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To Walk The Earth In Safety 9th Edition (Fy2009), Us Dos Pm/Wra

Global CWD Repository

In 2009, the Department of State continued to lead the international donor community in providing assistance for the clearance of landmines and other explosive remnants of war, as well as the destruction of at-risk and unsecured weapons and munitions, by providing $130 million in aid to 32 countries. Although significant progress has been made over the last decade, including several countries which have been declared mine impact-free, there still remains much to do to make the world a safer place for everyone.

This ninth edition of our annual report, To Walk The Earth In Safety, describes the programs and achievements …

Geneva International Centre For Humanitarian Demining 2009 Annual Report, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

Annual narrative report on the work of the GICHD in 2009.

Ddasaccident661, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

At 11:30 hrs on 15th Dec 2009, [the Victim] the Team Leader of the EOD -01 was working as a deminer and trying to identify the actual mined area. While he was excavating on a signal by a pick, he hit the mine and it caused to the accident. As [the Victim] was not well prepared and fully dressed with PPE, he has got severe injures to face, eyes and forehead.

Ddasaccident765, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The deminer was instructed by his Section Leader to move the UXO and place the item concerned in the demolition pit, which was located 21 metres away from the deminer’s working area / lane. On the way to the demolition pit the deminer accidentally dropped the UXO and according to the Section Leader, the deminer dropped the UXO directly on to stone that was in the ground and subsequently the UXO detonated. Timings for the accident were recorded as follows:

Ddasaccident668, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

On 17 Nov 2009 at 09:15 hrs when [Name removed] the land owner was trying to cultivating his land, he has discovered an AT (M-19) mine. Luckily the mine has not exploded. Later on the mine handed over to ISAF for destruction.

Amending The Ottawa Convention: A Way Forward, Dennis Barlow

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

With clearance deadlines for States Parties to the Ottawa Convention approaching or having passed, and available humanitarian aid being spread among an exploding number of worthy activities, should mine-action programs be held to the stringent letter of the Convention? The author posits that, with a simple solution, States Parties can fulfill the spirit of the agreement while eliminating costly, time-consuming and inefficient clearance obligations.

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.

Endnotes Issue 13.3, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Endnotes Issue 13.3

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.

Fria, The Kurdish Mine Action Magazine, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In 2007, the Fria Society for Mine Action Professionals published the inaugural issue of Fria, The Kurdish Mine Action Magazine. Founded in 2006, the FSMAP, a nongovernmental, nonprofit group based in Iraqi Kurdistan, began publishing the magazine out of a desire to improve training, education, and information-sharing among Kurdistan’s mine-action professionals. According to the magazine’s publisher and FSMAP Director, Jamal J. Hussein, the magazine “is the single mine-action magazine that publishes mine-action news and issues related to mine action in (the) Kurdish language in the region.” The magazine’s staff is comprised of a core group of FSMAP-affiliated mine-action professionals, including …

Ieds: A Major Threat For A Struggling Society, Pablo Esteban Parra Gallego

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The use of improvised explosive devices by guerrillas, drug cartels and paramilitary groups has threatened Colombian society for the past 30 years. This article examines the types of IEDs found in Colombia, and the extent and history of its IED problem. Also outlined are the Colombian government’s efforts to counter IEDs, and possible solutions to the challenges ahead, such as enhanced intelligence and community security.

In Remembrance: Zarema Sadulayeva, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Zarema Sadulayeva, the head of the Chechen charity Let’s Save the Generation, and her husband, Alik Dzhabrailov, were found dead on Tuesday, 11 August 2009, in a suburb of Grozny, Chechnya. Sadulayeva and Dzhabailov, both 33 years old, were abducted from their offices on Monday, 10 August 2009, and were found the following day with multiple gunshot wounds. This is not the first time tragedy has struck the nongovernmental organization. In 2005, the former head of LSG, Murad Muradov, was found murdered. Sadulayeva began working for LSG following the murder of Muradov in 2005 and Dzhabailov joined the organization following …

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.

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.

The Colombian Hd Workshop: Developing A Plan Of Action, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Four decades of near-continuous conflict between non-state actors and government forces have left Colombia with an extensive, deadly legacy. Landmines, improvised explosive devices and other explosive ordnance litter the countryside, and casualty rates remain among the highest in the world. As conflict has subsided, Colombia has begun the challenging task of addressing and gathering information on problems caused by explosive remnants of war.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Anti-Personnel Landmine Detection For Humanitarian Demining: The Current Situation And Future Direction For Japanese Research And Development, Book Review

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The interest in developing technology for humanitarian demining has grown in Japan ever since the country became a signatory to the Ottawa Convention on 3 December 1997. In fact, from October 2002 to March 2008, the Japan Science and Technology Agency, which is under Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, funded a comprehensive program to jump-start research and technology development in the field of humanitarian demining. This program, titled “Research and Development of Sensing Technology, Access and Control Technology to Support Humanitarian Demining of Anti-personnel Mines,” consisted of 12 projects that were chosen out of 82 different …

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.

Data Analysis And Performance Evaluation Of Japanese Dual-Sensor Systems Tested In Croatia, Kazunori Takahashi, Mate Gaal, Dieter Gulle

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Two years ago, the Croatian Mine Action Center–Center for Testing Development and Training Ltd. tested two Japanese dual-sensor systems for humanitarian demining in Croatia. The test’s results show that these detection systems can potentially increase the accuracy of mine-detecting operations, but several improvements to the sensors may be required before the systems are fully effective.

Aid Effectiveness In Insecure Areas, Sharmala Naidoo

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The issue of aid effectiveness in conflict-affected and insecure areas is receiving increased attention within the development community. The Paris Declaration on Aid EffectivenessPrinciples for Good International Engagement in Fragile States and Situations and the recent Accra Agenda for Action signal donor and recipient commitment to improve the effectiveness of aid. Conflict-affected countries often present aid-effectiveness challenges that require special attention—but what does this mean for countries affected by mines and explosive remnants of war? This article examines recent developments, highlighting some implications for mine action.