Meeting the Challenge National Ownership in Mine Action

The policy brief examines the transition of mine action from international management to national authority, focusing on the roles of government, civil society, and capacity building. Through case studies of Mozambique, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Afghanistan, it argues that national ownership is often hindered by donor-driven funding, a lack of early accurate data, and weak institutional structures. The document concludes that there is no universal recipe for ownership and recommends flexible, coordinated strategies that prioritize local capacity mapping and strategic national planning over rapid operational deployment.

• National ownership in mine action is generally characterized by three interrelated components: formal government integration (policy and financial responsibility), civil society involvement (legitimacy and local engagement), and capacity building (the means to manage affairs).
• In Mozambique, national ownership has been undermined by weak state institutions and donor strategies that bypassed national authorities in favor of commercial companies and NGOs, leading to a potential collapse of support as major operators withdraw by the end of 2006.
• Bosnia and Herzegovina has achieved relatively strong governmental ownership through the integration of mine action into national institutions, such as the BHMAC structure and a 2002 demining law, though it still struggles with a lack of comprehensive country-wide mine assessments and a divided civil society.
• Afghanistan's mine action program has succeeded through strong civil society ownership and a pioneer approach to systematic landmine surveys, despite the absence of a national mine action authority and a long history of deteriorating state institutions.
• A critical barrier to national ownership is the tendency of donors to prioritize rapid operational clearance over the slower processes of data gathering, capacity mapping, and the development of national strategic plans.
• To foster sustainable ownership, the document recommends that donors prioritize national ownership over other conditionalities, establish unified central coordination mechanisms, and engage local civil society actors in formulating the direction of mine action.

APA

Kjellman, K. E., & Harpviken, K. B. (2006). Meeting the Challenge National Ownership in Mine Action. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/c0c23414-ba5d-41a9-963d-75485d204732/Meeting-the-Challenge-PRIO-Policy-Brief-1-2006.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Kjellman, Kjell Erling, and Kristian Berg Harpviken. Meeting the Challenge National Ownership in Mine Action. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2006. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/c0c23414-ba5d-41a9-963d-75485d204732/Meeting-the-Challenge-PRIO-Policy-Brief-1-2006.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kjellman |first1=Kjell Erling |last2=Harpviken |first2=Kristian Berg |title=Meeting the Challenge National Ownership in Mine Action |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=2006 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/c0c23414-ba5d-41a9-963d-75485d204732/Meeting-the-Challenge-PRIO-Policy-Brief-1-2006.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kjellman2006meeting, author = {Kjellman, Kjell Erling and Harpviken, Kristian Berg}, title = {{Meeting the Challenge National Ownership in Mine Action}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2006}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/c0c23414-ba5d-41a9-963d-75485d204732/Meeting-the-Challenge-PRIO-Policy-Brief-1-2006.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }