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As the fiscal year closed at the end of September 2022, I took stock of some of the incredible accomplishments of our conventional weapons destruction program. After deadly landmines are removed and booby-traps and improvised explosive devices are cleared, wheat fields are now ready for harvesting, children can run to school on a path, families can return to their partially destroyed homes, and elephants are able to migrate through grasslands. Elsewhere, man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) and small arms and light weapons were secured or destroyed to prevent terrorists from acquiring them and attacking civilians. These are just some of the successes the U.S. Conventional Weapons Destruction Program achieves day after day, year after year, one step at a time. In fiscal year 2022, the United States again answered the call to confront the threats of landmines, unexploded ordnance, and unsecured small arms and light weapons, to make this world a better place. The dedication of all those involved in the removal of these hazards and securing weapons must be commended and applauded every time a life is saved due to their efforts. These successes are well documented in this year’s To Walk the Earth in Safety.

While conducting its unlawful war and full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has intentionally polluted massive swaths of the country with landmines, explosive remnants of war, and improvised explosive devices. The Government of Ukraine estimated that, as of September 2022, 160,000 square kilometers of its land may have been contaminated—this is roughly the size of the states of Virginia, Maryland, and Connecticut combined, or nearly twice the size of Austria. These explosive hazards impede reconstruction, prevent displaced people from returning home, and continue to kill and maim Ukraine's innocent civilians. The United States is helping the Government of Ukraine address this urgent humanitarian challenge. U.S. funding supports humanitarian demining teams and is enabling a large-scale train and equip project to strengthen the Government of Ukraine’s demining and explosive ordnance disposal capacity.

One glaring consequence of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine is that farmers have lost their livelihoods waiting for landmine-riddled fields to be cleared so that they can once more supply the world with much-needed wheat, corn, and barley. Global food security has become a keystone of U.S. conventional weapons destruction efforts, and not just in Ukraine. For example, in Iraq, where the United States supports massive demining and battle area clearance programs, farmers can return to their land for the first time since Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) occupation and harvest wheat, one of the most lucrative crops there. In Serbia and elsewhere in the Balkans, U.S. demining efforts are enabling homeowners to tend once again to their backyard vegetable gardens and forage for mushrooms in the woods, supplementing their diets and providing extra income too.

We continue to chronicle in this year’s edition of To Walk the Earth in Safety how the United States empowers women to work in the humanitarian demining sector, including by leading demining teams in Vietnam, Sri Lanka and elsewhere. Women who work in peace and security positions, as part of demining teams or by providing explosive ordnance risk education, are a critical part of the process of post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation. These women bring valuable perspectives to every endeavor, including conventional weapons destruction, with solutions often rooted in strengthening communities through inclusion and empowerment of all.

Environmental resiliency and conservation are a high priority for this Administration, and we have highlighted this effort in several stories included in this edition of To Walk the Earth in Safety. For example, in Zimbabwe we have cleared land so that wildebeests and other wildlife may roam freely without the threat of stepping on a landmine. The result will be a thriving ecosystem, safe wildlife migration, and economic development resulting from increased eco-tourism.

It is with all these goals in mind that I come to work not only as a public servant, but as a mother who wants all children to enjoy the beauty and peace this world has to offer. Every child, adult, and animal should be able to walk the earth in safety!

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Stockpiles of excess, poorly-secured, or otherwise at-risk conventional weapons continue to challenge peace and prosperity worldwide. In the wrong hands, small arms and light weapons, including more advanced types such as man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), fuel political instability and violence and threaten international security. Aging ammunition stockpiles may also explode without warning, devastating nearby population centers and causing extensive contamination that can degrade soil and water sources. Meanwhile, landmines, improvised explosive devices, and explosive remnants of war, including cluster munition remnants, unexploded artillery shells and mortar shells, kill and maim people decades after conflicts end. Clearing land enables stabilization assistance, allowing displaced persons to return home, economic revitalization to begin, and political stability to take root. U.S. clearance and disposal efforts are returning land to productive use, while helping ensure air, soil, and water is clean and safe to use. These critical efforts help foster food security and climate resilience in communities affected by explosive hazards.

