Embeddedness of Humanitarian Mine Action

In post-conflict situations, landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) have a devastating effect on the population, blocking sustainable development. The cost of the placement of a landmine is very low, the cost of the removal is very high. The annual number of casualties in the whole world is between 15.000 and 20.000 civilians. Even a suspicion of the presence of landmines can already have a devastating effect on communities and their social-economic well being. This research describes the evaluation of the humanitarian mine action (HMA) programs that are funded by the Netherlands for the period 1996-2004. The programs are evaluated specifically on their embeddedness into a broader development strategy. Embeddedness has increasingly attracted attention, because landmines and ERW are a direct threat to individuals and communities, but also indirectly by being a barrier for short-term emergency interventions and long-term development efforts. This research is specifically interesting for organizations in the HMA sector. The research is also relevant for other organizations in the development aid sector that work in countries that are contaminated.