Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Insight Into Gis Usage In Dangerous Area Survey, Penelope Caswell

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Western Sahara’s 16-year conflict with Morocco caused widespread contamination from landmines and other explosive remnants of war. Landmine Action is a U.K.-based nonprofit organization that has conducted survey, marking and clearance activities in Polisario-controlled areas of Western Sahara since 2006. Its main goals are to make these areas safer for the people of Western Sahara, to reduce risks and land denial caused by contamination, and to successfully carry out humanitarian demining.

Regional Cooperation:Mddc For Se Europe, Marija Trlin

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

As the refinement of mine-detection methods becomes more important, the Mine Detection Dog Center for South East Europe is answering the call, training dogs and handlers for effective detection. Working with animals is not easy, but the MDDC has been very successful in its operations. The organization focuses on regional cooperation, and has worked in areas such as Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Iraq, where it has proved to be an effective asset to mine detection and clearance.

A Broader Canvas: Jordan’S Erw Training Course, Mohammad Briekat, Olaf Juergensen

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Jordan is embracing the role of international humanitarian ambassador, particularly in the field of mine action. Jordan’s National Committee for Demining and Rehabilitation has hosted several events for mine-affected countries and has recently completed its first explosive-remnants-of-war training course.The Kingdom of Jordan has a long record of participating in international humanitarian crisis-prevention and peacekeeping efforts. On a per-capita basis, Jordan is one of the largest contributors to U.N. peacekeeping missions—with an emphasis on providing field hospitals and support for mine action. Jordan regularly dispatches relief supplies and heavy equipment when natural disasters strike around the world.

Unsung Hero: Akech Athieu, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Dedication to his job, competence, diligence and strength of character are just a few admirable qualities of Akech Athieu. His outstanding dedication to mine action in South Sudan has played a vital role in eliminating the region’s mines following decades of civil war.

Unmas's Rapid-Response Exercise, Liban Holm, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In a post-conflict country littered with mines and explosive remnants of war, the capability to deploy highly qualified mine-action staff rapidly is key to saving lives. The United Nations Mine Action Service recently spearheaded a new 10-day emergency training program based on lessons learned from previous rapid-response efforts in Kosovo, Lebanon and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This exercise emphasized the importance of interagency coordination and was designed to simulate a scenario in which these relationships would be called upon heavily in order to achieve success.

Mine-Risk Education In Nepal, 2009, Purna Shova Chitraker

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Despite the signing of a 2006 peace agreement by the Nepalese government and the Maoists, Nepal’s mine clearance remains a work in progress due to the after-effects of its decade-long Maoist conflict and the emergence of small, armed groups. Ban Landmines Campaign Nepal (NCBL) is at the forefront of the country’s mine-risk-education efforts. This article examines NCBL’s MRE program objectives, expectations, methods and achievements, as well as the many challenges it faces.

The Rapid Response To Operation Cast Lead, Elena Rice

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

When the United Nations Mine Action Service was asked to assess the need for a mine-action presence in the Gaza Strip following Operation Cast Lead, a 23-day conflict involving the Israeli Defence Forces and Palestinian militias in 2008, it was thrust into one of the world’s most complicated humanitarian operating environments. This article provides a background for the mine-action program in Gaza, summarizing the key challenges and lessons learned during the first four months of operations in this complex environment.

Unmas And Gender Mainstreaming In Mine Action, Aaron J. Buckley, Akiko Ikeda

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In order to further the development of proper protection from and response to landmines and explosive remnants of war in conflict and post-conflict countries, the United Nations Mine Action Service and the International Mine Action Standards Review Board are taking the necessary steps to ensure gender perspectives become an integral part of national mine-action plans. This article briefly describes the evolution of gender mainstreaming in mine action and how UNMAS has addressed the issue.