The U.S. Government’s Collaborative Approach

The United States is committed to reducing these threats worldwide and is the leading financial supporter of conventional weapons destruction, providing more than $4.6 billion in assistance to more than 120 countries and areas since 1993. The Department of State, Department of Defense, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) work together with foreign governments, private companies, international organizations, and nongovernmental organizations to reduce excess small arms and light weapons and conventional munitions stockpiles (including MANPADS), implement best practices for physical security and stockpile management at conventional weapons storage sites, and carry out humanitarian mine action programs.

In fiscal year 2022, Department of State invested over $319 million* in conventional weapons destruction programs globally. It also led the U.S. interagency MANPADS Task Force, which coordinates counter-MANPADS efforts by the Departments of State, Defense, Homeland Security, and other relevant stakeholders, and helps partner nations eliminate or better secure the MANPADS they retain. In addition to these Department of State-led efforts, the Department of Defense Humanitarian Demining Training Center trains deminers, ammunition handlers, and stockpile managers from partner countries. The Department of Defense Humanitarian Demining Research and Development Program improves conventional weapons destruction technologies, enhancing the efficiency and safety of humanitarian demining around the world. USAID also assists survivors of landmine and explosive remnants of war, providing medical and rehabilitative care through the Leahy War Victims Fund.

Department of State Support for Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Department of State has managed more than 75 percent (more than $3.4 billion) of the United States’ contribution to conventional weapons destruction since 1993, with a three-fold objective:

• Enhance U.S. and international security by destroying and securing small arms and light weapons, including MANPADS, at risk of proliferation to terrorists, insurgents, and other violent non-state actors;
• Improve stability and prosperity by clearing landmines and explosive remnants of war and returning land to productive use;
• Build trust and deepen relationships with key partners to accelerate achievement of broader U.S. foreign policy objectives.

Robust project performance standards, enhanced monitoring and evaluation strategies, and a comprehensive program planning process guide the State Department’s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement’s decisions and hold implementing partners accountable.

The measurable, tangible results that flow from the U.S. Government’s commitment to CWD strongly support U.S. foreign policy priorities. In addition, these programs help protect the lives and livelihoods of civilians so they can more safely remain in their own countries.

*Initial planned allocations

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Countries with U.S. funded conventional weapons destruction activity in FY 2022:

• Afghanistan
• Angola
• Armenia
• Azerbaijan
• Caribbean Region
• Benin
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Burkina Faso
• Burma
• Cambodia
• Chad
• Colombia
• Congo, DR
• Côte d'Ivoire
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Ecuador
• Estonia
• Gaza Strip area
• Georgia
• Iraq
• Kazakhstan
• Kenya
• Kyrgyz Republic
• Laos
• Lebanon
• Libya
• Malawi
• Mauritania
• Moldova
• Morocco
• Nepal
• Niger
• Pakistan
• Palau
• Papua New Guinea
• Peru
• Senegal
• Serbia
• Sierra Leone
• Somalia
• Sudan
• South Sudan
• Solomon Islands
• Sri Lanka
• Tanzania
• Tajikistan
• Thailand
• Timor-Leste
• Togo
• Uganda
• Ukraine
• Vietnam
• West Bank area
• Yemen
• Zimbabwe

Countries that received U.S. support in the past:

• Argentina
• Bahrain
• Belize
• Bolivia
• Bulgaria
• Central African Republic
• Chile
• Congo, Republic of
• Czechia
• Dominican Republic
• Egypt
• Equitorial Guinea
• Eritrea
• Ethiopia
• Fiji
• The Gambia
• Guinea
• Haiti
• Hungary
• India
• Jamaica
• Kiribati
• Lesotho
• Liberia
• Lithuania
• Mali
• Marshall Islands
• Mexico
• Micronesia
• Nigeria
• Oman
• Paraguay
• Philippines
• Romania
• Sao Tome and Principe
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Surname
• Syria
• Tuvalu
• Uruguay
• Uzbekistan

Countries that are mine-impact free and received U.S. conventional weapons destruction support in FY2022:

• Albania
• El Salvador
• Guatemala
• Guinea-Bissau
• Honduras
• Jordan
• Kosovo
• Montenegro
• North Macedonia
• Rwanda

Countries that are mine-impact free and received U.S. conventional weapons destruction support in the past:

