gender-sensitive programming and linking mine action and development, including the Millennium Development Goals. Special attention is paid to assisting national authorities to comply with their obligations and commitments stemming from the Ottawa Treaty and other relevant instruments of international law. Land release: The Centre develops and implements safe and cost-effective land release methods for mine action, to be used by countries and programmes in the field. Examples of these are land release concepts that are tailored toward individual countries and that address a requirement for national policy, as well as operational concepts. The Centre also assists countries and organisations in the implementation of new and more efficient land release concepts. Information management: Mine action relies on evidence. For effective and efficient decision-making and priority setting in mine clearance operations it is crucial to collect accurate and timely data, compile and analyse that data, and provide quality information to support evidence-based planning. This requires a strong and reliable information management system. To this end, the GICHD developed the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA). IMSMA enables partners to leverage quality information for efficient, evidence-based decision making and reporting. IMSMA offers a series of integrated tools, such as mobile data collection, a database that adheres to International Mine Action Standards, and data analytic tools for mapping and reporting. GICHD constantly adapts IMSMA to the latest technology improvements. To support mine action actors at all levels of critical decisions the latest generation of IMSMA (IMSMA CORE) is built by configuring geographic information systems (GIS) tools primarily from Esri. IMSMA Core is a system of tools and processes that can be configured to fit national programmes’ specific operational and reporting requirements, which provide access to information to a wide range of stakeholders, foster information sharing and provide real time maps and reports on the extent of contamination. IMSMA Core is extremely powerful for advanced analytics, workflows, image processing, artificial intelligence and more. IMSMA Core offers all the key benefits of web GIS, while being specifically tailored to mine action and its workflows. Technical methods: The Centre provides mine action operators with technical advice and assistance, particularly in technical survey methodologies and management and use of clearance assets such as manual demining, machines and dogs. Knowledge management and dissemination Applied research: The Centre conducts applied research in cooperation with research organisations and field actors, generating valid and credible findings though studies on how different