Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Rise In Terrorist Attacks In The Western Sahara, Mohamed Taghioullah Ould Nema

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Mauritanian government is taking steps to prevent Al-Qaeda’s terrorist acts, including suicide bombings and kidnappings in the region. Added to this threat are the explosives Al-Qaeda obtains from landmines and unexploded ordnance scattered throughout the region after years of conflict in Western Sahara. The United Nations Development Programme and various countries work to remove these landmines and items of UXO, which is complicated by the lack of a Landmine Impact Survey to access the contamination’s extent.

Endnotes Issue 15.1, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Endnotes Issue 15.1

New Prosthetics Offer Hope In Sudan, Mohammad Ismail

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Unfortunately for amputees in developing countries, poverty and disability go hand-in-hand. Limb loss can make it extremely difficult for victims to provide for themselves and their families. From this reality came the inspiration for Sudanpro, an inexpensive and durable prosthetic developed by the author, an orthotist and prosthetist working with Project Hope Sudan.

Elizabeth Macnairn Named Handicap International (Usa) Director, News Brief

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

On 1 June 2011, Elizabeth MacNairn was named Director of Handicap International (USA).

Integration Of Clearance Assets, Mark Thompson

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Integrating a variety of demining activities, including machines and manual support, is vital to an operation’s efficiency and success. An appropriate integration plan must include analysis of context, support requirements and limitations.

The Mine Action Technology Workshop, Nicole Neitzey

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Sponsored by the United Nations Mine Action Service and the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining, the Mine Action Technology Workshop is a biannual event held in Geneva, Switzerland in early September. The 2010 event featured theoretical and practical discussions, as well as a newly added opportunity to see technology in action. This article highlights the events and outcomes of the workshop.

Sri Lanka Works Toward A Mine-Free Nation, Vidya Abhayagunawardena

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article discusses Sri Lanka’s steps to demine its land, educate its citizens on landmine and unexploded-ordnance dangers, and offer survivor-assistance services. Sri Lanka’s national mine-action program is building on previous mine-action work done by the government and humanitarian organizations by presenting a workshop on demining issues, developing a mine-action center and improving partnerships with concerned organizations.

Remote Explosive Scent Tracing Of Explosive Remnants Of War: A Perspective From The 2010 Morogoro Workshop, Brent (Max) Jones, Rune Fjellanger, Christophe Cox, Alan Poling

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In March 2010, a workshop was held in Morogoro, Tanzania, to consider the past, present and future status of the Remote Explosive Scent Tracing system for explosive- remnants-of-war detection. This article summarizes the workshop’s discussions and explains lessons learned from the REST research project in Morogoro.

Using Encapsulated Fluorescent Bioprobes To Detect Explosive Materials In Soil, Clint Smith, Joel Tabb

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article examines the methods involved in using fluorescent bioprobes to detect explosive devices within soil. By genetically modifying plants through the injection of certain chemicals, visible responses indicate the presence and placement of explosive material, aiding demining agents in the process of mapping and removing various landmines or other explosive remnants of war. The adoption of these tools proves useful for stand-off detection of low TNT concentrations in the laboratory and controlled microcosm studies.

Clutter Reduction In Manual-Demining Operations With The Help Of A Handheld Magnet Tool, Arnold Schoolderman, Yolanda Rieter-Barrell

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The authors discuss a study investigating the potential of permanent magnets for the reduction of metal clutter in manual demining operations.

The Journal Of Erw And Mine Action Issue 15.2 (2011), Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Victim Assistance | Deminers on the Frontline | Information Systems and GIS Mapping | Notes from the Field | Research and Development

Peer Support And Recovery From Limb Loss In Post-Conflict Settings, Cameron Macauley, Marcia Townsend, Melissa Freeman, Brent Maxwell

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In this article, the authors describe an unprecedented study on peer support services for landmine survivors and victims of explosive remnants of war based on the strategic approach implemented by Survivor Corps, in which survivors were trained to provide psychosocial assistance to other survivors. The study’s methodology is thoroughly explained and analyzed by the authors.

Gender-Sensitive Victim Assistance, Arianna Calza Bini, Asa Massleberg

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article affirms that, in order for victim assistance to be more effective, sustainable and equitable for all people in landmine/explosive remnants of war-affected communities, gender sensitivity is needed. The different impacts of landmines/ERW on all genders and ages are outlined, and the problems facing female victims are highlighted. Finally some recommendations on how to take gender into consideration in VA are presented.

Land-Release Information Management: Advocating For A Collaborative Approach, Aurora Martinez, Daniel Eriksson

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

For land release to become more efficient and less dangerous, operations on the ground need accurate information. Collaboration between information management and operational planning will help increase safety while working toward releasing more land. The most challenging aspect of land release is the identification of boundaries around contaminated areas, and using new information technologies will aid not only operation managers in the area, but also senior managers setting long-term goals.

