Emergency and Disaster Management Commons^™

The U.S. Pacific Command Humanitarian Demining Program, Joe Lokey

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Under the direction of the U.S. Pacific Command, SOCPAC guides the deployment of Special Operations Forces to mine-affected countries throughout Asia and the Pacific to teach clearance and develop indigenous capabilities.

The Direct Approach From Kosovo: Mine Awareness Education, Philip Dive

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

HMO Response's Philip Dive sees the inherent value in the direct approach in mine awareness training and urges the mine action community in Kosovo not to look past this approach.

Vietnam, Country Profile

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Vietnam

Pakistan, Country Profile

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Pakistan

Thailand, Country Profile

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Thailand

Gerbera: Mine Action Activities In Vietnam And Laos, Lisa M. Vanada

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In an attempt to help Vietnamese villagers resettle their UXO-contaminated homeland, Germany's GERBERA took the clearance initiative in 1998. As of July 2000, it had successfully relocated 40 families and expanded operations to Laos.

Laos, Country Profile

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Laos

The Mineseeker Airship: 'Supporting The U.N.', Elizabeth A. Cramer

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Lightship Group and the Defense Research and Evaluation Agency team up to help survey mine fields from above. Airship completed its flagship mission in 2000.

Notes From United Nations Mine Action Service, Robert Diethelm

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) serves as the focal point for all U.N. mine-related activities carried out by II departments and agencies within the organization. This coordinated and proactive approach minimizes the potential for duplication of effort, and ensures clear delineation of responsibility and integration of work by all involved.

K-9 Dog Academy Takes Its Training To The Mine Field, Margaret S. Busé

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Journal senior editor Margaret Buse sits down with dog trainer Malinda Julien to discuss the K-9 Dog Academy and the future-and present-of mine detecting dogs.

Cambodia, Country Profile

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Country profile of Cambodia, Spring 2001

The Journal Of Mine Action Issue 5.1 (2001), Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Journal of Mine Action Issue 5.1

Landmines in Asia and the Pacific

The Children's Plight In Cambodia, Chris Horwood, Michel Le Pechoux

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

UNICEF's mine action initiative in Cambodia puts victim assistance, risk education and community awareness at the forefront. Efforts have helped produce a national mine incident database, which aids in planning and evaluating fundraising.

Thailand: The Land Of Smiles (Until You Take Your First Step), Dave Mccracken

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The remnants of conflicts along the Thai-Cambodian, Lao, Malaysian and Myanmar borders affect the Livelihood of about 400,000 residents. The Thailand Mine Action Center looks to reverse 40 years-worth of Landmine contamination.

Munitions And Mines: Peace Education For Laos, Titus Peachey

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

From the end of the Vietnam War to 1994, 10,000 Laotians fell casualty to the millions of pieces of UXO within their borders. The author recounts the role of Mennonite Central Committee and other NGOs in reversing this situation.

Mine/Uxo Casualties And Casualty Surveillance In Cambodia, Reuben Mccarthy

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Handicap International's Reuben McCarthy details the combined efforts of HI, the Cambodian Red Cross and UNICEF in Cambodia. Putting faces with statistics, he gives the how, when and where of mine/UXO incidents in the country.

Rhino In Cambodia, Manfred Joehnk

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

RHINO, a large and powerful demining tool geared towards large clearance operations, has been put to the test--both on testing grounds and in the field. The result: a level of performance and operability that alleviates the concerns of critics.

K9 Demining Corp To Aid Clearance Efforts In Lebanon, Elizabeth A. Cramer

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Marshall Legacy Institute, with major contributions from the Humpty Dumpty Institute, is contributing six mine detection dogs to the Lebanese Army's mine clearance team.

The Challenges Of Mine Awareness Education For Children In Afghanistan, Christine Knudsen

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article has been removed.

The International Committee Of The Red Cross Mine/Uxo Awareness Programs, Laurence Desvignes

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Many current mine awareness strategies continue to use a “presentation approach,” in which the community remains passive and simply receives information. For organizations using such an approach, mine awareness amounts to a simple public information campaign isolated from other kinds of mine action and humanitarian activities. With the aim of addressing the threat of mines and UXO more effectively, the ICRC has adopted another approach. First, the ICRC gathers relevant information on local needs, which can be used to devise an appropriate mine/UXO awareness strategy. Next, the ICRC involves mine-contaminated communities in the mine awareness process. The ICRC also cooperates …

Empowering The People Through Mine Awareness In Latin America, Juan Carlos Ruan

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

At the Battle of Williamsburg in 1862, the decision was made to adapt the first shell in order to surprise the enemy. No one would have predicted that an unending battle of man against his own creation was in the works. Perhaps, if the strong negative feelings raised by mine use at the beginning would have deemed this weapon improper and banished its use, countries around the world would not have perfected the art of producing and employing landmines. We have watched landmines evolve from clumsy, easily re-deployed weapons to present day AP mines that continue to claim the lives …

Dispelling The Myth Between Humanitarian And Commercial Mine Action Activity, Ann Fitz-Gerald, Derrick Neal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Since the post World War years and even the more recent aftermath of the Cold War, the nature of peacekeeping, or peace-support operations, has changed dramatically. The change has involved the number and type of agencies concerned at each stage of an intervention and the numerous challenges they face in theatres. The responsibility is no longer left to and can no longer be fulfilled by a military force. A multitude of agencies takes on various tasks and becomes answerable to a number of different external and internal stakeholder interests.

