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Ronco-Trained Sri Lankan Army Demining Teams Respond To Post-Tsunami Clearance Tasks, Stacy L. Smith

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In the early morning of December 26, 2004, a powerful tsunami hit the eastern seaboard of Sri Lanka, devastating fishing communities lining the shore and impacting villages as far as 1 kilometer (0.62 mile) inland. Within days of the catastrophic event, reports reminiscent of the migrating mine situation in Central America following Hurricane Mitch surfaced. As in Honduras in 1998, the possibility of displaced mines and other hazardous ordnance posed a threat to the local population and to emergency relief workers moving into the region to bring supplies and rebuild vital infrastructure. The mine action community in Sri Lanka responded …

Evaluation Of The Unmee Mine Action Coordination Centre, Frans Anema, Johanes Dirscherl, Ted Paterson, Phil Bean

Global CWD Repository

This evaluation was commissioned by the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) via the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), which issued a request for proposals to eight organizations on September 2, 2004. On the basis of these proposals, the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) was selected to conduct the evaluation. GICHD fielded a four member evaluation team, led by an independent consultant, to complete the assignment.

Ddasaccident524, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

Details of this accident have been withheld by the demining NGO that employed the Victim. A spreadsheet including the Victim’s name and very brief details of the accident was made available in 2007. Some details can be inferred from the information released. For example, the severe facial injury indicates that a visor was not worn by the Victim.

Ddasaccident772, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

“On the 28th of June 2005 [Demining group] QRT did a bulk demolition before going on stand-down. Most of the ammunition went to high order but 3 grenades went to low order and was destroyed by a second demolition. In one of the sandbags apparently one fuse was stuck after the demolition and was not discovered by the deminers when they checked the area after non exploded devices. The fuse probably went off by the heat from the fire and injured a deminer in his left arm and in his back with small metal pieces.

Ddasaccident538, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

After the team had located all metal scrap and rests from the destroyed ammunition by raking the whole demolition area and checking inside the broken sandbags that was used as protection during the demolition, they started to clean the area from the broken sandbags and vegetation. The team started to burn all the collected sandbags and vegetation. In one of the sandbags apparently one fuse was stuck after the demolition and was not discovered by the deminers when they checked the area after non exploded devices. The fuse probably went of by the heat from the fire and injured a …

Mine Action And Effective Coordination: The United Nations Inter-Agency Policy, Unmas

Global CWD Repository

This document updates and replaces the document entitled Mine Action and Effective Coordination: The United Nations Policy, endorsed by the Inter-Agency Coordination Group on Mine Action (IACG-MA) in 1998 and amended in 1999. The policy seeks to apply General Assembly and Security Council resolutions and presidential statements to the work of the United Nations in the area of mine action. It is informed by relevant international treaties, the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS), and 15 years of collective knowledge, expertise, and lessons learned of the United Nations mine action team1 , governments, nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), international organisations and regional organisations. …

Mid-Term Outcome Evaluation For Strengthening National Capacity For Mine Action In Yemen - Phase Ii, Ted Paterson

Global CWD Repository

The mine action programme in Yemen is showing a depth of maturity that is comparable to the best mine action programmes in the world. Since the first convening of the high-level National Mine Action Committee in June 1998 and the establishment of the Yemeni Executive Mine Action Centre in January 1999, the programme has evolved in all directions, and shows results at the outcome level that reveal focus and clarity of purpose. The fundamental reason for the progress achieved is, without any doubt, the strong commitment of the Government. This commitment is not only revealed through the establishment of a …

Ddasaccident755, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

Saturday, 7 May 2005, at 10:20 a.m. local time, [Demining group] suffered a mine accident in the manual clearance teams deployed at the Nhaapua site, Chibabava district, Sofala Province, Mozambique. A deminer, working in his lane detonated a AP Gyata mine while conducting manual clearance.

