Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Mine Action With A Human Face: A Human Security Doctrine For Mine Action, Matthew Bolton

Global CWD Repository

Mine action needs to rediscover its ‘human face',1 to remember, as UNMAS has said, that “It is not so much about mines as it is about people….”2 Empirical research in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Sudan show that mine action is in danger of becoming distracted by commercial and strategic priorities. This is especially true since the advent of the ‘War on Terror' and the continuing trend of consolidating the commercial mine action sector into the private security sector. Ten years ago a group of NGOs critical of the donor and commercial interests tried to develop a framework to guide mine action. …

Ddasaccident648, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

A detonator blast caused the accident. The deminer has detected an active detonator in his clearance lane and has pressed it by his left hand fingers which subsequently the detonator exploded and the deminer fingers were seriously injured.

Ddasaccident627, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The primary cause of this accident is listed as Victim inattention because the investigators found that the Victim was careless. The secondary cause is listed as Unavoidable, because it is possible that the Victim inadvertently dropped a marking stone (rather than threw it deliberately at a mine) and minor accidents like that are unavoidable.

Ddasaccident609, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The accident has occurred because of error made by the involved deminer as he used chisel directly on the detected signal instead of [Demining group] standard excavating tool (scraper). Chisel is used for excavating of safe margin of the reading points, meaning 15 cm behind the start point of signal.

To Walk The Earth In Safety 7th Edition (Fy2006-Fy2007), Us Dos Pm/Wra

Global CWD Repository

We are pleased to offer the 7th Edition of To Walk the Earth in Safety, the report of the interagency U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program for Fiscal Years 2006 and 2007. This report also describes the conventional weapons destruction efforts of the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement located in the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. This office directs programs that encompass humanitarian mine action, and elimination of at-risk small arms, light weapons, man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS), and munitions.

Every edition of To Walk the Earth in Safety, archived at www.state.gov/t/pm/rls/rpt/walkearth, is a look back in time. This …

The Convention On Cluster Munitions Dubrokvnik Action Plan, Ccm

Global CWD Repository

In 2010, at the First Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions in Vientiane, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the Vientiane Action Plan was adopted by States parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM). Developed in consultation with partners with the objective to ensure e ective and timely implementation of the provisions of the treaty following the First Meeting of States Parties, the Vientiane Action Plan set out concrete and measurable steps, actions and targets aimed to be completed within speci c time frames over the next ve-year period and with de ned roles and responsibilities.

Ddasaccident800, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

During the post-demolition QA of a PMD-6 mine, [the Victim] handled a MUV fuse, complete with MD-2 detonator, which functioned resulting in the auto-amputation of his right hand. The fuse appears to have been left over from an incomplete demolition, which rendered it a misfire without any transit or striker retaining pin in place.

Ddasaccident672, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The accident has occurred because of error made by the involved deminer as he wanted to remove a piece of wire and a steel bar without taking the precautionary measures into consideration. He should not have removed them by hand but either pulling practice or using machine should have been practiced.

Ddasaccident667, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The accident has occurred because of deminer’s carelessness as he entered into unsafe area for urination and touched the unknown item.

Ddasaccident600, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The primary cause of this accident is listed as a Field Control Inadequacy because the Victim was working in a way that was unsafe and his error was not corrected. The secondary cause is listed as “Unavoidable” because there is not enough detail available to determine what really happened and it may be that the deminer was working as instructed when the accident occurred. If this is the case, the Field Managers bear considerable responsibility for not having learned from a similar accident involving this demining group only a few weeks previously. The repetition of the deminer working well outside …

Counting The Cost: The Economic Impact Of Cluster Munition Contamination In Lebanon, Greg Crowther

Global CWD Repository

This report seeks to estimate and project the economic cost of cluster munition contamination resulting from the 2006 conflict in Lebanon.

It focuses on three areas:

• The cost of lost agricultural production specifically caused by cluster munition contamination;
• The cost of responding to cluster munition contamination through internationally assisted clearance and risk reduction operations;
• The economic cost of deaths and injuries directly resulting from this contamination.

Different methodologies and assumptions have been used in approaching these issues – resulting in upper and lower estimates of the cost. The methodologies and assumptions adopted are explained in detail in the report and …

External Assessment Of Ddg's Humanitarian Mine Action Programme In Somaliland, Tim Lardner

Global CWD Repository

Danish Demining Group began operations in Somaliland in 1999, responding to a perceived need at the time. Over the following nine years, their operations removed significant numbers of mines and UXO and removed countless communities and individuals from the threat of mines and UXO. As time went on however, the organisation appeared to shift focus from a Danish Demining Group, to an organisation with a different set of objectives. That shift was initially away from mine clearance – understandable given the ongoing removal of landmines – and subsequently away from UXO clearance/removal – again, an understandable decision. This report considers …

Construction Of Demining Machines In The Kurdistan Region, Pehr Lodhammar

Global CWD Repository

A brief update on demining machines which was published in the UNMAS/GICHD Mine Action Technology Newsletter (May 2008).

Ddasaccident695, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The primary and secondary cause of this accident are listed as a Unavoidable because the deminer suffered no apparent injuries, and accidental initiations can occur when excavating mines even when all precautions are taken. Dust in the eyes is common after a blast because dust is drawn into the low-pressure area behind the expanding blast wave. “Grid” in the eyes causes greater concern because it may have been ejecta from the blast, implying that the visor was not worn correctly but it is presumed that the Victim had no injuries because the investigators accepted that this was so.

