, the International Center, Information Management and Mine Action Programs, It is known as iMMAPClear Path International, the Polus Center, Project Renew, and PeaceTrees Vietnam. Contributions attributed to global funding went to the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics and the World Health Organization.[9]

Two US government offices provide funding for victim assistance. In 2012, WRA provided $5.8 million to victim assistance projects in five countries; USAID provided $9.7 million to victim assistance projects in seven countries through the Leahy War Victims Fund, which is one of the five Special Programs to Address the Needs of Survivors (SPANS) within the Bureau for Democracy (a part of USAID).[10] In 2013, the Leahy War Victims Fund commenced a new three-year, $2.3 million project for people with disabilities.[11] Other victim assistance support went through the ITF in Slovenia and grants from the WRA directly to NGOs.

In addition, the US provided $10.2 million through USAID to programs that target persons with disabilities in more than 30 countries and territories where there are landmine survivors, including Georgia, Montenegro, Iraq, Jordan, and Nicaragua as well as Kosovo.[12]

The US-based NGO Spirit of Soccer received funding to deliver risk education in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Iraq in 2012.[13]

Contributions by thematic sector: 2012

Sector

Amount ($)

%

Clearance

118,076,137

88

Victim assistance

15,464,514

11

Risk education

881,000

1

Total

134,421,651

100%

Contributions for victim assistance, by recipient country: 2012

Recipient

Funding agency

Amount ($)

Afghanistan

WRA

3,000,000

Global

USAID

2,800,000

Myanmar

USAID

2,178,286

Vietnam

USAID

1,190,296

Lao PDR

WRA

1,134,333

Nepal

USAID

1,000,000

Ethiopia

USAID

939,700

Colombia

USAID

800,000

Peru

WRA

800,000

Sri Lanka

USAID

500,000

Iraq

WRA

450,000

Cambodia

WRA

404,899

DRC

USAID

267,000

Total

 

15,464,514

Summary of contributions: 2008–2012[14]

Year

Amount ($)

2012

134,421,651

2011

131,441,134

2010

129,579,834

2009

118,703,831

2008

85,000,000

Total

599,146,450

 

 



[1] US Department of State, “To Walk the Earth in Safety 2013,” Washington, DC, August 2013, pp. 3, 57. The US Department of State reported that in fiscal year 2012 it provided more than $149 million in Conventional Weapons Destruction assistance to 35 countries. The two territories were the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh in the Caucasus region and Palestine.

[2] US Department of State, “To Walk the Earth in Safety 2013,” Washington, DC, August 2013, p. 3.

[3] Ibid., p. 3.

[4] Ibid., p. 53.

[5] Maj. Gen. Walter D. Givhan, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Landmines in Africa blog, 19 November 2012.

[7] US Department of State, “To Walk the Earth in Safety 2013,” Washington, DC, August 2013; email from Calvin Ruysen, Southern Africa Desk Officer, HALO Trust, 17 July 2013; email from Rob Horvath, Manager, Leahy War Victims Fund, USAID, 2 August 2013; email from Scotty Lee, Executive Director, Spirit of Soccer, 11 July 2013; email from Carl Case, General Coordinator, Comprehensive Action against Antipersonnel Mines and Assistance for Control of Arms and Munitions, OAS, 11 April 2013; email from Mohammad Breikat, National Director, National Committee for Demining and Rehabilitation, Jordan, 9 September 2013; ICRC, “Annual Report 2012,” p. 538; email from Charles A. Stonecipher, Program Manager, East Asia and the Pacific, WRA, US Department of State, 20 July 2012; email from Richard MacCormac, Head of Mine Action Unit, DanChurchAid, 12 July 2013; email from Michael Lundquist, Executive Director, POLUS Center, 7 September 2012; and email from Pi Tauber, Project Assistant, Danish Demining Group, 15 July 2013.

[8] Victim assistance is largely supported through national government and non-governmental programs as well as through private sources and various foreign assistance mechanisms. Traditional international mine action assistance constitutes a limited amount of the total funding for victim assistance.

[9] US Department of State, “To Walk the Earth in Safety 2013,” Washington, DC, August 2013, p. 57; and email from Rob Horvath, USAID, 2 August 2013.

[10] Email from Rob Horvath, USAID, 2 August 2013.

[11] US Embassy Vietnam, “Remarks by U.S. Ambassador David Shear at the Blue Ribbon Employer Council Awards and Launch of the USAID Disability Support Program,” 17 April 2013; and email from Rob Horvath, USAID, 2 August 2013.

[12] US Department of State, “To Walk the Earth in Safety 2013,” Washington, DC, August 2013, p. 45.

[13] Email from Scotty Lee, Spirit of Soccer, 11 July 2013.

[14] See Landmine Monitor reports 2008–2011; and ICBL-CMC, “Country Profile: United States: Support for Mine Action,” 5 October 2012.