The present report, covering the period from August 2011 to July 2013, is submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 66/69 , in which the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to submit a report to it at its sixty-eighth session on the implementation of that resolution and on follow-up to previous resolutions on assistance in mine clearance and mine action, including relevant United Nations policies and activities.
Peace and stability are essential prere quisites for socioeconomic development.
United Nations interventions and programmes in mine action continue to enable the protection of civilians, peacekeeping and political missions, humanitarian assistance, early recovery and development. Mine action enables the safe deployment of United Nations personnel, access for humanitarian aid, the safe return of refugees and internally displaced persons and their access to basic services. As a direct result of mine action, socioeconomic and development programmes can be implemented. The report demonstrates the relevance of mine action across key areas of United Nations work, including human rights and international humanitarian law. It describe s the activities and achievements of the 12 United Nations entities comprising the Inter-Agency Coordination Group on Mine Actionand their efforts to integrate mine action in each of those key areas.