Armed conflict remains a primary driver of hunger1, valuable farming equipment is being stolen, fields are being contaminated with explosive devices, and livestock and crops are being destroyed. Conflicts are also disrupting agriculture and trade, leading to shortages of essential supplies and food. There are 135 million acutely food insecure people in 20 countries (Global report on food crisis, 2024).

Across 67 countries and territories worldwide, explosive remnants of war pose a constant danger, scattered along roads, borders, and in farmlands. They endanger the lives of approximately 60 million people,2 with rural communities often being the most affected. 3 Long after conflicts have ended, the threat of explosive ordnance persists, causing casualties and disrupting the lives of affected communities.

In its biennial resolution on assistance in mine action (A/RES/78/70), adopted on 7 December 2023, the General Assembly noted that mines and explosive remnants of war constitute an impediment to land cultivation and local resilience (OP.3), and called on all relevant programmes to include activities related to mine action in their food security and development assistance activities (OP.9).

This session will explore best practices, challenges and opportunities for agricultural recovery and resilience in mine action with a meaningful participation of local and national actors in conflict contexts. In particular, this session will:

1. Share good practices and lessons learned in Ukraine, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Iraq, Colombia and other contexts to understand barriers and opportunities for integrated programming

2. Highlight core challenges and opportunities for linking mine action and food security that enhance local participation, leadership and accountability as well as a better environment.

3. Engage the audience in dialogue around effective strategies for advancing mine action and food security programming in crisis contexts and protracted crises across the globe.

In this session, participants will explore how to address barriers to food insecurity in partnership with affected communities, local and national actors and learn from successful programming, and share insights based on their own experiences through discussion and Q&A.

For further details about the session, please contact FAO Liaison Office in Geneva Senior Liaison Officer (Emergencies and resilience) Nourou Macki Tall at nouroumacki.tall@fao.org

Session Type: Panel

Target Audience: Humanitarian and development organizations and agencies working in fragile contexts, humanitarian response, and recovery; practitioners, policy leads, advocates, and others addressing food insecurity; donors with nexus, peace, mine action, humanitarian food assistance, food security and livelihoods portfolios.