In a region somewhere in South East Asia, I once did a field trip to a remote area that had stunning scenery, yet felt cursed to me. There was an entire area that had been mined for over 30 years, yet nothing had been done to clear it. So, villagers had come together and created their own community support system to tackle this issue. They did their own recognition and education, did their own kind of clearance and even developed their own tools (quite an inventive way to use

Libya has cleared millions of explosive remnants – yet released land often remains unused. When political fragmentation undermines trust in who certifies safety, operational success means little. What does it take for clearance to truly translate into recovery?

A new IMAS Testing and Evaluation Protocol for EORE promises clearer standards, stronger training pathways, and improved QA across the sector. But how well will it hold up in real-world implementation? This article explores why the protocol matters, where challenges may emerge, and how a few structural refinements could make it far more effective.

Audited financial statements are a common donor requirement, but they can quietly block many local NGOs from accessing funding. Why does this seemingly reasonable standard become a barrier to localisation? This article explores the structural problem and suggests a practical mentorship model to bridge the gap between donor compliance and local realities.