Operational Evaluation Test Of Mine Neutralization Systems, Ida, U.S. Humanitarian Demining Research And Development, Office Of The Assistant Secretary Of Defense Special Operations And Low-Intensity Conflict

Global CWD Repository

During the Fiscal Year 2003 Humanitarian Demining Research and Development Program Requirements Refinement Workshop, expert deminers expressed a need for a costbenefit and performance analysis for currently available deflagration (burning) and high-order (non-explosive binary mixture) mine neutralization systems, which carry fewer shipping restrictions compared with tradition explosives commonly used for mine neutralization. In response to this request, the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) Acquisition Center-Washington, D.C., published a Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) (formerly Commerce Business Daily) announcement (solicitation number W909MY-04-T0003) on 21 January 2004 on behalf of the Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Command (CERDEC), Night Vision and Electronic Sensors …

Hd R&D Field Evaluation: Mantis, U.S. Humanitarian Demining Research And Development

Global CWD Repository

The success of the Mine Clearing Survivable Vehicle (MCSV) Proof of Performance Test was the result of the efforts of a large team of people from a number of organizations. The organizations involved were the U.S. Army’s Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD) Humanitarian Demining (HD) Research and Development Office located at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia; the International Test and Evaluation Program for Humanitarian Demining (ITEP); and Pearson Engineering Ltd, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK. This test was also a U.S. sponsored ITEP Test (ITEP Work Plan Number 3.2.5.). During the first phase of testing in August 2004, the Project Director, …

Operational Evaluation Test Report On Beaver Micro-Vegetation Cutter, Institute For Defense Analysis, U.S. Humanitarian Demining Research And Development, Office Of The Assistant Secretary Of Defense Special Operations And Low-Intensity Conflict

Global CWD Repository

The Micro-Vegetation Cutter (MVC) system was tested in the late summer and early fall of 2004 at a U.S. Army Countermine development site in central Virginia. The MVC project was funded by the U.S. Army’s Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD), Countermine Division, Humanitarian Demining (HD) Research and Development Office located at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia. The MVC system, consisting of a remote-controlled vegetation cutter vehicle and a command vehicle, is the product of the project engineer, Mr. J. Michael Collins. Mr. Collins was responsible for the concept, its design, and directed the MVC’s fabrication. All work was performed in …

What Rights For Mine Victims? Reparation, Compensation: From Legal Analysis To Political Perspectives., Hi

Global CWD Repository

The work that we are presenting today is not only a legal exploration of current or future possibilities, of difficulties and pitfalls, outrageous oversights. It should also be seen as an indignant protest against the nonchalance of States and the producers of lethal devices, little inclined to acknowledge and assume their responsibilities. It should also be heard as an appeal to organisations and authorities specialised in the accompaniment of victims, particularly legal accompaniment, to take up this issue. Finally, it is a way of saying to victims that their determination is not in vain, that political intent constantly needs pointing …

Ddasaccident521, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

This accident is classed as a “Missed-mine accident” because the mine was presumably either missed during survey or during clearance. It is presumed that demining group included it in their spreadsheet of demining accidents because the area should have been cleared.

Post War Legacy And Poverty: Case Study Of The Landmine/Uxo Problem In Rural Communities In Quang Tri Province, Vietnam, Duong Trong Hue

Global CWD Repository

Examines the links between postwar landmine/UXO contamination and poverty in two communes of Quang Tri Province.

Global Assessment Of Ec Mine Action Policy And Actions 2002-2004, Russell Gasser, Robert Keeley

Global CWD Repository

The Anti-Personnel Landmine Regulation mandates an overall assessment of all EC mine action every three years. This report contains the first such assessment for the period 2002-2004. The total funding by all EC budget lines for 2002-2004 for mine action was about 116M, of which the horizontal mine action budget line was nearly 40% at 45M. The total for the same period for all EU mine action, including contributions by Member States, was about 410M, of which the dedicated budget line is just 11%. The overall assessment reviewed four areas: 1) how the APL Regulation was used to generate mine …

Hd R&D Field Evaluation: Rotary Mine Comb, U.S. Humanitarian Demining Research And Development, Christopher Wanner

Global CWD Repository

This report documents the field testing of two vehicle-based, mine clearing systems both of which are based on the use of the Rotary Mine Combing Tool (RMCT). The test was designed to expand upon the body of knowledge developed by the maker of the RMCT as well as incorporate performance data related to the implementation of the tool in the two vehicles chosen to host the systems and elements of an operational concept for employment of the systems.

