What do the European Union and the Smurfs have in common? Both identify with the colour blue, and both care deeply about the health of our blue planet. And now they are shaking hands to clean up beaches across the world and encourage people to protect our ocean!

34-year-old taxi driver Omar Musa, was amongst 40,000 Libyans who, together with his family, had to flee from the city of Tawergha after the 2011 revolution in Libya. People were living in dire conditions in camps spread across the country. Seven years later, Omar was finally able to return home. “When I arrived I was not aware of the danger that I faced. However, I found billboards and posters on the walls near the entrance of the city with emergency phone numbers to report any explosive remnants of war. I did not really understand what that meant at the time." Indeed, in such situations, the EU supports projects to raise awareness about unexploded ordnances and mines, and to help clear people’s properties so that they can return safely home.