Digital Commons Network^™

Working To Prevent And Reduce The Impact Of Armed Violence In Coastal West Africa, Clément Meynier

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In recent years, West Africa has experienced an alarming escalation in violence, leading to dramatic cost to human life and political instability in the region. The Sahelian states, encompassing Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, have seen a surge in deaths and injuries due to armed conflicts and violence, with a majority of violent events happening within fifty kilometers of their shared borders.[1] Conflicts and unrest have caused widespread displacement, with millions fleeing their homes. As part of his New Agenda for Peace, in July 2023, the United Nations Secretary-General highlighted how the proliferation, diversion, and misuse of small arms …

Department Of State's Quick Reaction Force: Twenty-Three Years Of Service, Charlie Holloway

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

For the past twenty-three years, the United States has provided rapid responses to landmine and munitions/explosives related emergencies in some of the most vulnerable populations around the world. Initiated with a group from Mozambique, the Quick Reaction Demining Force (QRDF) was designed by the U.S. Department of State to rapidly respond to landmine emergencies. Presently, its response capacity has expanded to include experts in battle area clearance (BAC) and physical security and stockpile management (PSSM). These professionals volunteer for deployments on short notice to address emergencies globally. The Department of State Quick Reaction Force (QRF), managed by the Political/Military Bureau …

The Journal Of Conventional Weapons Destruction Issue 27.2 (2023), The Journal Of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

• Updates on recent enhancements to IMAS.
• Food security and its connection to mine action as it applies to Ukraine.
• Digital EORE as a small NGO in mine action.
• A case study on moving beyond "do no harm" in environmental mainstreaming in mine action.
• Efforts of JICA and CMAC in fostering South-South cooperation in mine action.
• UAV Lidar imaging in mine action to detect and map minefields in Angola.
• Land disputes and rights in mine action.
• Computer vision detection of explosive ordnance.

Imas: An Overview Of New And Amended Standards, Abigail Hartley, Lionel Pechera, Sasha Logie

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

New and existing International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) doctrine (including standards, technical notes for mine action, and test and evaluation protocols) are developed and regularly updated to ensure that IMAS remain fit for purpose to support mine action programs in reducing the risk of explosive ordnance (EO) to affected populations. This article provides a summary of the most recent IMAS publications to enable mine action organizations and authorities to stay up to date with the latest IMAS developments.

Inspiring The Next Generation Of Humanitarian Mine Action Researchers, Madison Tuohy, Eva Greenspan, Sofia Fasullo, Jasper Baur, Gabriel Steinberg, Linda Zheng, Alex Nikulin Phd, Garrett M. Clayton Phd, Timothy De Smet Phd

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Accessible pdf attached.

Humanitarian mine action (HMA) is a critically under-researched field when compared to other hazards fields of similar societal impact. A potential solution to this problem is early exposure to and engagement in the HMA field in undergraduate education. Early undergraduate education emphasizing technical and social aspects of HMA can help protect lives by building a robust pipeline of passionate researchers who will find new solutions to the global explosive ordnance (EO) crisis. Early engagement of the next generation of HMA researchers and policy makers can occur through various classroom experiences, undergraduate research projects, and public outreach events. …

The Bigger Picture: Considerations Toward The Sustainable Localization Of Mine Action, Mark Wilkinson Ph.D., Albert Schevey, Ahmed Al Zubaidi Phd

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Accessible pdf attached.

DanChurchAid (DCA) is an international nongovernmental organization (INGO) at the forefront of mine action interventions globally. Currently working in nine countries around the world through projects that have a specific focus on the pillars of mine action, DCA supports a plethora of activities seeking to promote the delivery of an integrated programming approach across the triple nexus, bringing humanitarian interventions, development work, peacebuilding, and advocacy initiatives closer together. This approach is used to bridge the gap between policy and practice at all levels and ensure long-term impact and sustainability.[1] A key element of the DCA global …

Missed Opportunities: A Chance To Develop Synergy Between Humanitarian Mine Action And Humanitarian Forensic Action, Patrick Nowak

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article aims to identify the opportunities for synergy that exist globally between humanitarian mine action (HMA) and humanitarian forensic action (HFA) through the lens of their specific objectives. Moreover, it recommends how best to leverage existing touchpoints and establish networks between the two disciplines; explores the access and placement that can enhance both mine action and forensic objectives; shows how subject-matter experts currently remain underutilized in explosive mitigation missions and human remains recovery operations; and indicates how to remedy that through combined efforts.