• Burundi
• Costa Rica
• Djibouti
• Eswatini
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Nicaragua
• Tunisia

FY2022 U.S. conventional weapons destruction measurable accomplishments:

• 174,670,025 square meters (43,161 acres) land cleared.
• 69,306,346 square meters (17,126 acres) land released.
• 16,561 explosive ordnance disposal callouts.
• 37,564 landmines destroyed.
• 200,112 explosive remnants of war destroyed.
• 9,099 ied or components cleared or destroyed.
• 3,436,037¹ explosive ordnance risk education recipients.
• 53,714 survivor assistance recipients.
• 3,938 metric tons of unserviceable ammunition destroyed.
• 730 small arms and light weapons marked.
• 14,165 small arms and light weapons destroyed.
• 223 MANPADS, ATGMs or components destroyed.
• 775 personnel trained in stockpile management.
• 428 personnel trained in explosive ordnance disposal.
• 103 armories built or rehabilitated.
• 50 implementing partners.

1. This total reflects the number of recipients reached through in-person risk education. Mor than 18 million additional recipients were reached through social media in Ukraine.

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Article and images contributed by Drew Prater, Master EOD Technician. Edited by The Center for International Stabilization and Recovery, and the Department of State.

The United States is committed to assisting countries around the world that are contaminated with landmines and explosive remnants of war to make their land safe and productive again. This requires painstaking clearance work to detect, identify, render safe, and/or destroy explosive hazards, often in very austere environments. The people who do this lifesaving work are called explosive ordnance disposal operators / technicians, or humanitarian deminers. They come from countries worldwide, and some receive their training during military service, while others are trained by nongovernmental organizations and commercial companies.

The International Mine Action Standards provide specifications and guidance for the conduct of explosive ordnance disposal operations. These standards are a United Nations endorsed set of best practices for humanitarian mine action activities that are updated regularly based on lessons learned, and technological and procedural advancements. While the standards do not provide specific technical guidance for the disposal of particular types of explosive ordnance, they categorize training levels for operators into four distinct level—Levels 1, 2, 3 and 3+, with 3+ as the highest level of training.

Explosive ordnance disposal Level 1 is the basic level of explosive ordnance disposal training, which teaches the operator to locate, expose, and destroy in place the specific individual munitions upon which they have been trained. Individuals with Level 1 qualification may only perform this work under carefully controlled and supervised circumstances. The explosive ordnance disposal Level 1 operator can also function as a team member, assisting Level 2 and 3 operators on tasks requiring additional support.

Level 2 is the intermediate level of explosive ordnance disposal training. An explosive ordnance disposal operator with Level 2 qualification may perform all Level 1 tasks, as well as determine when it is safe to move and transport munitions. They can also conduct simultaneous disposal of multiple munitions but are still limited to those specific munitions upon which they have been trained. A Level 2 operator is qualified to conduct tasks in all environments with the written approval of an explosive ordnance disposal operator with Level 3 or above qualification.

The explosive ordnance disposal Level 3 qualification allows the operator to perform all Level 1 and 2 tasks, conduct procedures to render explosive hazards safe from unintended detonation, and control the final disposal of a wide range of specific types of explosive ordnance on which the individual has been trained. Level 3 operators can also authorize an explosive ordnance disposal Level 2 operator to perform tasks in various environments. As with Level 1 and Level 2 qualification, operators may only work with specific types of munitions on which they have been trained.

Explosive ordnance disposal Level 3+ is the most advanced explosive ordnance disposal qualification, with the operator achieving competency in one or more of the following subjects: 1) advanced explosive theory; 2) bombs; 3) clearance of damaged tanks and other armored fighting vehicles; 4) basic chemical munitions and procedures; and 5) bulk demolitions and guided weapons. These competencies may be taught individually, meaning an explosive ordnance disposal Level 3+ operator qualification does not necessarily mean that training in all five skill sets has been received.

The U.S. Department of State requires that all operators engaged in humanitarian demining and battle area clearance funded by the U.S. Government be qualified according to International Mine Action Standards. By adhering to the International Mine Action Standards, nongovernmental organizations and companies funded by U.S. taxpayers can build competent teams to achieve the common goal of making land that was once contaminated with explosive hazards safe and productive again.

