ODA eligibility database

BiH remains heavily contaminated with landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) and is still considered one of the most landmine-affected countries in the world. Mine contamination jeopardises safe usage of basic resources such as agricultural land, forests, and woods. Mines also block access to key public services (education, and healthcare) and pose a constant threat for people living near mine fields, affecting, together with the cluster munitions, the lives of 650,000 people. Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) ratified the Mine Ban Treaty in 1998 and is required to destroy all antipersonnel mines by no later than 1st March 2019. BiH is highly unlikely to complete this goal: the progress in demining remains relatively slow (due notably to a lack of financial resources and a previous lack of engagement by the national authorities). Significant external support is needed to sustain and speed up mine action activities thus enabling land release for productive use by the affected population.

Through this project, Switzerland will contribute to improving the quality of life of the population in areas affected by mines and other explosive remnants of war. This will be achieved by speeding up and supporting more effective mine action activities in BiH thus creating preconditions for socio-economic development in the country. Specific activities include: - Adequate mine and cluster clearance interventions conducted in eight priority municipalities, needs assessment survey (pre- and post-intervention) realised in four communities; - Implemented targeted technical survey (two special detection dogs provided to the project partner in replacement of old ones); - BiH public mine action organisations trained for development and utilisation of targeted technical survey within land release; - BiH Armed Forces Demining Battalion provided with two additional special detection dogs (including adequate training of dog handlers) and with ten new high-quality metal detectors.

The population has safe access to land cleared of mines and cluster munitions and is given a perspective for socio-economic development. Furthermore, the BiH mine action authorities have additional resources and expertise as to implement more efficiently and effectively their international mine action obligations.

This activity is deemed ODA-eligible. Demining activities are only ODA-eligible when for civilian purposes (paragraph 107). The project will contribute to improving quality of life in the areas affected by mines and other explosive remnants and thus creating preconditions for socio-economic development in the country.