New Conventional Eod And Iedd Competency Standards For Mine Action: Notes On T&Ep 0930, 0931, And Imas 0930, Roly Evans, Dan Perkins

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In February 2022, the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) Review Board approved a fully revised Test and Evaluation Protocol (T&EP) 09.30 explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) Competency Standards. It also approved amendments to the accompanying IMAS 09.30 (subject to the approval of the IMAS Steering Group and Inter Agency Coordination Group) and the T&EP 09.31 IEDD Competency Standards. The approval marked the culmination of sustained work over four years since 2018 to update not only conventional EOD competencies but to add improvised explosive device disposal (IEDD) competencies suitable for mine action rather than traditional security tasks. The changes made are significant …

National Capacity Building For Humanitarian Mine Action Activities In Iraq, Mark Wilkinson Phd

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In the last two years, the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) Iraq has conducted detailed research into its management and delivery of improvised explosive device (IED) clearance activities. Some of this research has already been published, providing a more detailed insight into how operational efficiency and effectiveness can be developed from models and tools derived from on-the-ground evidence. Much of this research has been shown to have real-world application. The purpose of this research has actually been quite simple: show that when methodologically sound observation and analysis are contextualized within an operational mine action environment there can be clear …

Tnmac's Victim Assistance Activities: The Mental Health Aspect Of Survivors And Hma Personnel, Reykhan Muminova, Md, Phd, Muhabbat Ibrohimzoda, Phd

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Tajikistan, a State Party to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) since 1 April 2000, contains a significant number of landmine victims and survivors. The Tajikistan National Mine Action Center (TNMAC) is using the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) Core for its data collection and reporting, including information on persons killed or injured by mines as well as their needs and challenges. This information is disaggregated by gender, age, and disability. Since 1992, the total number of casualties resulting from accidents with landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) is 885 (535 survivors; 350 fatalities).

Mechanical Equipment In Ied Clearance: Observations From Iraq, Pehr Lodhammar, Mark Wilkinson Ph.D.

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Mechanical equipment has been in the inventory of conventional military forces for the purposes of military engineering—including demining—since the Second World War. The integration of mechanical equipment into the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) Iraq clearance activities may have therefore seemed a natural evolution from what might be considered ‘conventional’ mine clearance, yet it brought with it a number of issues. First, the absence of any clear doctrine for the use of mechanical equipment in improvised explosive device (IED) clearance generated resistance and criticism from specialist IED clearance companies operating at that time in Iraq. It was argued that …

Accident Response To Mitigate Risk: A Call To Action, Lillian Gates

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Effective accident response in humanitarian mine action (HMA) contributes to increased safety in future demining work. Mine action organizations play a variety of roles in the improvement of accident response, with the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs being the most recent to adjust their accident response process by establishing the Accident Review Panel (ARP). This panel consolidates the office’s efforts and allows for standardized accident response protocol and the collection and analysis of accident data. Other organizations active in cultivating better accident responses include the United Nations Mine Action …

The Journal Of Conventional Weapons Destruction, Issue 25.1, Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Issue 25.1 of The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction. A special double issue celebrating our 25th anniversary

Mine Action: The Early Years, Ian Mansfield

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

At the global level, the year 1997 was undoubtably the pinnacle of interest in mine action. This was the year that saw the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Jody Williams and the International Campaign to Ban Land Mines (ICBL), the tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales, the opening of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) for signature in Ottawa, the establishment of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) as the UN focal point for mine action, the formation of the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), the genesis of the Mine Action Support Group (MASG), …

Mental Health: Taking A Proactive Approach To Support Staff In Mine Action, Laura Biscaglia, Abigail Jones, Robert White

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

As public awareness on mental health in the workplace has increased in recent years, the humanitarian sector—along with the CHS Alliance, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Antares Foundation, and others—has been stressing the need for aid organizations to ensure that their duty of care responsibilities encompass the health, safety, security, and well-being of staff.¹

This article aims to contribute to existing conversations on how actors in the mine action (MA) sector can work together to promote mental health in the workplace as well as prevent and mitigate adverse mental health outcomes. The article is also a call …

An Innovative Approach To The Mental Health Needs Of Humanitarian Mine Action Personnel, Ken Falke, Bret A. Moore Psy.D., Abpp, Richard Tedeschi, Ph.D.