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Nongovernmental Organizations Headquartered in the United States

Catholic Relief Services (CRS), established in 1943, is the official overseas relief and development agency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. For more than a decade, Catholic Relief Services has worked to reduce the risk of injury or death from unexploded ordnance in Vietnam and trained children, teachers, parents, and community members in explosive ordnance risk education. http://crs.org

Development Alternatives Inc. is a U.S. based nongovernmental organization that works with national and local governments, bilateral and multilateral donors, private corporations, and philanthropies around the world to address fundamental social and economic development problems caused by inefficient markets, ineffective governance, and instability. https://www.dai.com/

The Golden West Humanitarian Foundation (GWHF) is a United States-based nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to innovation in training and technology, and overcoming limitations in humanitarian mine action operations. Golden West provides expert explosive ordnance disposal and physical security and stockpile management consulting, International Mine Action Standards and International Ammunition Technical Guidelines compliant training, and technology making humanitarian mine action safer, faster, and more cost effective. http://goldenwesthf.org

The Marshall Legacy Institute (MLI) is a Virginia-based nonprofit organization founded to help restore hope, alleviate suffering, and nurture stability in war-torn countries. Marshall Legacy Institute has established indigenous programs in 15 mine-affected countries that help rid them of landmines and their lasting impact. http://marshall-legacy.org

Momentum for Humanity (formerly United Cerebral Palsy of Los Angeles/Wheels for Humanity) is a California nonprofit founded in 2007 that helps people with mobility impairments maximize their independence and quality of life by building and strengthening rehabilitation services, including assistive technologies. https://turn4humanity.org/

PeaceTrees Vietnam is a Seattle-based nongovernmental organization founded in 1995 as a grassroots effort to bring peace, friendship, and renewal to the people of Quang Tri, one of the most war-torn provinces of Vietnam. PeaceTrees’ work includes mine and unexploded ordnance clearance, explosive ordnance risk education, survivor assistance, scholarships to landmine survivors and their families, and community restoration projects. http://peacetreesvietnam.org

The Polus Center for Social & Economic Development, established in 1979, is a Massachusetts-based nonprofit nongovernmental. The organization partners with public and private foundations to address the impact of mines and unexploded ordnance on communities around the world. http://poluscenter.org

World Education, Inc., a Massachusetts-based nonprofit organization, was founded in 1951 to meet the needs of the educationally disadvantaged and provides training and technical assistance in non-formal education across a wide array of sectors. World Education has worked to support survivor assistance, explosive ordnance risk education, and disability inclusion. http://worlded.org

International and Foreign Nongovernmental Organizations

Accessibility Organization for Afghan Disabled is a nonprofit and nonpolitical nongovernmental organization working for persons with disabilities along with their immediate family members as a peer-support, advocate organization founded in 2007 in Kabul, Afghanistan. https://aoad-af.page.tl/Home.htm

Afghan Technical Consultants, established in 1989, was the first humanitarian demining nongovernmental organization in Afghanistan endorsed by the United Nations. Afghan Technical Consultants work to reduce civilian casualties and enable land release through detection, clearance, and explosive ordnance risk education. http://atc-wlfhdngo.org.af

Agency for Rehabilitation and Energy Conservation in Afghanistan (AREA) is a non-governmental, non-political, non-profit developmental organization that envisions the achievement of peace and stability in Afghanistan through empowering communities at the grassroots level. https://area-org.af/

APOPO, established in 1995, is a registered Belgian nongovernmental organization and U.S. non-profit that trains sub-Saharan African pouched rats and mine detection dogs to help detect landmines, returning safe land back to communities for development so they can proceed with their lives. https://apopo.org/en

Arcangeles Foundation is a nonprofit working to improve the living conditions of vulnerable populations in Colombia. Its main objective is to achieve social inclusion and to ensure for future generations an inclusive and sustainable world. https://arcangeles.org/

The Colombian Campaign Against Landmines monitors fulfillment of the Ottawa Convention on behalf of the Colombian Government, compiles reports each year for the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor, and supports survivor assistance and explosive ordnance risk education. https://colombiasinminas.org/