Ddasaccident662, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

While I was checking on deminers I saw the deminer [Name removed] working on his group on 12 o’clock mine I asked him what’s the problem? He said he was looking for a missing mine and he can’t find it, I went to help him and when I dig twice using the heavy rake a mine was blasted in my face, I sat on the ground and the deminer, team leader and the team section came and took me to the medic team on the ambulance stretcher out of the field.

Ddasaccident663, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The primary cause of this accident is listed as a Field Control Inadequacy because the investigators found that the Victim was working with a shovel in breach of SOPs and his error was not corrected. The secondary cause is listed as a Management Control Inadequacy because it is the management’s responsibility to ensure that the field supervisors control the deminers appropriately.

Operating With Uxo Containing White Phosphorus, Ilham Azizov

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article provides a brief account of the unexploded ordnance problem in Azerbaijan and describes the particular hazards of dealing with UXO containing white phosphorus. Drawing from the experience of the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action's work at Saloglu, guidelines for handling WP UXO are discussed.

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 programmes and operators, creates and disseminates knowledge, works to improve quality management and standards and provides support to instruments of international law.

Sudan, Country Profile

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Sudan currently consists of two major political groups under a single government. The signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005 created the Government of National Unity and the Government of South Sudan. The GNU is recognized as the government of Sudan but the term is also used to politically differentiate northern Sudan from the southern region which is represented by the GoSS.

Demining And The Environment: A Primer, Cisr Journal, Anthony Morin

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Since their widespread use during World War II, landmines have arguably become one of the most significant social, economic and environmental problems of the last half-century. Restricting access to land, roads and water supplies, landmines have been responsible for the displacement of persons and the stagnation of basic infrastructure development in every region of the world. They have also caused land and soil degradation, loss of biodiversity, and severe limitations to agricultural productivity. These issues, along with several others, were at the heart of the mine-action debate during creation of the Anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention in 1997.

Time To Steady The Pendulum, Eddie Banks

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The author questions whether the ever-increasing emphasis on standards is diametrically opposed to principles of the United Nations and the International Mine Action Standards and whether the implementation of the IMAS restricts a humanitarian response.

Clearing The Way In Chad: Assessment, Access And Impact, Katharine Hopper

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Mines Advisory Group began working in Chad in late 2004 with the objective of demining the water points in several of the war-torn provinces in the northern portion of the country. MAG formulated a three-phase plan that was extremely well-executed, even while dealing with the harsh desert climate, achieving its objectives before the deadline and under budget. A total of 21 watering points and 28 paths to access the watering points were cleared, while 84 areas were identified as dangerous. The work had a particularly positive effect on the local nomadic populations, who make a living traveling, often through …

Lebanon, Country Profile

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The overwhelming presence of landmines and explosive remnants of war in Lebanon has created a diverse and complex problem that continues to affect the socioeconomic development of the country. A number of mine/ERW accidents have occurred while individuals engage in farming activities. According to Landmine Monitor, about 62 percent of contaminated areas is agricultural land, and casualties tend to increase in planting and harvesting months. With contamination of agricultural land, landmines have delayed the implementation of a major drinking and irrigation water pipeline project.3 Also, there has been a noticeable decrease in agricultural production, the major source of income for …

Yemen, Country Profile

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Located on the southwestern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, the Republic of Yemen is home to a people with a rich history dating back to some of the earliest human civilizations. Yemen is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, Oman to the east, the Red Sea to the west, and the Arabian Sea to the south, giving it a strategic location as a trading port that made the region wealthy throughout much of its history. In recent years the country has been plagued by violence and political corruption, making it difficult to focus on two major humanitarian crises of …

The Journal Of Erw And Mine Action Issue 11.2 (2008), Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Focus: The Middle East and North Africa } Feature: The Environmental Impact of Demining | Notes from the Field | Research and Development

Iraq Facing The Legacy Of Landmines And Explosive Remnants Of War, Salomon Schreuder

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In this article the author describes the recent history and current state of mine-action efforts in Iraq. The author argues for a larger focus on these issues and for a comprehensive approach, linking other humanitarian efforts with mine action.

Unsung Hero: Zoran Grujić, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The passion to change the world began humbly for Zoran Grujić with a simple realization that "it would be much better to save people than to kill them." These powerful words came from a man now regarded as an expert in the field of mine-action information and a hero to the industry, its victims and, most of all, its future.

I Remember My Lost Leg: The Story Of Istahil, Dahib Mohamad Odwaa

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

As a young girl of just 11 years, Istahil Ismail Ali's life was changed in an instant when she became the victim of a landmine explosion and lost her leg. The author tells of her challenges and the hardships her family has suffered as a result, while also describing the proactive measures Istahil has taken to combat this injustice.

Mine Action Support Group Update, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article contains excerpts from the United Nations' third quarterly newsletter in 2007, which highlights the activities of the Mine Action Support Group from July to September 2007, including updates from the United Nations Mine Action Service, the United Nations Development Programme and UNICEF.

Algeria, Country Profile

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Algeria's history over the past two centuries is marked with more periods of violence than peace. Beginning with the French takeover in the 1830s and continuing through the sectarian fighting of the 1990s, Algeria's landscape has been tainted by battle. According to The Economist, al-Qaeda and the shell of the insurgency from the 1990s joined together to form the al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb.