This Week in Global Development

Special Episode: A Conversation with the Mines Advisory Group

Date: October 14, 2025
Host: Raj Kumar (Devex) | Guest: Darren Cormack (CEO, Mines Advisory Group)

Episode Overview

This special episode celebrates the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) as the latest recipient of the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize—the world’s largest annual humanitarian award. Host Raj Kumar (Devex President & Editor-in-Chief) sits down with Darren Cormack (MAG CEO) to discuss MAG’s global impact in landmine clearance, why the issue matters now more than ever, the challenges facing humanitarian action in a shifting geopolitical context, and how unrestricted funding can be a catalyst for innovation and staff empowerment.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Significance of the Hilton Humanitarian Prize

• MAG is “honored and humbled” to win the 2025 Hilton Humanitarian Prize, marking a moment of recognition for the thousands of staff who risk their lives every day to clear landmines globally ([01:00]).
• The acknowledgment comes at a challenging moment for the humanitarian sector, amplifying the importance of work that often goes unnoticed.

Notable Quote:

“It’s a humbling and galvanizing, if not occasionally tiring, few days here in New York.”
— Darren Cormack ([01:05])

2. Personal Impact & the Human Cost of Landmines

• Raj Kumar recounts his own introduction to the dangers of landmines as a young humanitarian worker in Bosnia in the mid-1990s, underscoring the long-term, multigenerational effects of unexploded ordnance ([02:43]).
• Cormack highlights staggering statistics: In 2023, 6,000 people were killed or injured by landmines, with 80% being civilians and 40% of those children ([03:32]).

Notable Quote:

“That’s the civilian price of conflict that we’re still seeing... either we clear a landmine or somebody steps on them. They’re the only two ways of dealing with this problem.”
— Darren Cormack ([04:44])

3. The Evolving Landmine Crisis & New Geopolitical Realities

• Landmines and explosive remnants remain a growing problem, exacerbated by new conflicts in Syria, Sudan, Gaza, and Ukraine—returning the world to casualty levels not seen since the 1990s ([04:52]).
• Shifts in international humanitarian law, backsliding on disarmament treaties, and erosion of norms present fresh barriers to progress.

Notable Quote:

“We’re seeing challenges in respect to international humanitarian law... Those long-held norms are being eroded... States have positioned themselves. Disarmament treaties, including the Mine Ban Treaty, have been under threat.”
— Darren Cormack ([05:00])

4. The Economic and Global Development Ripple Effect

• MAG’s work unlocks not just safety, but economic opportunity. For example, landmine clearance in Ukraine is vital for global food security since Ukraine is the “breadbasket of the world” ([06:13]).
• Landmine contamination restricts agricultural productivity, stunts livelihoods, and impacts food imports worldwide, showing the issue is far from niche ([06:47]).

Notable Quote:

“It seems like it’s actually pretty fundamental in a lot of these countries.”
— Raj Kumar ([06:49])

5. How MAG Delivers Land Clearance Safely

• MAG adheres to strict international mine action standards and prioritizes knowledge sharing among operators for best practices in dealing with new or improvised explosive devices ([08:51]).
• Techniques range from new mechanical tools to “no-touch” mines (detonated in place), with community-based teams combining discipline, training, and local participation ([10:33]).

Memorable Anecdote:
Cormack spotlights Jeanette, a field team leader from Angola, illustrating how local leadership and discipline underpins MAG’s effectiveness ([09:50]).

6. Adapting to Innovation: Technology and Process Change

• MAG is testing drones, AI, and survey technology in Ukraine, where vast areas are contaminated ([11:44]).
• However, innovation also means process improvements—like clearing to different depths or redefining “mine-free” vs. “metal-free”—to make clearance more efficient and pragmatic ([12:59]).

Notable Quote:

“We’re trying to find ways to reduce the inefficiency of... what ultimately we need to be digging as few holes as possible to find mines, so we get to mines rather than incorrect signals.”
— Darren Cormack ([13:13])

7. Making the Case for Mine Action Amid Funding Shortfalls

• With humanitarian budgets under pressure, Cormack articulates a three-part rationale for investing in mine action ([13:47]):
  1. Moral Imperative: Saving civilian lives, especially children.
  2. Development Argument: Enables humanitarian access, farming, schooling, and safe return for displaced people.
  3. Diplomatic/Political Leverage: Tangible results build public and political confidence in aid.

Notable Quote:

“…our lens of looking at this will always be through that civilian protection, gender and… We’ll continue to uphold those, but work practically with states to clear landmines before a child finds them, ultimately.”
— Darren Cormack ([21:39])

8. The Unrestricted Prize: What It Means for MAG

• The $3 million Hilton Prize is “game-changing” (and “unusual”) because it is entirely unrestricted, allowing for innovation and internal investment—not just program delivery ([16:34]).
• Cormack wants to involve staff in deciding how the funds are used, encouraging ideas that can improve efficiency or field operations.

Notable Quote:

“What would make you... What do I not feel as a CEO because I’m slightly sheltered from it that is really causing you a headache?”
— Darren Cormack on engaging staff ([18:38])

9. The Backsliding of Disarmament Norms

• MAG is grappling with increased mine use, threats of countries leaving key treaties (Ottawa, Cluster Munitions), and a retreat from humanitarian norms ([19:57]).
• Despite setbacks, MAG continues to advocate for adherence to international humanitarian law and tells the stories of affected communities to keep awareness high.

10. Upholding the Humanitarian Mandate in a Changing World

• Both Cormack and Kumar emphasize that the Hilton Prize is a “spotlight” that can influence the global conversation.
• The platform will be used to remind the world that the landmine threat is ongoing and deeply connected to broader issues of conflict, displacement, and development ([22:47]).

Notable Quote:

“Children are curious. I worry about my children playing on the street and the worst they’re going to get is a grazed knee. This is a different, very different set of concerns to so many millions of people around the world.”
— Darren Cormack ([23:16])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Hilton Prize—Personal Reflections: [01:00] – [02:39]
• The Human Toll of Landmines: [03:32] – [04:44]
• New Conflicts & Rising Casualties: [04:52] – [06:06]
• Landmine Clearance & Economic Development: [06:13] – [08:34]
• How MAG Clears Landmines & Ensures Safety: [08:51] – [10:33]
• Technology, AI, Drones in Mine Action: [11:25] – [13:13]
• Why Mine Action Matters to Policy-makers: [13:26] – [16:34]
• Impact of Unrestricted Prize Funding: [16:34] – [19:51]
• Backsliding in Disarmament and Norms: [19:51] – [22:19]
• Leveraging Spotlight for Advocacy: [22:19] – [23:28]

Memorable Moments & Quotes

“Either we clear a landmine or somebody steps on them. They’re the only two ways of dealing with this problem.”
— Darren Cormack ([04:44])

“The funding challenges that the sector at large has experienced... The humanitarian system’s overwhelmed, no question. And I think we need to leverage and attract new forms of finance generally.”
— Darren Cormack ([16:55])

“Children are curious. I worry about my children playing on the street and the worst they’re going to get is a grazed knee. This is a different, very different set of concerns to so many millions of people around the world.”
— Darren Cormack ([23:16])

Final Thoughts

This episode illuminates how landmine action is foundational to humanitarian relief, development, and even global stability. The conversation with MAG’s CEO brings to life the scale, complexity, and importance of their work, while candidly discussing both the pressures and possibilities opened by major, unrestricted funding. As the Hilton Prize’s global focus aligns with resurgence in landmine-affected conflict zones, the message is clear: The legacy and current reality of landmines is an urgent, multifaceted challenge requiring innovation, advocacy, and sustained international commitment.