Do you want to know what the Mine Action Fellows were up to last year? Read our new report on their activities in 2025!

The Mine Action Fellows are a network of dedicated and experienced youth leaders who Mines Action Canada (MAC) supports in various capacities. The program is open to any youth who are working, volunteering, or interested in mine action, with a particular focus on young women from landmine and/or cluster munition affected countries. The Fellows receive monthly capacity building emails which keep them engaged and learning about disarmament, diplomacy, and leadership. Beyond these emails, the youth have opportunities to apply for small grants and participate in Forums which MAC organizes alongside relevant international meetings. The Forums give the Fellows the opportunity to learn how international meetings function, so that their valuable input can be heard by decision-makers. 

In 2025, Mines Action Canada hosted two Mine Action Fellows Forums alongside the Cluster Munition Convention and the Mine Ban Treaty Meetings of States Parties. The Fellows were busy lobbying a combined 50 states, speaking at Mines Action Canada's side event, and working on their final youth statements which were delivered on the final day of each Meeting of States Parties.

"Meeting other activists who share your beliefs and fight for the same things as you in other parts of the world is always invigorating. Speaking with States representatives helps us understand their logic and consequently helps us to have more confidence in lobbying in our own country. Furthermore, the learning sessions teach us even more about the world in the fight for disarmament; how such experienced people got to that point, and how we can work our way through it. In weeks like this, we can meet people we would hardly meet elsewhere.”

- Mine Action Fellow from Brazil who attended the Forum alongside the Cluster Munition Convention.

The Mine Action Fellows delivering their statement to the Convention on Cluster Munitions 13th Meeting of States Parties. 

In addition to the Forums, all Mine Action Fellows received a monthly learning email to increase their disarmament knowledge and promote connection with the youth network. The small grants program awarded two small grants to Fellows based in Uganda and Egypt, both community projects that promoted the implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty. 

The Mine Action Fellows program impacts youth around the world by providing them with the skills, support, and confidence to carry out activities in their home countries. To learn more about this extraordinary impact, read the 2025 report here!