Summary

The Lebanese community and the refugee community are suffering from a legacy contamination in Lebanon where a significant number of lands in the Bekaa, South, Mount Lebanon and other areas of   Lebanon are still contaminated by landmines, cluster munitions and other explosive remnants of war (ERW). The issue of contamination has been further compounded in 2017 following the defeat of terrorist groups in the North-Eastern border region that was contaminated mainly with improvised explosive devices (IEDs).This proposed project focuses on empowering the Lebanon Mine Action Center (LMAC) - the responsible body for the execution and coordination of the Lebanon Mine Action Programme (LMAP) on behalf of the Mine Action Authority - and enabling it to sustainably manage and address the humanitarian and development impact posed by mines, Explosive Remnants of War and Cluster Munitions. The overall objective is to significantly attenuate the impact of contamination risks through the promotion of resilient adaptable government institutions.

Background

The issue of mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) in Lebanon has resulted from over four decades of conflict, leading to widespread land contamination. By the end of 2023, approximately 24 million square meters of land remained contaminated, 75% of which could potentially be used for agriculture.

Contamination has severe humanitarian and socio-economic impacts. A 2019 UNDP socio-economic study estimated that ERW contamination could cost Lebanon $600 million in lost economic opportunities by 2027, primarily due to the inability of communities to use their land for agriculture and other livelihoods.

Despite these challenges, the study also found that every dollar invested in mine action yields $4.15 in socio-economic benefits, demonstrating the significant impact of clearance activities on improving community conditions.

Recent developments, such as the North-Eastern Border conflicts, the Syrian refugee crisis, the Government of Lebanon's decision to start Blue Line clearance operations, the severe economic crisis, social and political unrest, the Beirut port explosion, and the Covid-19 crisis, have expanded the scope of mine action. The influx of Syrian refugees, many of whom settled near contaminated areas, has increased mine accidents and casualties, with about 30% of recent victims being refugees.

The infiltration of terrorist groups in the North-Eastern border area led to extensive contamination with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), necessitating clearance operations from 2017 up until 2023, when LMAC declared the North-Eastern area free from IEDs. Additionally, in 2016, the Government of Lebanon initiated clearance operations along the Blue Line, a 118 km   stretch between Lebanon and the occupied Palestinian territories, which contains over 1,000 minefields  and requires substantial resources for clearance. Due to recent aggressions on Lebanon's southern borders, the ongoing conflict in 2023 has resulted in unknown unexploded remnants.

Since 2010, UNDP has been supporting LMAC to enable it to implement the LMAP and its strategy, while concurrently promoting the capacity of army personnel to adopt a humanitarian approach rather than a pure military approach. The support of an international body such as UNDP with experience in mine action and capacity building of Lebanese public institutions was necessary since local organizations and institutions had very little capacity to take on this responsibility. UNDP has provided assistance, inter alia, on the coordination with communities, the entry and aggregation of data, quality control and quality assurance of clearance operations (QA/QC), the development and update of national mine action standards, reporting in line with Lebanon’s international obligations, Mine Risk Education, Mine Victims Assistance and LMAC’s involvement in the Arab Regional Cooperation Program (ARCP). 

The EU generously funded UNDP’s support to LMAC for 10 years ending in 2019 with the following objective: “The LMAC empowered and enabled to sustainably manage and address the humanitarian and development impact posed by mines.”  A critical achievement was the establishment of the Regional School for Humanitarian Demining in Lebanon (RSHDL), aimed at serving Lebanon and neighboring countries affected by conflicts.

In collaboration with UNDP, LMAC developed a comprehensive 5-year strategy (2020-2025)    for the Mine Action Program. This strategy, created through a participatory approach involving national and international stakeholders, aims to advance the sector through a coordinated effort. The strategy was reviewed in 2024 to ensure ongoing relevance and effectiveness.

Additionally, UNDP supported the creation of the Mine Action Forum in 2018, a coordination and partnership mechanism to promote the implementation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM). This forum, with UNDP as secretariat, has facilitated multiple meetings to enhance collaboration and advocacy in mine action.

In 2021, the Netherlands initiated funding for the UNDP project titled 'Addressing the Humanitarian and Development Impact Posed by Mines, Cluster Munitions, and Explosives Remnants of War.' This support is directed towards enhancing LMAC's institutional strength, capacity building, and advocacy efforts.