CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -On 8 December 2005, the General Assembly declared that 4 April of each year shall be observed as the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.

Detailed explanation-2: -The International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action reminds us how far we have come in clearing the world of explosive remnants of war – and how far we still have to go. Exactly thirty years ago, civil society activists came together to launch the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.

Detailed explanation-3: -Significance. The world needs to be free from the dangers of landmines and explosives. So, the theme is highlighting “Safe Ground", concentrating on clearing Earth of landmines and other explosives to make it safe for development.

Detailed explanation-4: -Origins. The United Nations had been involved in mine action since it established the Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan in 1989. Additionally, in the early 1990s the organization was conducting various mine action activities in Cambodia, Angola, Bosnia and Mozambique as part of its Peacekeeping Operations.

Detailed explanation-5: -Antipersonnel landmines are explosive devices designed to be detonated by the presence, proximity, or contact of a person. Placed under or on the ground, they can lie dormant for years and even decades until a person or animal triggers their detonating mechanism.