Undp Involvement In Bosnia And Herzegovina, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The United Nations Development Programme was created in 1956 by the General Assembly of the United Nations. Its influence stretches across the globe as it helps nations establish democratic governance, reduce poverty, carry out crisis prevention and recovery, solve environmental and energy issues, and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Usafricom's Approach To International Stability, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The United States Africa Command, created in 2007, is responsible for military relations in 53 African countries. Having assumed responsibilities formerly housed in three other combatant commands, USAFRICOM is now tasked with a broad range of humanitarian, military and policy objectives on the continent, including conducting mine action and remediating the dangers posed by explosive remnants of war. This article explores the massive tasks facing USAFRICOM as it stands up, and the ways in which the command is already making a much-needed difference.

Itf’S Experience With Regional Cooperation, Luka Buhin

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

A key element to the success of the International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance, particularly in Southeast Europe, has been its facilitation of a regional approach to mine action and subsequent contributions to regional structures and systems. Encouraging regional cooperation is an important confidence-building measure, not only in countries emerging from conflict but also in countries undergoing transition. A regional approach has become one of the guiding principles of ITF’s work.

Research In Colombia On Explosives Detection By Rats, Luisa Fernando Mendez Pardo, Andres M. Perez-Acosta

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The interdisciplinary research group INVESTUD is investigating the effectiveness of mine-detecting lab rats. In Africa, the APOPO program is well-known for using African giant pouched rats for mine detection, but INVESTUD hopes to build on and even surpass APOPO’s progress to advance Colombia’s mine-clearance efforts.

Geneva Diary: Report From The Gichd, Ian Mansfield

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining provides operational assistance to mine-action programs and operators, creates and disseminates knowledge, works to improve quality management and standards, and provides support to instruments of international law.

Organization Profile: Humanitarian Peace Support School, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Kenya has been a State Party to the Ottawa Convention since 2001, but the presence of the Humanitarian Peace Support School in Embakasi, on the outskirts of Nairobi, shows that the country’s commitment to promoting peace in East Africa goes beyond its obligations to this convention. Through a partnership with the United Kingdom, the ever-expanding HPSS (formerly the International Mine Action Training Centre), offers various courses in tactical peace-support operations, disaster management and response, and demining and disarmament.

The Halo Trust, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The HALO Trust has actively been working to reduce existing landmines across the globe. Guy Willoughby, the founder of HALO, has focused on creating fast responses to landmine problems. With help from increased donations, HALO will be able to make more countries mine-impact free within the coming years using a variety of techniques.

Organization Of American States Coordination Activities, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Organization of American States has come a long way in its 61-year history, effectively organizing its member states to promote humanitarian demining among Western nations. After assisting Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, and Suriname in becoming “mine free,” the OAS is continuing to fund mine-action efforts, and is currently conducting projects in Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Peru.

Mag Involvement With Sa/Lw, Steve Priestley

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In less than 20 years, Mines Advisory Group, involved in the identification and destruction of small arms/light weapons, has made a real impact. Maintaining technical support at hand-in points, offering capacity-building training and conducting assessments of stockpile management are just a few of the services MAG provides.

Beyond Weapons Collection: Promoting Safe And Responsible Sa/Lw Management, Nicolas Florquin, Karina Lynge, Klaus Ljørring Pedersen

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

While the traditional focuses of many small-arms/light-weapons programs have been weapons collection and curbing proliferation, some humanitarian organizations—like Geneva Call and Danish Demining Group—advocate a model based on the promotion of safe and responsible weapons management. As illustrated by the experience of DDG with communities in Somaliland and by Geneva Call’s efforts with armed non-state actors, a participatory approach to weapons regulation and management offers promising alternatives to traditional weapons-control initiatives.

Masg Update, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The following article highlights the recent activities of the Mine Action Support Group, including updates on the United Nations Mine Action Service, the United Nations Development Programme and UNICEF. It is excerpted from the United Nations' newsletter covering the period from November 2008–February 2009.

International Trust Fund, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance is an organization that raises donations for mine action in Southeastern Europe and administers the donations to areas in need. The goal of the organization is to “eliminate the effect of mine contamination ... by 2010.” In 2008, the ITF managed US$33,999,200 in donations from 31 organizations (such as nongovernmental organizations, civic organizations, philanthropies and private companies) and 13 donor countries. It was the largest amount of donations the ITF had received in any single year.