Strategic Planning And Information Management In Angola, Charles Downs

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

CNIDAH is in charge of coordinating mine action and developing a mine-action strategic plan for Angola—one of the most mined countries in the world. To best implement its plan, in collaboration with national mine-action partners and with the help of the Survey Action Center, CNIDAH has begun to review and update its database of cleared suspected hazardous areas and those still in need of demining efforts.

Information-Management Activities At The Gichd, Daniel Eriksson

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Two years have passed since a new strategy was adopted for the information-management section at the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining. A significant amount of work was completed since then, and the support and quality of the Information Management System for Mine Action has improved. The new focus on information management in a broader sense, not just limited to databases and software, has enabled country programs to collect relevant information for more effective demining operations. Although much work remains, a few key developments deserve mentioning.

Mapping Populations At Risk Of Erw, Pierre Lacroix, Jonas Herzog, Daniel Eriksson

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Having precise, available data on recorded explosive remnants of war hazards does not necessarily represent the big picture concerning the contamination distribution in a country. However, when available datasets are evaluated with population-density data, heavy concentrations of ERW hazards are more easily detectable. This article examines a few of the many tasks that can be achieved by analyzing ERW hazard data and by combining it with other information.

Conveying Lebanon’S Cluster Bomb Issue Through Film, News Brief

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Death in the Fields is an animated documentary that focuses on the cluster bomb crisis in southern Lebanon.

Linking Mine Action And Development: Local-Level Benefits And Challenges, Russell Gasser

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In many post-conflict regions, landmines and explosive remnants of war remain, limiting recovery and development even after mine-clearance projects are completed. A number of mine-clearance organizations are starting to promote “linking mine action and development” as a better alternative to a separate and uncoordinated approach.

Unifil Peacekeeping In Southern Lebanon, Christina Greene

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Since 1978, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon has been working to help bring peace and security to the region. UNIFIL began humanitarian mine-action activities and cluster-munitions clearance in Lebanon in 2006. It also began to demine parts of the Blue Line, which is the demarcation line between Israel and Lebanon. This overview discusses a few UNIFIL projects

Amatc: Sustainable Solutions For Humanitarian Mine Action, Karen Reed-Matthee

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Kabul’s Afghan Mine Action Technology Center employs disabled deminers to create demining products. AMATC donates part of its revenue to local physical rehabilitation and treatment facilities, and now employs 11 disabled employees full time.

Peer Support And Trauma Recovery, Cameron Macauley

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Peer support is becoming an important strategy to help survivors of war-related violence recover from psychological trauma. After a short training in counseling techniques, peer-support workers seek out trauma survivors in the community and help them reintegrate into society, find work, engage in sports and come to terms with their traumatic memories. Peer-support programs incur costs related to transportation and communication, but support groups may recover some costs through income-generating projects.

Small-Arms And Light-Weapons Risk Education In Iraq, Meredith Wotten, Kirsty Jenatsch

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

MAG (Mines Advisory Group) has one of Iraq’s most established mine-risk education programs. In 2007, MAG identified a regional need to warn people, particularly children, about the risk of handling guns and other weapons. Drawing on more than 16 years of experience and skill in MRE delivery, MAG aimed to adapt existing methodologies and successfully expand the MRE program to include small-arms and light-weapons risks.

Lessons Learned: Sri Lankan Mine-Action Staff Visit Cambodia And Lao Pdr, Sebastian Kasack

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The need for a comprehensive mine-action program is not always recognized as countries pursue demining efforts. This article describes Sri Lankan mine-action groups’ efforts to create a more comprehensive and cohesive mine-action program through regional visits to Cambodia and Lao PDR. It offers insight and advice to groups interested in pursuing the same avenue.

Building Mine-Action Capacity Through Management Training, Ben Anderson

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Cambodian Mine Action Centre is Cambodia’s largest demining organization, established in 1993 to clear Cambodia of landmines and other explosive remnants of war. With funding from the New Zealand government, Quality Solutions International has worked for the last 12 months to rebuild and strengthen CMAC’s management and training capacity. Part of the project was the delivery of three two-week middle- management courses, designed to provide CMAC’s middle managers with a basic grounding in management theory and application.

As an essential element of training for managerial decision-making, case studies provide managers with applicable scenarios that benefit the professional, day-to-day lives of people working in the explosive-remnants-of-war/mine-action community. While class sessions provide pertinent instruction on how to react to potential scenarios, the opportunity to use that knowledge in well-constructed examples proves highly useful for personnel. This article reports the steps taken to implement appropriate case studies for CISR’s Senior Managers’ Course in ERW and Mine Actionand the results.