The Rotary Mine Comb is an innovative tool capable of gently extricating buried objects from the soil and pushing them to the …

Ddasaccident480, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The team will continue to destroy the bomb and they ordered [the Victim], deminer at the safety point (Pressing point) to bring equipments including C4 and electronic detonator to the SEOD and Section commander to destroy the booster of 750 Lbs . When [the Victim] reached the site and handed over the C4, the section commander ordered him to stay at the safety point. The SEOD and the section leader continued their tasks; the SEOD was explaining how to connect the detonator and preparing the C4. While they placing the C4 on the fuze of the 750 Lbs, they heard …

Cost-Benefit Analysis Of Mine Clearance Operations In Cambodia, Bjorn Gildestad

Global CWD Repository

This cost-benefit analaysis of mine clearance operations in Cambodia was launched by the national regulatory and coordinating body, the Cambodian Mine Action and Victims Assistance Authority (CMAA) in cooperation with UNDP. The socio-economic benefits of mine action was assessed covering the period since the start of the programme in 1992, and a cost benefit analysis model developed for the use of the Royal Government of Cambodia and stakeholders involved in mine clearance.

Operational Evaluation Test Of Mine Clearing Cultivator And Mine Clearing Sifter, Institute For Defense Analysis, U.S. Humanitarian Demining Research And Development, Office Of The Assistant Secretary Of Defense Special Operations And Low-Intensity Conflict

Global CWD Repository

As the result of field experience gained in Egypt and Angola, the Humanitarian Demining Program Management Office (HDPMO) of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM), Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC), Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD) undertook the design and fabrication of a heavy-soil cultivator to lift buried antitank (AT) and antipersonnel (AP) mines to the surface and move them off to the side in windrows. This unit was designated the Mine Clearing Cultivator (MCC). In addition, in 2002, the HDPMO also tested the ability of a modified agricultural sifter to remove mines from …

Moving Beyond Integrating Ubiquitous Undergraduate Research Skills, Harry L. Reif, Kathy E. Clarke, Young B. Choi

Libraries

Information systems professionals must be able to recognize and adapt to changing technologies to support evolving business needs. While it is impossible to accurately envision tomorrow’s technologies and business needs, it is possible to develop students’ ability to constantly survey the changing business and technology landscapes and apply critical thinking skills to draw appropriate conclusions regarding which potential trends are worth following and which are less viable. This paper makes the case for preparing undergraduate students with problem-solving and research skills and describes a successful methodology for developing these skills in an undergraduate information systems course.

Itf Enhancing Human Security Annual Report 2005, Itf-Enhancy Human Security

Global CWD Repository

The journey towards SE Europe region free from the impact of mines unites various stakeholders – the mine affected communities and their mine action authorities, international and local donor communities, the implementing partners and agencies – in a harmonized cooperation towards a positive end. The mandate of raising and managing funds has been entrusted to the ITF, which proved to be a recognizable and trustworthy partner. In 2005, the ITF funded some 50% of the demining programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina, approximately 20% in Croatia, 75% in Albania and over 50% in Serbia and Montenegro (incl. Kosovo). The overall number …

Report Of The Focus Group Workshop On Victim And Casualty Data Collection And Support Requirements For Imsma Version 4, Cisr

