Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Preparing For The Future: How The Sdgs Impact Mine Action, Ursign Hofmann, Olaf Juergensen

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Adopted by all U.N. Member States in September 2015, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda) and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) entered into effect on 1 January 2016 to guide development efforts. The SDGs are in the early stages of implementation and are still being mainstreamed into mine action. This article draws on a timely study from the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) that aims to stimulate collective thinking in the sector, provides policy recommendations, and offers implementation tools.

The Challenge Of Long-Term Risk Management In Mine Action, Robert White

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

States affected by landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) are faced with a number of difficult decisions when they establish their mine action program, such as “how deep should operators clear?” and “what tasks should they do first?” The deliberations and conclusions that ultimately are drawn together in national standards are part of an implicit or explicit risk management approach. Over time, risk assessments require review and modification to reflect different contexts.

National Capacities And Residual Contamination I Albania, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

This case study forms part of a broader GICHD study on national capacities and residual contamination. The purpose of this report is to document Albania’s experience of developing national systems and capacities to address residual contamination and to identify and present good practices and lessons learnt.

Bridging A Critical Mine Action Information Management Gap: Complex Conflict Environments, Isam Ghareeb Barzangy

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Historically the Republic of Iraq is one of the most severely landmine, explosive remnants of war (ERW), and improvised explosive device (IED) afflicted nations in the world. Though possessed with a robust humanitarian mine action (HMA) program in the three northern Kurdish governorates before the Iraq War (2003–2011), the remainder of the country was largely without any HMA focus until the removal of the Ba’ath regime. Iraq’s border with Iran contains major military minefields and ERW, while small arms and innumerable stockpiles of ammunition remain throughout the country. High levels of landmine, ERW, and IED contamination are a major challenge …

Social Inclusion Of Marginalized Communities: Mine Action In Laos, Tina Kalamar

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

A complex array of factors including gender, age, disability, ethnicity, geographical location, language, religious affiliation, and economic and educational status are enabling or constraining social inclusion of people in different contexts. This paper presents a case study that illustrates how mine action can both contribute to and benefit from greater social inclusion.

Using Mobile Geographic Information Systems To Improve Operational Efficiency, Data Reliability, And Access In Mine Action, Paul Rittenhouse, Lindsay Aldrich

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The inherently complex field of mine action, with its many political, financial, and physical considerations, is also a spatial, data-driven field; and as a result, geographic information systems (GIS) stand to play a major role. Spatial data can help address questions such as: Where are the hazardous areas and what has been cleared or cancelled? Where have teams already surveyed? Where should they go next? How many square meters have been cleared? Due to the complexities surrounding assigning tasks and prioritization, standard operating procedures (SOP), quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) and database design, GIS often gets limited to high-level planning, database …

Mine Action In Burma: Building Trust And Incremental Gains, Greg Crowther, Josephine Dresner, Michael Aaron

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Burma has long been known to be heavily contaminated by landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW), with 3,693 casualties reported since 1999.1 The area is a complex and dynamic environment for humanitarian organizations, with multiple overlapping and interlinked conflicts between a number of disparate Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAO) and the Burmese Armed Forces, fought over several decades. In this context, international humanitarian mine action (HMA) operators have not been able to provide any form of technical response; there is currently no mine action coordination center, no agreed national standards, and no demarcation, technical survey, or clearance operations recognized by …

An Initial Study Into Mine Action And Improvised Explosive Devices, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) present significant risks to mine action (MA) operators and the programmes within which they work. Such risks can be managed through well-informed risk identification and assessment, the avoidance of some activities, and the procurement/development of the necessary skills, equipment and procedures to address others.

This study focuses primarily on improvised devices of the types that are currently encountered by MA organisations during humanitarian operations. The use of IEDs for terrorist purposes or as part of active conflict is not addressed in this study. While it is recognised that MA organisations may be present in places where …

Itf Enhancing Human Security Annual Report 2017, Itf-Enhancy Human Security

Global CWD Repository

ITF Enhancing Human Security (ITF) is a humanitarian, non-profit organization specializing in land mine clearance, eradication of explosive remnants of war and other impacts from conflict.

Established by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia in March 1998, ITF’s initial purpose was to help Bosnia and Herzegovina in the implementation of the peace agreement and to provide assistance and support in post-conflict rehabilitation. Since its inception, ITF has been continuously developing and enhancing its mission by expanding the scope of its activities and geographic area. ITF’s mission is to address the problems of an ever-changing human security environment, the needs …