DanChurchAid (DCA) is an independent ecumenical humanitarian organization based in Copenhagen, Denmark, that provides humanitarian assistance and mine action programs combining explosive ordnance risk education, mine clearance, and community-development activities. http://dca.dk

Delvon Assistance for Social Harmony (DASH) is a Sri Lankan humanitarian demining organization founded in 2010 to increase the safety and security of people living in mine-affected areas through the removal and destruction of mines and unexploded ordnance. To support sustainable post-conflict recovery, the organization strives to employ displaced persons, especially widows and female heads of households. http://slnmac.gov.lk/services/de-mining/current-demining/dash.html

The Demining Agency for Afghanistan (DAFA), formed in 1990, is an Afghan humanitarian mine clearance organization. The organization's mission is to clear all hazardous and mine-contaminated areas in Afghanistan by committing resources to humanitarian demining, clearance for road reconstruction, local government-sponsored construction plans, and disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration. https://dafa.af

Free Fields Foundation is a neutral, nonprofit, humanitarian mine action organization founded in 2012 and based in Tripoli, Libya. Free Fields Foundation is accredited by the Libyan Mine Action Centre to conduct explosive ordnance risk education, non-technical survey, explosive ordnance disposal and battle area clearance. https://freefields.org

The HALO Trust (HALO) is the world’s largest humanitarian landmine removal organization. Its mission is to protect lives and restore livelihoods for those affected by conflict. HALO employs more than 8,600 staff and operates in over 25 countries and territories. HALO’s work, clearing landmines and other debris of war, creates safe and secure environments in some of the world’s most vulnerable communities. https://www.halotrust.org/

Humanitarian Disarmament and Peacebuilding (HDP), formerly Danish Demining Group, is a humanitarian mine action and armed violence reduction unit within the Danish Refugee Council, a non-profit and nongovernmental organization working to protect and provide long-lasting solutions to communities affected by war and armed conflict. https://drc.ngo/our-work/what-we-do/core-sectors/humanitarian-disarmament-and-peacebuilding/

Humanity & Inclusion works with persons with disabilities and other vulnerable populations in situations of conflict, natural disaster, exclusion, and extreme poverty. The organization implements mine action programs, working to clear mines and unexploded ordnance from civilian areas, providing explosive ordnance risk education programs, and rendering assistance to those who have been injured. https://www.hi-us.org/

Information Management and Mine Action Programs (iMMAP) is an international nonprofit nongovernmental organization that provides targeted information management support to partners responding to complex humanitarian and development challenges. iMMAP’s expertise in data collection, analysis, and presentation supports the decision-making process for its diverse, multi-sector partners. http://immap.org

The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) is a coalition of NGOs whose stated objective is a world free of anti-personnel mines and cluster munitions, where mine and cluster munitions survivors see their rights respected and can lead fulfilling lives. http:// www.icbl.org/en-gb/home.aspx

ITF Enhancing Human Security (ITF) is a humanitarian nonprofit organization established by the Republic of Slovenia Government in March 1998. ITF focuses on humanitarian mine action, conventional weapons destruction, and other forms of post-conflict assistance and continues to expand its thematic and geographic scope of activities globally. https://www.itf.si

Mines Advisory Group (MAG) began operations in Afghanistan in 1989. In association with its U.S. partner MAG America, UK-based Mines Advisory Group is a humanitarian organization working in countries affected by conflict and insecurity to clear mines and unexploded ordnance, implement conventional weapons stockpile management and destruction programs, provide explosive ordnance risk education, and offer capacity-building support. https://www.maginternational.org

The Mine Clearance Planning Agency (MCPA) is an Afghan nongovernmental organization founded in 1990 specializing in landmine impact and post-clearance surveys, technical survey and battle area clearance, polygon surveys, and mine- and unexploded ordnance-impact free community surveys. The agency provides manual, mechanical, and mine detection dog clearance, explosive ordnance disposal, explosive ordnance risk education, mine action training, and management information systems for mine action programs. https://www.mcpa.org.af/contact/

The Mine Detection Center (MDC) was established in 1989 with the goal to free Afghanistan from the impacts of mines and unexploded ordnance so that individuals and communities can live in a safe environment conducive to national development. The center clears contaminated land and safely destroys mines and unexploded ordnance using a variety of assets and techniques. https://www.mdcafghan.org/

