Fondation Suisse de Déminage (FSD) - Swiss Foundation for Mine Action

FSD is a not for-profit, independent and neutral organisation, based in Geneva. FSD aims to eliminates mines, unexploded ordnance, explosive remnants of war and chemical and nuclear pollutants so that people can live in a safe environment. FSD’s operations incorporate: The development and implementation of humanitarian demining operations, clearance and neutralisation of mines and unexploded ordnance, and, the destruction of stockpiles of mines and other arms and munitions; The remediation of hazardous pollutants such as legacy uranium tailings, organic pesticides, mercury and heavy metal pollutants and other toxic contaminations.  FSD focuses on the identification of these fundamental threats to human security and the elaboration of effective partnerships, which allows the formation of strategies and the implementation of physical operations to remediate such hazardous areas and to support the sustainable development of societies. New challenges in volatile transition After having concentrated for many years on mine action, FSD has observed a shift in the dynamic of humanitarian mine action operations in recent years. FSD has always worked in conflict environments that are increasingly fragmented and volatile, however the importance of integrated solutions and the coordination of mine action operations with other sectors is more and more important in an ever more demanding economic environment. In the execution of its work, FSD continually observes that natural disasters, environmental threats due to man-made disasters and climate change, urbanisation, migration and socio-economic crises all contribute to the exacerbation of situations of chronic hardship and present barriers to sustainable development. The more FSD can understand these factors and work with those integrated solutions, the more effective its operations will be.  This not only ensures that FSD’s core mine action and security sector reform activities manifest as real results for people and communities, but it also ensures that the results are not isolated and will be sustainable within a wider humanitarian support context.