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UN PhotoGENEVA / LEBANON MINE ACTION
STORY: GENEVA / LEBANON MINE ACTION
TRT: 04:46
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 10 APRIL 2025, GENEVA SWITZERLAND / FILE
FILE - UNDP - 13 MARCH 2025, CHABRIHA, SOUTHERN LEBANON
1. Various shots, deminer working in field
10 APRIL 2025, GENEVA SWITZERLAND
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen Robinson Mine Action Senior Policy Adviser at United Nations Development Program (UNDP):
“One of the tragedies of the current situation is that Lebanon was actually very close to declaring itself free of cluster munitions from the 2006 conflict and was very close, actually winding down its mine action program and obviously, part of the work of the LMAC and the UNDP and UNICEF support to the LMAC, is probably going to be going now for another few, you know, at least another decade or so.”
FILE - UNDP - 13 MARCH 2025, CHABRIHA, SOUTHERN LEBANON
3. Wide shot, controlled detonation of explosive ordnance (EXO)
10 APRIL 2025, GENEVA SWITZERLAND
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen Robinson Mine Action Senior Policy Adviser at United Nations Development Program (UNDP):
“To date, since we had access, the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Mine Action NGOs have cleared just over 250,000 items that since access was granted, they've been able to clear and take away from the communities. And that's a mixture of unexploded ordnance, is a mixture of abandoned ordnance that the fighters would just leave as they as they move positions.”
FILE - UNDP - 13 MARCH 2025, CHABRIHA, SOUTHERN LEBANON
5. Closeup, deminer working in contaminated area
10 APRIL 2025, GENEVA SWITZERLAND
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen Robinson Mine Action Senior Policy Adviser at United Nations Development Program (UNDP):
“We will confirm what the anecdotal evidence is, once we have hard evidence that we can then back up with photographs and statistics. But anecdotally, yeah, we are expecting to see white phosphorus.”
FILE - UNDP - 13 MARCH 2025, CHABRIHA, SOUTHERN LEBANON
7. Wide shot, deminer working in contaminated area
10 APRIL 2025, GENEVA SWITZERLAND
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen Robinson Mine Action Senior Policy Adviser at United Nations Development Program (UNDP):
“White phosphorus has been used, you know, since the First World War. So, the Mine Action community has actually got a good history in dealing with white phosphorus munitions. And the organizations that deploy onto the ground have SOPS. And again, go back to that training and equipment to actually deal with white phosphorus munitions.”
FILE - UNDP - 13 MARCH 2025, CHABRIHA, SOUTHERN LEBANON
9. Wide shot, deminers working in contaminated area
10 APRIL 2025, GENEVA SWITZERLAND
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen Robinson Mine Action Senior Policy Adviser at United Nations Development Program (UNDP):
“There's a number of areas that we can't go into because of security reasons. And that's either imposed by the LAF or, or the IDF. So, there are definitely restrictions, based on our safety and the state security.”
FILE - UNDP - 13 MARCH 2025, CHABRIHA, SOUTHERN LEBANON
11. Med shot, deminer
10 APRIL 2025, GENEVA SWITZERLAND
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen Robinson Mine Action Senior Policy Adviser at United Nations Development Program (UNDP):
“This year, we've had seven casualties, all injured and all men. That doesn't sound a lot, but that's pretty much the same as the complete year before and even the complete year before that. So, in one quarter alone, we've had pretty much the same number of casualties as we would expect annually for the past few years.”
FILE - UNDP - 13 MARCH 2025, CHABRIHA, SOUTHERN LEBANON
13. Various shots, deminer at work
10 APRIL 2025, GENEVA SWITZERLAND
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen Robinson Mine Action Senior Policy Adviser at United Nations Development Program (UNDP):
“It's very easy to say that areas dangerous don't go there. But when you're a Lebanese family returning to your home and you need to go into your field to start planting your crops, or you need to try and get your family goods from a destroyed house, that's the decision you make based on the information that you have. And those luckily enough, you know, for me, this is not a decision that I have to make, but a lot of Lebanese families are having to make that decision on whether to go into somewhere that it's potentially dangerous against their own survival.”