Geneva Diary: Report From The Gichd, Ian Mansfield

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining has been busy over the last several months. The GICHD recently organized an African Francophone Conference on demining in Benin and provided technical input for the recent Convention on Cluster Munitions. In addition, GICHD published technical guides related to road clearance, safe ammunition storage and cluster munitions.

To Walk The Earth In Safety 8th Edition (Fy2008), Us Dos Pm/Wra

Global CWD Repository

Welcome to the 8th edition of To Walk The Earth In Safety. Although we have seen real progress in combating the threat of mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW), conflicts persist, and the destabilizing effects of other weapons threaten peace and stability around the world.

The United States works with other nations to clean up the debris of war, combat trafficking in small arms and light weapons, and improve the security and management of munitions stockpiles. Catastrophic explosions at munitions storage facilities in populated areas have become a growing problem and have the potential to create more casualties than …

Geneva International Centre For Humanitarian Demining 2008 Annual Report, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

Annual narrative report on the work of the GICHD in 2008.

Linking Mine Action And Development | National Mine Action Centres, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

Mine action programmes often are not linked early and strongly enough with key development actors. Despite the availability of extensive research documenting the need for greater coordination between mine action and development organisations, concrete guidance for practitioners and policy-makers on how to link mine action with development has been lacking. In response, the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Development has published guidelines on how to ensure mine action promotes development in mine-affected countries. More specifically, the guidelines seek to:

• Increase awareness that landmines and other remnants of conflict block development in many affected countries

• Strengthen coordination between mine action and …

Assessment Of Post Demining Impact Assessment For The Mine Action Coordination Center Of Afghanistan, Sippi Azerbaijani-Moghaddam

Global CWD Repository

In May 2007, after training Landmine Impact Assessment Teams (LIATs) for the job, Mine Action Center Afghanistan (MACA) started to conduct PDIA. LIATs perform their duties conscientiously and are generally more comfortable with the figures and calculations involved in economic analysis related to demining rather than the slightly more nebulous aspects related to the ‘people'‐end of activities and social impact assessment. Foremost among the latter would be the relatively unexplored aspects of how mines affect the intimate relations between people and the landscape in predominantly rural or agrarian communities. According to the LIATs basic comparison between forms exploring the pre‐ …

U.S. Army/ U.S. Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Center (Coin), Cisr

Global CWD Repository

As we prosecute the current campaigns in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, and the Philippines, the military must also prepare for an uncertain security situation beyond the present theaters of conflict. It is a future that will be heavily influenced by global competition for declining natural resources, rapidly rising populations in underprivileged and underdeveloped areas, unstable economic markets, and the continuing resurgence of violent religious and secular ideologies challenging democracy as a credible political theory. Additionally, U.S. Force must account for the impact of rapid information transfer, porous national borders, globalization, increased indigent migrating populations with elevated expectations, and …

Apopo Annual Report 2009, Apopo

Global CWD Repository

In 2009, APOPO has made tremendous progress in reaching its mission to become the Centre of Excellence in detection rats technology and achieving social impact for underprivileged communities and people in Africa.

Implementation of the strategic plan and transformation process, which was started in 2008, has improved both APOPO’s internal structure and operational outputs. These changes have strengthened the management team and fostered the formation of strategic partnerships that will provide the basis to further enhance the impact of APOPO’s life-saving technology and facilitate the sustainable growth of the organization.

However, the most tangible results of this year can be …

Unmas 2008 Annual Report, Unmas

Global CWD Repository

In 2008, mine action operations supported by UNMAS enabled hundreds of thousands of people and local communities to resume normal lives and reclaim their livelihoods by regaining access to previously contaminated lands. The clearance of thousands of kilometres of mined roads and essential infrastructure has contributed to the protection and empowerment of men, women, girls and boys in the nine countries or territories where UNMAS operates and in other countries and territories supported by UNMAS. One of the more remarkable achievements of the year was the clearance of 84,000 anti-personnel mines in Afghanistan, which is more than double the average …