Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan (MAPA)

The Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan (MAPA) started operations in 1989. Hence it is a mature program which has gained a great deal of experience during more than a decade of implementation. MAPA is financed from two main sources, the main one being UNOCHA, but funds are also passed from donors directly to individual NGOs. Consisting of the UN Mine Action Centre for Afghanistan (MACA), four UN Regional Mine Action Centres (RMACs), and 15 NGO implementing partners, MAPA has a total workforce of some 4800 Afghans and less than 10 expatriates.   Particularly, these organizations are:

• United Nations Mine Action Centre for Afghanistan (MACA)
• United Nations Mine Action Services (UNMAS)
• United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
• United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
• United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
• Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS)
• Agency for Rehabilitation and Energy Conservation (AREA)
• Ansar Relief Institute (ARI)
• Afghan Technical Consultants (ATC)
• BBC Afghan Education Project (BBC-AEP)
• Demining Agency for Afghanistan ( DAFA)
• Danish Demining Group (DDG)
• Handicap International (HIB)
• HALO Trust (HT)
• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
• Mine Clearance and Planning Agency (MCPA)
• Mine Detection and Dog Centre (MDC)
• Monitoring, Evaluation and Training Agency (META)
• Organization for Mine clearance and Afghan Rehabilitation (OMAR)
• Save the Children USA (SCF-US)

MAPA, in collaboration with its partner NGOs, has developed a substantial number of new survey, clearance, and operational management techniques and procedures in the past ten years which have led to significant increases in the operational outputs, reduction in operating costs and improved safety for mine clearance personnel. Many of these developments have been subsequently utilized or adopted by mine action programs in other mine-affected countries. MAPA has conducted a number of studies/trials to improve overall management and clearance efficiency in 2000. For contact information, please visit the UNMACA website.

Regions of MA operation

• Asia
• Middle East

Related mine action topics

• Detection and clearance
• Risk education
• Victim assistance