The Mine Detection Dog Center (MDDC) in Bosnia and Herzegovina trains dogs to detect landmines, explosives, narcotics, and to conduct search and rescue operations, and trains dog handlers and trainers. Currently dogs work in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq, Lebanon, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Angola, Turkey, and other Southeast European countries. The center is also involved in humanitarian demining, explosive ordnance risk education and mine survivor assistance. http://www.mddc.ba/

Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA), a Norwegian nongovernmental organization, was founded in 1939 on the principles of solidarity, dignity, peace, and freedom. For more than 20 years, the organization has implemented mine action programs in more than 40 countries and territories. http://www.npaid.org

The Organization for Mine Clearance and Afghan Rehabilitation (OMAR) was established in 1990 to teach Afghan refugees and internally displaced Afghans about the dangers of mines and unexploded ordnance. In 1992, the organization expanded its operations to mine clearance, hiring and training more than 1,500 deminers in manual and mechanical demining, battle area clearance, explosive ordnance disposal, and working with mine detection dogs.

Results for Development (R4D) is a global nonprofit founded in 2008 that supports local change agents—government officials, civil society leaders, and social innovators—to drive reforms and engage in continuous improvement. https://r4d.org/

Skavita Humanitarian Assistance and Relief Project (SHARP) is a Sri Lankan nongovernmental organization based in Colombo that conducts humanitarian demining activities. skavita.sl@gmail.com

Spirit of Soccer (SOS), founded in 1996, is a UK- and U.S.-registered nonprofit that uses soccer/football skills clinics and tournaments to educate children about the dangers posed by mines and unexploded ordnance in conflict and post-conflict regions. Spirit of Soccer has created explosive ordnance risk education courses in post-conflict countries including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Colombia, Iraq, Jordan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Laos, Sri Lanka, and Moldova. http://spiritofsoccer.org

The Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD) was established in 1997 and has worked in over 30 countries worldwide for the last 23 years. The overall objective of the foundation is to clear contaminated land of explosive contamination and to promote mine action in general; the foundation aims to mitigate the social, economic, and environmental impacts of landmines and environmental contamination worldwide. https://fsd.ch/en

Government and International Organizations

The International Committee of the Red Cross’s (ICRC) Physical Rehabilitation Program (PRP), formerly the ICRC MoveAbility Foundation was established in 1983 under the International Committee of the Red Cross and aims to improve physical rehabilitation capacities in low- and middle-income countries by maintaining and increasing access to quality and sustainable services. https://www.icrc.org/en/document/moveability-liquidation

International Organization for Migration (IOM), founded in 1951, helps ensure the orderly and humane management of migration, and provides humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, be they refugees, displaced persons, or other uprooted people. http://www.iom.int/

NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), NATO’s integrated logistics and services provider, implements U.S. funded CWD programs in Bulgaria and Slovakia. NSPA also implemented the NATO Partnership for Peace Trust Fund in Ukraine which closed this year in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion, NSPA has also worked on physical security and stockpile management and conventional weapons destruction programs in several countries including Albania, Azerbaijan,Jordan, Mauritania, and Serbia. https://www.nspa.nato.int/

The Organization of American States (OAS) was established in 1948 with the goal of encouraging sustainable peace, justice, solidarity, collaboration, integrity, and independence among the nations of the Americas. The organization supports a regional approach to demining programs in the Western Hemisphere and executes conventional weapons destruction programs. https://oas.org

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is the world’s largest regional security organization with 57 participating states in Europe, Central Asia, and North America. The organization offers a forum for political dialogue and decision-making in the fields of early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management, and post-conflict rehabilitation. http://osce.org

The Regional Centre on Small Arms in the Great Lakes Region, Horn of Africa, and Bordering States (RECSA), established in 2005, helps build the capacity of its 15 African member countries, and coordinates and monitors the implementation of the Nairobi Protocol signed in April 2004. Its mission is to coordinate action against small arms and light weapons proliferation in the Great Lakes region, Horn of Africa, and bordering states. RECSA’s vision is a safe and secure sub-region in a peaceful continent, free from arms proliferation. http://recsasec.org

