The United Nations Mine Action Program was awarded the 2008 Nansen Refugee Award on Monday in recognition of its landmine clearing operations in south Lebanon. In the course of five weeks in 2006, Israeli forces scattered between 2.6 and 4 million cluster bombs in south Lebanon, according to the UN Refugee Agency. These bombs scatter smaller unexploded munitions, such as landmines, and can kill or maim long after a conflict has ended. “Chris Clark and his Lebanese and international staff in the UN Mine Action Program in southern Lebanon have worked courageously to clear southern Lebanon of the remnants of war and cluster bombs,” said Antonio Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “Through their painstaking work and devotion, the teams created the conditions for a safe and dignified return home to almost one million displaced Lebanese,” he added. The Nansen Refugee Award is given to an individual or organization for outstanding work on behalf of refugees. It includes a US$100,000 prize that the winner can donate to a cause of their choice.
