Syria: HLP Guidance Note for Mine Action (2018)

PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THE GUIDANCE NOTE

Recognising the challenges for mine action in the current Syrian context, this guidance note aims to support humanitarian mine action implementers to conduct housing land and property (HLP) Due Diligence in order to:

• Achieve as much legal certainty about HLP rights1 as is reasonable in the context of remote management, taking into account existing constraints on access, resources and time.
• Minimize, as much as possible, the risk that mine action programming causes or contributes to HLP disputes to ensure that the conduct of mine action activities and resource allocation protects rights and complies with Do No Harm principle2
• Ensure conflict sensitive and gender sensitive programming, while respecting the “Principles and Parameters for United Nations assistance in Syria”3 .

The guidance note seeks to provide a set of underlying principles and requirements that will apply to mine action activities across all of Syria, with the understanding that the HLP issues that mine action organizations are likely to encounter will vary depending on the location. It aims to ensure that HLP is taken into account during the different phases of mine action operations, while encouraging mine action operators to work in close collaboration with HLP experts should they encounter any HLPrelated issue.

Given the ongoing conflict and the fluidity of the situation in Syria, the Mine Action Sub Cluster will assess new information as it arises. Finally, it is important to acknowledge that Syria remains in the midst of an ongoing war. The political dynamics remain fluid and it is necessary to constantly seek out and assess new information. Lack of access remains a significant constraint, and information gaps will likely persist for the foreseeable future. This guidance highlights the findings from humanitarian workers, but also points out that there is still much that is not understood, and that analysis will be needed on an ongoing basis.