FILE - UNDP - 13 MARCH 2025, CHABRIHA, SOUTHERN LEBANON
15. Wide shot, deminers in the field
10 APRIL 2025, GENEVA SWITZERLAND
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen Robinson Mine Action Senior Policy Adviser at United Nations Development Program (UNDP):
“We are seeing a lot more urban damage. And working within urban areas is technically more complex than it is with open fields. So, that at a technical level means that things are going to move slower. And, you know, time, we don't have time. So, I think the technical complexities are that we are seeing a much more urban nature. The funding is always an issue. So, although we don't need a lot of money, we need predictable funding.”
FILE - UNDP - 13 MARCH 2025, CHABRIHA, SOUTHERN LEBANON
17. Close up, DANGER – MINES sign
10 APRIL 2025, GENEVA SWITZERLAND
18. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen Robinson Mine Action Senior Policy Adviser at United Nations Development Program (UNDP):
“We need a stable Lebanon, for a table Middle East. And part of that stability is very much making sure that the mine action activities happen to then enable stabilization, food development, children to go back to school, schools to be rebuilt, families to go back and rebuild their home. So, the Mine Action sector is important as a precursor to facilitate everybody else's work.”
FILE - UNDP - 13 MARCH 2025, CHABRIHA, SOUTHERN LEBANON
19. Wide shot, deminer at work
Mine Action Senior Policy Adviser at United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Stephen Robinson said, we need a stable Lebanon, for a stable Middle East and part of that stability is very much making sure that Mine action Activities happen.”
In an interview with UN News, Robinson said, “one of the tragedies of the current situation is that Lebanon was actually very close to declaring itself free of cluster munitions from the 2006 conflict and was very close, actually winding down its mine action program.”
Robinson said the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Mine Action NGOs “have cleared just over 250,000” away from the communities. He explained this included “a mixture of unexploded ordnance, is a mixture of abandoned ordnance that the fighters would just leave as they as they move positions.”
Asked about the use of white phosphorus by the Israeli Forces in Lebanon, the UNDP official said “we will confirm what the anecdotal evidence is, once we have hard evidence that we can then back up with photographs and statistics. But anecdotally, yeah, we are expecting to see white phosphorus.”
He noted that “white phosphorus has been used, you know, since the First World War. So, the Mine Action community has actually got a good history in dealing with white phosphorus munitions. And the organizations that deploy onto the ground have SOPS. And again, go back to that training and equipment to actually deal with white phosphorus munitions.”
Asked about access restrictions, Robinson said, “there's a number of areas that we can't go into because of security reasons. And that's either imposed by the LAF or, or the IDF. So, there are definitely restrictions, based on our safety and the state security.”
This year, he said, “we've had seven casualties,” noting that this is “the same as the complete year before and even the complete year before that. So, in one quarter alone, we've had pretty much the same number of casualties as we would expect annually for the past few years.”
Robinson said, “it's very easy to say that areas dangerous don't go there. But when you're a Lebanese family returning to your home and you need to go into your field to start planting your crops, or you need to try and get your family goods from a destroyed house, that's the decision you make based on the information that you have. And those luckily enough, you know, for me, this is not a decision that I have to make, but a lot of Lebanese families are having to make that decision on whether to go into somewhere that it's potentially dangerous against their own survival.”
Asked about challenges, Robinson said, “we are seeing a lot more urban damage. And working within urban areas is technically more complex than it is with open fields. So, that at a technical level means that things are going to move slower. And, you know, time, we don't have time. So, I think the technical complexities are that we are seeing a much more urban nature. The funding is always an issue. So, although we don't need a lot of money, we need predictable funding.”
To conclude, he said, “we need a stable Lebanon, for a table Middle East. And part of that stability is very much making sure that the mine action activities happen to then enable stabilization, food development, children to go back to school, schools to be rebuilt, families to go back and rebuild their home. So, the Mine Action sector is important as a precursor to facilitate everybody else's work.”
The recent escalation of violence between Lebanon and Israel has left widespread devastation, and many unexploded weapons in residential and agricultural areas. These hidden threats, remnants of both past and ongoing hostilities, have once again become a significant concern for civilians living in border areas.
Throughout previous conflicts, including the 2006 war and more recently in 2023, Israel's military operations have left behind thousands of landmines and unexploded weapons across Lebanon’s southern regions.
