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Articles 1 - 10 of 10
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
The Impact Of The Washington 2010 Conference, Dennis Barlow
The Impact Of The Washington 2010 Conference, Dennis Barlow
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
In late May, Washington D.C. played host to selected international dignitaries who gathered together to devise a global strategy for dealing with unexploded landmines. Great strides were made in world-wide coordination efforts. Many of these agreements were informal, some were regionally based (e.g., an African Demining sidebar session), and some were functionally oriented (e.g., a Victim Assistance sidebar session). But the exciting thing was that even in the midst of a gathering that had to pay extreme heed to international political sensitivities, it--like Copenhagen and Ottawa--became the forum and stimulus for real and discernible progress.
Aim And Objectives Of The Landmine Victims Data Collection, A. Aziz Ahmadzai
Aim And Objectives Of The Landmine Victims Data Collection, A. Aziz Ahmadzai
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
The 20 years of war in Afghanistan, beside other legacies, has left over 850 square kilometers of land and approximately 1,500 villages contaminated with landmines. Although official figures are not available, it is estimated that more than 400,000 people have either been killed or maimed by these perilous weapons. The majority of the over 400,000 victims are civilians, many of whom are women and children. Despite these facts, no proper and reliable data on the landmine victims in Afghanistan has yet been collected by any agency or organization. The Mine Clearance Planning Agency (MCPA), with its mandate to conduct landmine-related …
Strengthening Humanitarian Demining And Related Activities Through The Emphasis On Comparative Advantages, Joe Lokey
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
One of the foundations of contemporary economic systems is that expertise can create value. Based on this notion, it follows that economic efficiency results if every person does what he or she does best. Preferences, competencies, and resource capacity in the world of economics and trade drive these choices. In humanitarian pursuits, the trade aspects are less clear, and the financial aspects are less relevant, but the efficiencies gained from applying limited resources to a global crisis are still clear and relevant.
The Future Of Humanitarian Demining, Andy Smith
The Future Of Humanitarian Demining, Andy Smith
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
At present, humanitarian demining in most affected areas begins with a United Nations(UN)-led emergency response, which is controlled by ex-pats, who usually have a military background and who are largely paid for by "ear-marked" donations from UN countries. Those donations sometimes take the form of staff and goods. At the same time, as the UN arrives (and sometimes before), the specialist charitably-funded clearance groups, which are funded by an individual government's aid budget or by trusts and donor charities, tend to move into the area. The HALO Trust makes a point of, whenever possible, being in dangerous areas first. The …
Myths, Mines, And Ground Clearance, Andy Smith
Myths, Mines, And Ground Clearance, Andy Smith
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
The following article deals with some common misconceptions about deminers, demining, and demining equipment. It is not an academic paper, but it is rather a discussion prompt. Some of the points are old enough to appear bearded to the field men--sorry about that--but newcomers still need to hear them. A few are contentious. To some extent, I am playing devil's advocate although all of the points raised in this article have arisen during my field work. I believe that they deserve an airing, and I would be interested to hear any well-reasoned, contrary opinions, or any words of support.
And They Killed No Enemy: Taiwan's Landmines, Joe Lokey
And They Killed No Enemy: Taiwan's Landmines, Joe Lokey
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Landmines are a remarkably wonderful little invention...from a military view. Since their systematic introduction to warfare doctrine in the spring of 1862 in the American Civil War, they have been used to deter, route, terrorize and harass opposing forces. Though their moral foundation has been in question since the beginning, little serious thought has been given to the effect of these perfect little soldiers on non-combatants--until recently. Our dark history provides numerous examples of the post-conflict madness inflicted by landmines and the other hubris of war on communities at peace. Rarely, however, do we find a case where landmines planted …
Data Standardization, Thomas Powell
Data Standardization, Thomas Powell
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
As the international community has placed increasing emphasis on efforts to identify, classify, neutralize, or remove landmines or other unexploded ordnance (UXO), the need to communicate information concerning the location, description, and hazards associated with these munitions has become apparent. Numerous database structures have been created to store information about the various munitions. However, different organizations, countries, or individuals have adopted their own unique data definitions and database structures, and these differences could affect the kinds of information available through these sources.
Demining Technologies, Qadeem K. Tariq
Demining Technologies, Qadeem K. Tariq
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Humanitarian mine clearance is a new phenomenon in the world. Therefore, well-coordinated and concrete steps need to be taken at international levels to address this issue. The Humanitarian mine-clearance technology has evolved at organizational, regional, and national levels in various parts of the world. However, at the international level, very little has been done so far to learn from these individual but practical lessons. The current effort s to develop humanitarian mine-clearance technology is either not coordinated or is poorly coordinated with field-level requirements. Efforts are required to organize the humanitarian mine-clearance technology at the international level and to develop …
Biosensor Applications, Henrik Westander
Biosensor Applications, Henrik Westander
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
The biosensor, or artificial dog nose, which identifies mines has now a new and civilian owner, Biosensor Applications Sweden AB, based in Orebro. The company has considerably strengthened its financial resources, currently by 5 million US dollars, and intends to raise further capital on the stock exchange.
Profile Of Intersos Activity In Humanitarian Demining, Salvatore Camboni, Steffano Calabrett
Profile Of Intersos Activity In Humanitarian Demining, Salvatore Camboni, Steffano Calabrett
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
InterSOS is an Italian-based Humanitarian Non-profit Organization working in emergency aid in several countries of the world in cF1048ritical situations, such as Bosnia, Angola, Burundi, Rwanda, Somalia and Albania, in collaboration with specialized UN Agencies, the European Union and the Italian Government.