More than 100 million people worldwide are affected by landmines and explosive remnants of war, underlining the scale and persistent humanitarian impact of contamination in conflict-affected regions.
Against this backdrop, the 29th International Meeting of Mine Action National Directors and United Nations Advisers (NDM-UN29) took place from 22–24 April 2026 at the Geneva International Conference Centre (CICG). As the sector’s leading coordination platform, it brought together over 800 participants from 80 countries, including national authorities, UN agencies, NGOs, donors, private sector actors and academia.
Stakeholder engagement
For SINPROTEC, the event provided a valuable opportunity for direct engagement with the mine action community. Discussions with field practitioners, partners and technical specialists focused on operational priorities, practical challenges and collaboration across delivery environments. These exchanges continue to inform how capabilities are developed and aligned with real-world requirements.
A complex and challenging landscape
Across the programme, a clear theme emerged: the contamination landscape is becoming more complex and less predictable. Particular focus was placed on active conflict settings such as Ukraine, Syria and Gaza, alongside the growing challenges of explosive ordnance in urban environments, where access is limited and conditions shift rapidly. In this context, the need for integrated, deployable capability that performs reliably across the full task cycle remains critical.
Mine action was also framed within broader humanitarian response, development and stabilisation efforts, where safe access to land and infrastructure is essential for recovery. At the same time, discussions highlighted ongoing constraints, including limited funding and the increasing importance of data and information management in supporting prioritisation and operational decision-making. The emphasis throughout remained on practical outcomes: safer operations, clearer tasking and effective use of resources.
“Built By EOD operators, for EOD operators”
As one experienced EOD field expert noted, SINPROTEC’s solutions are “built by EOD operators, for EOD operators.” This approach is reflected in capabilities that suppo
rt the full EOD task cycle – integrating protection, reconnaissance, detection, marking and defe
at into coherent, deployable systems.
As explosive threats continue to grow in scale and complexity, forums such as NDM-UN29 remain critical to aligning capability development with operational reality and maintaining effective coordination across the mine action sector.
