Meeting of the Board of Donors for Mine Action Held – New Law in Focus

The Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in cooperation with the Demining Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Mine Action Centre of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHMAC), and with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), organized a regular semi-annual meeting of the Board of Donors for Mine Action.

The achieved results and key progress made in demining during 2025 were presented, and further steps in the continuation of this process were defined.

At the meeting, which was attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps, international organizations and domestic partners, the implementation of the Demining Plan was reviewed, particularly in the context of reduced international support caused by global crises.

It was confirmed that, owing to the strong engagement of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina and domestic institutions, the results of mine clearance in 2025 have significantly surpassed those achieved in 2024, despite numerous challenges. According to BHMAC quarterly reports and the current pace of demining, approximately 57 square kilometres of suspected hazardous area are expected to be cleared by the end of this year, which represents almost four times the area cleared in 2024.

The Minister of Civil Affairs, Dubravka Bošnjak, emphasized that the Ministry actively coordinates the work of all competent institutions with the aim of ensuring the stability of the demining process, organizing coordination meetings on the situation and challenges in mine action in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and requesting quarterly meetings between BHMAC and the competent authorities at all levels of government. This is particularly important in light of the announced termination of operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina by two major international organizations – Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) and the Mines Advisory Group (MAG).

“Our key objective remains a mine-free Bosnia and Herzegovina. Demining is one of the Ministry’s priorities, and we will continue to invest maximum efforts to accelerate the removal of the remaining mine threat in our country,” Minister Bošnjak underlined.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina requested a detailed report and a plan of measures from BHMAC, with the aim of maintaining continuity in demining and fulfilling the obligations defined in the Demining Plan for this and the following year, as well as in the Mine Action Strategy for the period 2025–2027.

A significant step forward has also been made in the field of legislation.

The Ministry submitted the Draft Law on Mine Action into the procedure for obtaining opinions from the competent institutions; the draft is also currently available to the public via the e-consultations portal.

For the first time, the Draft Law would regulate a system of stable mine-action financing by ensuring that at least 0.2% of the annual budget funds of the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the entities and the Brčko District are allocated to mine clearance until the mine threat in the country is fully eliminated.

Furthermore, the adoption of the 2025 Budget of the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina secured funds in the amount of BAM 650,000, as part of a multi-year project worth a total of BAM 2 million.

“Despite the late adoption of the 2025 Budget, the Ministry undertook all necessary actions in a timely manner to ensure that these funds, in cooperation with BHMAC and end-users, are fully utilized and translated into concrete demining projects on the ground. This confirms the country’s growing reliance on its own capacities,” Minister Bošnjak added.

The UNDP Resident Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Renaud Meyer, stated that significant progress achieved by the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the demining process is clearly visible.

“We are moving in the right direction. The commitment of the State is evident, both through the adoption of new legislative provisions and through the allocation of funds in the budget. However, this commitment and momentum are taking place at a time of reduced interest from the international community, which is why it is of particular importance that we act jointly,” Meyer stated.

The meeting participants agreed that further progress requires the strengthening of the capacities of domestic institutions, the digital transformation of demining processes, and stronger involvement of local communities in the financing of and support for mine action, alongside the continuation of partnership-based cooperation with international organizations.

At the meeting, conclusions were adopted emphasizing the need to strengthen the capacities of BHMAC and to implement the digital transformation of demining processes. Furthermore, the new Mine Action Law was welcomed.