The increasing use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in a growing number of contexts has led to the issue featuring more and more prominently on disarmament and security policy agendas. In particular, the scale and intensity of the regional conflict involving Da’esh in the Middle East has seen the use of improvised munitions on an unprecedented scale, further amplifying the priority attached to IEDs as a policy issue.
Addressing the challenges IEDs pose to the military, commercial and humanitarian stabilisation of affected countries requires that various stakeholders work together as effectively and efficiently as possible. To support this aim this meeting:
- Explored the nature of the challenge posed by IEDs to the stabilisation of countries in the Middle East and North Africa
- Provided an opportunity to discuss how to maximise operational effectiveness in the region
- Examined the lessons which can be learnt from past initiatives in the region and other parts of the world