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In the fields of humanitarian demining and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), physical traumas related to blast and fragmentation injuries receive a great deal of research attention. In contrast, focus on the psychological health and wellness of humanitarian mine action personnel (HMAP) is lacking. Although research on the incidence of mental health disorders among HMAP is extremely limited, compared with the general population, this group likely suffers more from psychiatric conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety. HMAP work in a high state of hypervigilance because at any given moment in a demining operation, there is risk of …

Data-Driven Decision-Making In Southeast Asia, Mikael Bold, David Avenell

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Automated management information systems to enhance decision-making abilities are becoming more important today. Funding and resources are scarce, but technological developments are making it possible to conduct sophisticated analyses that will enhance planning and prioritization: doing more with less. Centered around optimization and efficiency, the geographic information system (GIS) tools provided by Esri¹ have been crucial in providing MAG (Mines Advisory Group)with decision-making software.

A Virtual Reality Application For The Training Of Deminers, Lynn Al Khansa, Elias Bou Saada, Rachid Maalouf, Mohammed Al-Husseini Ph.D., Ali El-Hajj Ph.D., Mohammed Baydoun Ph.D., Hassan Ghaziri Ph.D.

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

As virtual reality (VR) tools continue to improve, more fields are finding ways of implementing the technology to take advantage of training opportunities that reduce costs, alleviate logistical challenges, and more. Where humanitarian deminers must prepare for dangerous work, VR facilitates training that minimizes the danger while giving trainers a level of control over the different conditions of the training and the ability to easily monitor and instruct the user. For this purpose, the American University of Beirut (AUB) and the Beirut Research and Innovation Center (BRIC) developed a VR application for the basic training of deminers, which is called …

Past, Present, Future: Mine Action In Motion, Ambassador Stefano Toscano Ph.D.

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The story of mine action is one of an adaptive and solution-oriented sector. Time and again, mine action has developed new approaches, tools, and standards to meet evolving challenges and circumstances at the field level. A strong partnership among all key actors has characterized the sector since its early years and has been instrumental to its agility and evolution.

Digital Rehabilitation Technologies Deliver Hope For Survivors, Abder Banoune

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Humanity & Inclusion (HI) has been making prostheses and orthoses since its launch in refugee camps along the Thailand/Cambodia border in 1982, when it was known as Handicap International. The organization has since developed a global approach to disability, aiming to reduce poverty and situations of vulnerability, while working to ensure development and emergency responses are accessible to all. After nearly forty years of action, teams in fifty-five countries perform this critical work today.

The Elusive “Just Enough”: Re-Inventing Explosive Hazard Clearance Management In Iraq, Mark Wilkinson Ph.D.

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Government of Iraq viewed rehabilitation of infrastructure contaminated with explosives during the conflict with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) as a prereqisite to socioeconomic recovery and political stability, which, in turn, established a need for the mine action community to deploy qualified, certified clearance teams as quickly as possible. While these teams could deploy quickly, their reliance on international staff and their associated costs attributable to security and other factors introduced a high overhead business model that became an accepted standard during a first clearance phase from 2015 to 2019, despite the understanding that this …

Landmines In America's Backyard, Ken Rutherford Ph.D.

