Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The United Nations Mine Clearance Service (UNMAS) in Iraq welcomed a donation of DKK 14 million (over US$2 million) from the Danish government. A press statement issued by UNMAS supports the development of a sustainable and well-coordinated national mine action sector.
A generous donation from the Danish government will advance UNMAS efforts to facilitate the safe, dignified and voluntary repatriation of displaced communities, and advance recovery and reconstruction efforts through ongoing explosives clearance in contaminated areas. The statement said it would allow
Additionally, the donation will be used to strengthen the state-led mine action response, the statement said.
The contribution will also help strengthen the government’s mine action coordination mechanism and improve decision-making, the statement elaborated.
“I am very pleased that Denmark has once again contributed to UNMAS’s important work. It is also important for us to be able to make a living,” said Christian Thorning, the Danish Ambassador to Iraq.
After decades of war and conflict, Iraq is one of the most explosive weapons-contaminated countries in the world, according to the United Nations.
As of December 2022, there were approximately 2,236 square kilometers of contaminated land across Iraq. Since 2014, millions of Iraqis have been displaced, of whom nearly 1.2 million remain internally displaced, the UN says.