The Demining Of Farmland - Cost/Benefit Analysis And Quality Control, Peter Schoeck

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The value gained by the demining of farmland is estimated and compared with the cost of demining for manual demining and mechanized demining. It is found that for farmland used for growing ordinary crops (as opposed to “luxury” crops yielding higher prices), the cost of demining and recultivation for reasons of economy is not to exceed 40 cents (U.S.)/m. To reach this target requires mechanized demining wherever possible, confining manual demining to areas not suitable for mechanized demining. A method is shown by which 100 percent safety of the demined area can be achieved and which facilitates quality control. The …

Superman - "To Be Or Not To Be...", Dennis Barlow

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

There is a saying in the operational world that "Victory has a thousand fathers, while defeat is an orphan." The checkered path of the U.S. government-sponsored DC Comics venture in mine awareness has given that old saw new relevance. It seems that at various times during the past five years the Superman and Superwoman comic books have been described variously as being the ultimate tool in influencing appropriate behavior or as totally dysfunctional.

Mine Awareness At The Cambodian Mine Action Center, Tang Sun Hao

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The mission of the Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC) Mine/UXO Awareness Branch is to reduce mine/UXO casualty rates by educating people about the nature of the danger and the appropriate steps to avoid the risk of accidents. The primary objective of CMAC Mine/UXO Awareness is no longer to teach people about the presence and dangers of landmines and unexploded ordnance, but rather, it is to ensure that people have the correct knowledge and make them more able and intent to avoid risk-behavior. In Cambodia, most communities have knowledge, sometimes gained in a tragic way, about landmines.

The Landmine Impact Survey Process, Richard Kidd

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

On August 22, the United Nations certified the process and the results of the Landmine Impact Survey conducted in Yemen. This survey is the first of its kind to be performed in accordance with international standards and marks a revolutionary event in the field of humanitarian mine action. The enhanced quality of information gained through the impact survey will change the way that resources are allocated and operational plans developed. Sophisticated analysis can now take place in support of decision-makers at all levels and progress measured in terms of real value to affected populations.

Community Mine Awareness For Development, Hildegard Scheu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Years after the civil war has ended, mines and UXO continue to be a serious danger to numerous communities in Mozambique. GTZ and Zimbabwean demining company Mine-Tech jointly developed the Integrated Humanitarian Demining for Development approach. Community Mine Awareness Training (CMA) for the local population was always an integral component. The concept and approach of CMA needed further improvement and refinement. The objective of the pilot project undertaken in the Cheringoma District of Sofala Province in Mozambique, June 19 - September 5, 1998, was to improve methods and instruments for CMA. This included the development of participatory methods to be …

Mine Action In Cambodia, Tim Grant

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

During the past five years, I have worked in four different mine awareness programs. The first was in 1990 with the Land Mine Awareness Programme (LMAP) whose mandate was to reach the Cambodian refugee camps on the Thai/Cambodian border. LMAP was the first mine awareness program to operate in the South East Asian region and was run through the International Rescue Committee (IRC) with funding by the Office of the U.N. Secretary General for the Coordination of Cambodian Humanitarian Assistance Programs.

Operation: Mine Awareness-Thailand, Katie Shepard

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Years of conflict along the borders of Thailand have resulted in countless landmines buried along the Thai-Cambodia, Thai-Laos, Thai-Malaysia and Thai-Myanmar borders. The number of booby-traps, UXO and landmines in Thailand is unknown. Surveys made by the Royal Thai Army and Navy indicate that the land of 19 provinces are landmine-infested. Approximately, 796 square kilometers of the land cannot be utilized, affecting the livelihood of 400,000 people residing in these areas.

The Mine Action Process, James Trevelyan

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

There are three ways to improve the mine action process to allow displaced people to return to their land sooner and with less risk of injury. Naturally, a major increase in aid funding would achieve a similar result using the existing process. Three main avenues to achieve improved outcomes with the same level of funding are as follows:

• Improving the technology, cost effectiveness and reliability of the mine clearance process,
• Applying risk management approaches to manage mine contamination problems, and
• Utilizing local resources and seeking alternative sources of funding more effectively.