Global CWD Repository

The Mine Action Information Center (MAIC) at James Madison University (JMU) hosted a focus group workshop on 15-16 August 2005 in support of the development of version 4 of the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA). Mr. Alan Arnold, the IMSMA program manager, tasked the MAIC to organize and host the workshop in order to bring together subject matter experts in the fields of Mine Risk Education (MRE) and Mine Victim Assistance (MVA). The objective was to elicit, categorize and record comment on and suggestions for the proposed design of Victim and Casualty Data Collection and Analysis modules for …

Landmine Impact Survey Data And Planning For Reconstruction, Bob Eaton

Global CWD Repository

This report is the result of a Survey Action Center consultancy for the UN Mine Action Centre Afghanistan on collecting reconstruction and/or planning data and how it can be combined with Landmine Impact Survey data for follow-up on reconstruction/planning, casualty reduction, and surveillance and development of field reporting systems.

Ddasaccident520, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

Details of this accident have been withheld by the demining NGO that employed the Victim. A spreadsheet including the Victim’s name and very brief details of the accident was made available in 2007. Some details can be inferred from the information released. For example, the limited injury implies that the victim’s PPE was being worn in the correct manner.

Joint Evaluation Of Mine Action In Cambodia For The Donor Working Group On Mine Action, Robert Griffin, Robert Keeley

Global CWD Repository

This report presents the findings and recommendations of the Joint Evaluation of the Mine Action Sector in Cambodia to the Royal Cambodian Government and the donor Technical Working Group on Mine Action. The objectives of this evaluation are to provide an independent assessment of the achievements and challenges of the mine action sector in Cambodia; to present strategic recommendations for the orientation of future donor support to the sector, taking into account the need to strengthen the linkages between the mine action sector and national development plans and programmes; and to provide a common basis for a renewed donor-government partnership …

Training Of Mine Detection Dogs In Bosnia And Herzegovina (Npa Global Training Centre), Gichd

Global CWD Repository

This case study describes the mine detection dog (MDD) training programme used by Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) in its Global Training Centre (GTC) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is not a training manual, its aim is to promote the dissemination of information about successful programmes to the larger MDD community and to encourage evolution of methodologies by providing an example of one particularly successful method among the many MDD training programmes.

Ddasaccident537, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

Deminer [the Victim] started demining in his lane no. 47. He set off a P4 MK1 antipersonnel mine with his right foot by stepping on it 07:10 am. Explosion occurred 2 meters from the end of the 27 meter long cleared lane in already cleared area. Deminer fell down to his front. He was not injured except for small scratch in his little finger due to falling. His boots did not suffer any damage.

Missed Opportunities: The Need For Landmine Survivor Rehabilitation In Rural Areas, Stephen Meyers

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Persons with disabilities in developing countries are "regarded by their own communities as the most disadvantaged," yet poverty alleviation and international aid programs have consistently failed to prioritize their rehabilitation and integration into society. Within the scope of mine action (landmine removal, victim assistance and mine risk education), landmine survivor assistance receives only five percent of all humanitarian mine action funding. Persons with disabilities, whether their disabilities were caused by war, agricultural or industrial accidents, diabetes, infection or other causes, are often ignored.

Comprehensive Action Against Landmines In Ecuador, Guillermo Leal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

During the conflict of 1995 between Ecuador and Peru, a number of minefields were sown along the disputed border area. Although statistics concerning the problem have been difficult to obtain, anti-personnel mines represent a serious threat to the local populations. Many inhabitants have been forced to alter their traditional agricultural lifestyles as well as other daily activities such as cattle ranching, hunting and fishing.

Guatemala, Country Profile

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Tucked among Mexico, El Salvador and Honduras, Guatemala is a country full of history. Farming and fishing villages date back to as early as 2000 B.C. and represent the beginning of the Mayan culture that dominated the area for centuries. In 1583, Pedro de Alvarado, sent by the king of Spain, conquered the lands of the remaining Mayans and took possession of the land. The year 1821 brought independence from Spanish rule but not an improvement in the lives of the Mayans. Various leaders and governments took power, and in the 1950s, Colonel Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán carried on the liberal …