The Tajikistan National Mine Action Center (TNMAC) is a state institution under the government of the Republic of Tajikistan established in January 2014 to coordinate all mine action-related projects. muhabbat.ibrohimzoda@tnmac.gov.tj

The United Nations Development Program/Southeastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (UNDP/SEESAC) works to strengthen the capacities of national and regional stakeholders to control and reduce the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons, advance gender equality, facilitate regional cooperation and thus contribute to enhanced stability, security, and development. https://www.seesac.org

The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), established in 1997 by the UN General Assembly, is housed in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions. It is the coordinator for the Inter-Agency Coordination Group on Mine Action, which brings together working-level representatives of 12 UN mine action organizations to set priorities among UN participants and share information, and sets up and manages mine action coordination centers as part of peacekeeping operations. https://www.unmas.org/en

United Nations Regional Center for Peace, Disarmament, and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) is the UN regional entity specialized in disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation in the Latin American and Caribbean region. Its main function is to assist States to implement international instruments and commitments in these fields. https://unlirec.org/en/

United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), established in 1973, helps advance sustainable implementation practices in development, humanitarian, and peacebuilding contexts in some of the world’s most challenging environments. Support is concentrated in areas where it has a clear mandate and expertise: infrastructure, procurement, project management, human resources, and financial management services. https://www.unops.org/

The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The organization’s broad mandate includes advocating for universal healthcare, monitoring public health risks, coordinating responses to health emergencies, and promoting human health and well-being. https://www.who.int/

Academic Institutions

The Center for International Stabilization and Recovery (CISR), was established at James Madison University in 1996. Through its publications, training courses, fellowships, and web tools, the center supports information exchange within the humanitarian mine action and conventional weapons destruction communities. CISR produces To Walk the Earth in Safety, and publishes The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction, which was first published in 1997 and is the longest-running source of information on conventional weapons destruction in the world. CISR Website

The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), formed in 1998, supports the ongoing improvement of mine action performance. The Centre enables national authorities, mine action organizations, and other partners to do their jobs better by furthering knowledge, promoting norms and standards, and developing capacity. http://gichd.org

Johns Hopkins University-Bloomberg School of Public Health, based in Baltimore and founded in 1916, works with communities and populations to identify the causes of disease and disability, and implement large-scale solutions. https://www.publichealth.jhu.edu/

Small Arms Survey (SAS), based at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland, serves as the principal international source of public information on all aspects of small arms and armed violence, providing a valuable resource for governments, policymakers, researchers, and civil society. http://smallarmssurvey.org

Contractor

Tetra Tech is a leading provider of consulting and engineering services for projects worldwide. With 20,000 associates working together, Tetra Tech delivers clear solutions to complex problems in water, environment, infrastructure, resource management, energy, international development, and munitions response. https://www.tetratech.com/en/markets/international-development/services/stabilization/munitions-response

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From 1993 through 2022, the United States contributed more than $4.6 billion for conventional weapons destruction programs in more than 120 countries or areas. The following charts provide a consolidated view of the United States’ funding for conventional weapons destruction globally. Budget figures for fiscal year 2021 (October 1, 2020–September 30, 2021) and prior years reflect actual allocations, while budget figures for fiscal year 2022 (October 1, 2021–September 30, 2022) reflect, with a few exceptions, initial planned allocations. The 23rd edition of To Walk the Earth in Safety will include updated figures for fiscal year 2022 that reflect the final allocations.

*Initial planned allocations

**Activity funded via FY20 Global/Multi-Country funding

Table 6‑2 U.S. conventional weapons destruction history by source.

Footnotes for funding history charts:

1. In FY19, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras began receiving funding as a region.
2. Serbia and Montenegro split into two countries in 2007.
3. The “Sudan and South Sudan” budget line reflects the total funding for Sudan until 2011, when the country split into Sudan and South Sudan. The separate funding lines for “Sudan” and "South Sudan” reflect their respective separate funding totals since 2011.
4. DOS - Other includes a variety of DOS funding sources.

DoD funds include OHDACA, the Research Development Test and Evaluation fund, the Humanitarian Assistance - Excess Property Program and the Iraq Relief and Construction fund. All U.S. Central Command demining-centric activities for FY10 were conducted with Theater Security Cooperation funding, not funding from U.S. OHDACA.

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