Mine action is an area where Australia has made a significant global contribution. In Afghanistan, Australia supports mine clearance, landmine victim assistance and mine risk reduction in accordance with both the International Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on their Destruction; and our commitment to disability inclusive development.
Australia's support for mine action in Afghanistan relies on partnering with local institutions and groups for delivery and monitoring, helping promote local ownership and increasing prospects for longer-term sustainability of activities.
A key feature of our support is incorporating the perspectives of people with disability. While reducing the number of active mines will help prevent new cases of disability, physical skills workshops for victims of mining and advocating for the inclusion of people with disability in Afghan communities has helped these people lead better lives.
In 2011, Australia's support to the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS)
- Helped clear 1,724,684 sq m of land in Ghor and Kandahar provinces
- Supported training, a mine action exchange with Tajikistan and Azerbaijan, and field visits for the Afghanistan Department of Mine Clearance
- Delivered mine risk education to 264,562 Afghans and enabled the collection of mine casualty records in 29 of 34 provinces
- Funded disability-inclusiveness victim assistance for 78,788 Afghans and physical skills workshops for children with disability
- Provided technical support to help the Physiotherapy Institute in Kabul deliver physical therapy classes for 58 enrolled students, upgrade the skills of 50 physical therapists, and provide physiotherapy services for 240 women and 302 men.
Australia will continue to support the work of UNMAS in mine clearance and mine risk education, and on the transition of mine action responsibilities in Afghanistan from the Mine Action Coordination Centre of Afghanistan to the Afghan Government's department of Mine Clearance (DMC), including taking steps to increase national capacity through the DMC.