Iraqi Permanent Representative to the United Nations Mohammed Hussein Bahr Aluloom (L, Rear), Director of the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) Agnes Marcaillou (C, Rear) and German Permanent Representative to the United Nations Christoph Heusgen (R, Rear), attend a press briefing on the occasion of the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action at the UN headquarters in New York, on April 4, 2018. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called for action on landmines and asked governments to provide political and financial support. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, April 4 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called for action on landmines and asked governments to provide political and financial support.

"Mine action is vital. Roads cleared of explosive devices enable peacekeepers to patrol and protect civilians. And when fields are cleared and schools and hospitals are made safe, normal life can resume," said Guterres in a video message to mark the International Day for Mine Awareness, which falls on Wednesday.

An unprecedented volume of landmines and unexploded weapons contaminates rural and urban war zones, maiming and killing innocent civilians long after conflict has ended, said Guterres.

"I urge all governments to provide political and financial support to enable mine action work to continue, wherever it is needed. In our turbulent world, mine action is a concrete step toward peace."

Agnes Marcaillou, director of the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), said Wednesday that the volume in explosive hazards, particularly improvised explosive devices (IEDs), has been on the rise.

"In today's immediate post-conflict environments and reconstruction settings, nothing can really be fully effective and successful unless the protection of civilians from the threat of explosive hazards is addressed," she told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York.

According to the UNMAS annual report for 2017, a total of 117,067 explosive remnants of war, 1,881 landmines and 972 IEDs were destroyed by the service. It also cleared 98 square km of land and 8,800 km of roads. More than 2 million people were impacted by explosive hazards in 2017, says the report.