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Few realize the world’s first widespread deployment of landmines took place during the American Civil War (1860–1865). At the start of the war, the disparity in military manpower, materiel, and weaponry between the North and South was significant. The gap widened in the Union’s favor as the war progressed, forcing the Confederate war industry to innovate and improvise. As the conflict progressed, landmine warfare advanced commensurately, and both tactics and technology evolved to include innovative types of design and deployment. During the war’s later years, Confederate soldiers used both command-detonated and victim-activated landmines more frequently to defend and to protect …

The Journal Of Conventional Weapons Destruction, Issue 24.2 (2020), Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

• Editorial: HMA and COVID-19: A Donor's Perspective
• Editorial: Time To Focus on Real Minefield Data
• Mine Action Information Management in Iraq and Northeast Syria
• IMAS 10.60 Update: Investigation and Reporting of Accidents and Incidents
• The Mine Free Sarajevo Project
• SALW in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the DRC
• Gender and Diversity in Mine Action
• Victim Assistance in Ukraine
• Landmines in the American Civil War
• Risk Education in Colombia
• R&D: The Odyssey2025 Project

Improving Security In The Drc Through Weapons And Ammunition Management, Beamie-Moses Seiwoh, Aurelie Fabry, Edison Pineda, Grégoire De Nantes

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The resurgence of armed conflict since 1996 has displaced thousands across the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and resulted in proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons (SA/LW), which remains a serious concern. The diversion of SA/LW and ammunition from state-owned stockpiles is linked to poor or insufficient weapons and ammunition management (WAM) capacity, practices, and procedures, and has been identified as a major cause of illicit arms and ammunition proliferation in the DRC. The trafficking, accumulation, and misuse of SA/LW and related ammunition pose a systemic and pervasive threat to peacebuilding and hampers long-term socioeconomic development. …

24.2 Endnotes, Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

No abstract provided.

Whither Hma Policy: Linking Hma And Development Assistance, Lewis Rasmussen, Ph.D.

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In 1988 The HALO Trust was credited with coining the term “humanitarian demining” as it differentiated military demining in Afghanistan from efforts designed specifically to reduce the ongoing threat to civilians, livelihoods, communities, and public infrastructure in terms of post-war reconstruction. Since then, many donor governments began to shift policy and programming to reflect this distinction. As but one example, the U.S. established an inter-agency Humanitarian Demining Program in 1993, which included the Agency for International Develop (USAID). Unfortunately, for many years the demining and development assistance communities proceeded more along parallel tracks, acknowledging each other and vectoring off to …

Understanding The Logic Of Rebel Restraint On Landmine Use, Henrique Garbino

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Non-state armed groups (NSAGs)² have become the most frequent users of landmines and the main drivers of new landmine contamination. Often portrayed as the “perfect soldier” due to their low cost, easy availability, and high lethality, landmines have become the weapon of choice of many rebel groups. An initial assessment by Geneva Call reported that, in 2005, at least sixty rebel groups in twenty-four countries had used mines. ^3-5 In contrast with state governments, rebels have considerably less incentives to comply with existing humanitarian norms.⁶ Engaging them in restricting or renouncing the use of landmines remains one of …

The Journal Of Conventional Weapons Destruction, Issue 24.1 (2020), Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

• Mine Action on the Korean Peninsula
• Raising the Profile of Mine Action
• A New Approach to IMAS Compliance
• Disposal of EO and Environmental Risk Mitigation
• Explosive Ordnance Risk Education - Measuring Behavior Change

Long-Term Risk Management Tools For Protocols For Residual Explosive Ordnance Mitigation: A Pretest In Vietnam, Katrin Stauffer, Christelle Mestre

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The transition from proactive survey and clearance to reactive risk management represents a crucial moment in the life of a mine action program. Relevant frameworks and standards, including the International Mine Action Standard (IMAS) 07.10, usually require that all reasonable effort is applied and a tolerable level of risk with regards to a mine or explosive ordnance (EO) threat is achieved in order to move to a residual state. Such transition requires the application of risk management principles, as stressed in the IMAS 07.14: Risk Management in Mine Action.

Providing Imas Training To Local Military Forces And Mitigating Long-Term Erw Risks In Vietnam, Allan R. Vosburgh

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Residual risk from unexploded ordnance (UXO) is a by-product of all modern conflicts. Developed by the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), the Management of Residual Explosive Remnants of War (MORE) program seeks to characterize risk and carefully examine the factors involved in reducing long-term risks from munitions.¹ MORE looks at many factors, including the impacts of time on munitions, explosives, and fuzing systems. Other critical considerations are the resources available to manage residual UXO and best practices from former conflict areas used to successfully overcome the risk reduction challenges. In Vietnam, the Golden West Humanitarian Foundation (Golden …