Episode Details

The deadly legacy of armed conflict continues to claim lives long after the fighting is over. As more and more conflicts take place in population centers, including large towns and cities, so does the grave toll of weapon contamination. Unexploded ordnance hamper movement and agriculture, block access to essential services and life-saving humanitarian assistance, and can reverse socio-economic development gains by decades. In this post, ICRC Legal Adviser Eirini Giorgou lays out the obligations under international humanitarian law (IHL) for States and non-State armed groups with regard to explosive remnants of war, along with recommendations for practical measures to ensure their effective implementation.