This glossary explains the terms most used in mine action, explosive ordnance disposal and ammunition stockpile management. Definitions summarise the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) – in particular the IMAS 04.10 glossary – and the United Nations International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG). The standards themselves remain the authoritative reference.
Mine action · Explosive ordnance · Explosive remnants of war · Unexploded ordnance · Abandoned explosive ordnance · Improvised explosive device · Humanitarian demining · Land release · Non-technical survey · Technical survey · Suspected hazardous area · Confirmed hazardous area · Clearance · Manual mine clearance · Mechanical demining · Battle area clearance · Explosive ordnance disposal · Quality assurance · Quality control · National mine action authority · Explosive ordnance risk education · International Mine Action Standards · International Ammunition Technical Guidelines · Physical security and stockpile management · Small arms and light weapons · Open burning and open detonation · Demilitarization
- Mine action
- Activities that aim to reduce the social, economic and environmental impact of explosive ordnance. IMAS groups them into five pillars: explosive ordnance risk education (EORE), humanitarian demining (survey, mapping, marking and clearance), victim assistance, stockpile destruction and advocacy against anti-personnel mines. Reference: IMAS 04.10
- Explosive ordnance (EO)
- The umbrella term used in mine action for mines, cluster munitions, unexploded ordnance, abandoned ordnance, booby traps, other devices and, when cleared for humanitarian purposes after hostilities, improvised explosive devices. Reference: IMAS 04.10
- Explosive remnants of war (ERW)
- Unexploded ordnance (UXO) and abandoned explosive ordnance (AXO), as defined by Protocol V of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW). Reference: IMAS 04.10 / CCW Protocol V
- Unexploded ordnance (UXO)
- Explosive ordnance that has been primed, fuzed, armed or otherwise prepared for use, or used – fired, dropped, launched or projected – and that remains unexploded through malfunction, design or any other reason. Typical UXO are shells, bombs, rockets, grenades and submunitions. Reference: IMAS 04.10
- Abandoned explosive ordnance (AXO)
- Explosive ordnance that was not used during an armed conflict, was left behind or dumped by a party to the conflict, and is no longer under that party's control. It may or may not be primed, fuzed or armed. Reference: IMAS 04.10 / CCW Protocol V
- Improvised explosive device (IED)
- A device fabricated in an improvised manner that incorporates explosives. In mine action, IEDs that meet the definition of mines, booby traps or other devices fall within scope when they are cleared for humanitarian purposes in areas where active hostilities have ceased. Reference: IMAS 04.10
- Humanitarian demining
- The pillar of mine action that removes explosive ordnance hazards so that land can be used safely: non-technical and technical survey, mapping, marking, clearance, documentation and handover of released land. Reference: IMAS 04.10
- Land release
- The process of applying all reasonable effort to identify, define and remove all presence or suspicion of explosive ordnance through non-technical survey, technical survey and/or clearance. The criteria for “all reasonable effort” are set by the national mine action authority. Reference: IMAS 07.11
- Non-technical survey (NTS)
- Collection and analysis of data, without intrusive intervention, on the presence, type, distribution and environment of explosive ordnance contamination, to define where contamination is and is not present and to support land release decisions. Reference: IMAS 08.10
- Technical survey (TS)
- Collection and analysis of data using appropriate intrusive interventions – detection, excavation, machines – to confirm the presence, type, distribution and boundaries of explosive ordnance contamination and support land release decisions. Reference: IMAS 08.20
- Suspected hazardous area (SHA)
- An area where there is reasonable suspicion of explosive ordnance contamination on the basis of indirect evidence. Reference: IMAS 04.10
- Confirmed hazardous area (CHA)
- An area where the presence of explosive ordnance contamination has been confirmed on the basis of direct evidence. Reference: IMAS 04.10
- Clearance
- Tasks or actions that ensure the removal and/or destruction of all explosive ordnance from a specified area to a specified depth or other parameters agreed with the national authority. Reference: IMAS 09.10
- Manual mine clearance
- Clearance by deminers working in marked lanes with detectors, prodders and excavation tools, investigating every signal. See our manual mine clearance page. Reference: IMAS 09.10
- Mechanical demining
- The use of machines – flails, tillers, vegetation cutters, armoured ground-preparation equipment – in demining operations, usually verified by manual or animal detection teams. See mechanical mine clearance. Reference: IMAS 09.50
- Battle area clearance (BAC)
- The systematic and controlled clearance of hazardous areas where the hazards are known not to include mines – typically former battlefields contaminated by UXO. Reference: IMAS 09.11
- Explosive ordnance disposal (EOD)
- The detection, identification, evaluation, render safe, recovery and disposal of explosive ordnance, whether as part of clearance, for items found outside hazardous areas, or for ordnance made hazardous by deterioration or damage. In French: NEDEX (neutralisation, enlèvement, destruction des explosifs). Reference: IMAS 09.30
- Quality assurance (QA)
- The part of quality management that provides confidence that requirements will be met: in demining, checking that management practices and procedures are appropriate, applied and effective. It combines internal QA by the operator and external monitoring. Reference: IMAS 07.12
- Quality control (QC)
- The part of quality management that inspects the finished product – in humanitarian demining, the cleared land – before it is handed over. Reference: IMAS 07.12
- National mine action authority (NMAA)
- The government body responsible for regulating, managing and coordinating mine action in a country, including national standards, accreditation of operators and acceptance of released land. Reference: IMAS 04.10
- Explosive ordnance risk education (EORE)
- Activities that reduce the risk of death and injury from explosive ordnance by raising awareness and promoting safe behaviour among affected communities. Reference: IMAS 12.10
- International Mine Action Standards (IMAS)
- The United Nations-endorsed standards that guide the planning, implementation and management of mine action programmes worldwide. National mine action standards are generally derived from them. Reference: mineactionstandards.org
- International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG)
- United Nations guidelines, published through UN SaferGuard, for the safe and secure management of conventional ammunition stockpiles, from storage and accounting to destruction. Reference: UN SaferGuard
- Physical security and stockpile management (PSSM)
- The measures that keep conventional weapons and ammunition safe, secure and accounted for: depot infrastructure, explosive safety distances, access control, record-keeping, surveillance of ammunition and disposal of surplus. See PSSM. Reference: IATG
- Small arms and light weapons (SALW)
- Portable weapons designed for use by one person (small arms) or by a small crew (light weapons), and their ammunition. SALW control aims to prevent their loss, diversion and illicit trafficking. Reference: UN
- Open burning and open detonation (OBOD)
- The destruction of ammunition and explosives in the open, by burning (typically propellants) or by detonation (typically high-explosive items), on a prepared demolition site. See OBOD & demilitarization. Reference: IMAS 11.20
- Demilitarization
- The complete range of processes that render weapons, ammunition and explosives unfit for their originally intended purpose, including dismantling, recycling and destruction. Reference: IATG 10.10
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