Donor Committee for Mine Action: Faster Mine Clearance Requires Realistic Plans and Sustainable Funding

Today’s meeting of the Donor Committee for Mine Action was organized by the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in cooperation with the Bosnia and Herzegovina Mine Action Centre (BHMAC) and the Demining Commission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This was the fourth meeting of the Donor Committee since November 2024, ensuring continuity of dialogue with international partners and donors.

At the meeting, BHMAC presented data showing that more than 757 km² of mine-suspected areas continue to pose a threat to the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Minister of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dubravka Bošnjak, warned that the results of mine clearance are still not at the level required to meet the country’s commitments. In previous years, the implementation of annual plans was generally between 20 and 30 percent, indicating that plans were often not sufficiently realistic or supported by adequate financial and operational capacities.

In 2025, 52.43 square kilometres were cleared of mines, representing around 70 percent of the planned area. This marks visible progress compared to planning and implementation in previous years. During the first six months of 2026, 17 square kilometres were returned for safe use, representing 23 percent of the annual plan.

“The results show certain progress, but they are still not sufficient. More realistic plans are needed, along with clear responsibility for their implementation and better alignment of planned activities with available human, technical and financial capacities. A plan must not be merely a collection of individual expectations, but an implementable document based on which the performance of every participant in the process can be measured,” Minister Bošnjak emphasized.

In line with the conclusions of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina requesting BHMAC to prepare and submit a new request for an extension of the mine clearance deadline in a timely manner, BHMAC, in cooperation with the Demining Commission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, civil protection structures and international partners, prepared and submitted a new request for an extension of the mine clearance deadline to the competent international bodies.

The request envisages that, during the period from 2027 to 2032, approximately 55 km² of land will be returned annually to the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina for safe use.

The reduction of international funding, together with the cessation of activities of certain international organizations that have provided significant support to the mine action process for many years, further increases the responsibility of domestic institutions and all levels of government in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Minister Bošnjak emphasized that the Ministry of Civil Affairs has undertaken a series of activities aimed at ensuring more sustainable financing of mine action. These include the drafting of a new Law on Mine Action, which envisages systematic allocation of funds for mine clearance from the budgets of institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the entities and the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Draft Law underwent the e-consultation procedure, and after it was submitted to the relevant institutions for their opinions in December 2025, opinions were received from the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Security, the Ministry of Justice, the Directorate for European Integration, the Demining Commission, as well as the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Government of the Brčko District. The Government of Republika Srpska has still not submitted its opinion.

It is encouraging that the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the Government of the Brčko District, had no objections to the Draft Law, including the proposed minimum percentage of annual budget allocations for mine clearance.

The Ministry has also continued the implementation of the multi-year project for co-financing mine clearance costs, worth two million KM, through which local communities are encouraged to plan their own funds for mine action activities. For the upcoming medium-term period 2028–2030, an increase in the total value of the project to three million KM has been proposed.

Speaking about international cooperation, Minister Bošnjak emphasized that the Ministry is actively engaged in discussions with the Government of the Republic of Croatia on possibilities for transferring experience and professional capacities following the successful completion of the mine clearance process in Croatia.

“The experience of the Republic of Croatia can be extremely valuable for Bosnia and Herzegovina, particularly in the areas of planning, system organization, utilization of expert capacities and addressing the remaining mine-suspected areas. We are discussing concrete models of cooperation that can help make the process in Bosnia and Herzegovina more efficient and faster,” Minister Bošnjak said.

During the meeting, the Director of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Mine Action Centre (BHMAC), Enis Horozović, presented information on the mine clearance situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the implementation of the 2026 Mine Clearance Plan, activities related to the request for an extension of the deadline under the Ottawa Convention, and experiences from the intersessional meetings held in Geneva.

Representatives of international donors and partner organizations expressed their continued support for mine action in Bosnia and Herzegovina, emphasizing the importance of strengthening national capacities, ensuring sustainable financing and improving effective coordination among all institutions involved in the process.

Representatives of domestic institutions, international organizations, the diplomatic community and donors attended the meeting of the Donor Committee.