Public Policy Commons^™

A Guide To Road Clearance, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

Clearing roads prior to the deployment of peacekeeping units, or in support of humanitarian, reconstruction or development work, is a prerequisite to a safe and successful operation. However, road clearance is expensive and time-consuming. Equipment costs are high, especially in remote areas such as in Afghanistan, Angola and Sudan, where many roads remain contaminated by mines.

Confronted by these challenges, mine action operators are working to develop safer, more efficient and cost-effective road clearance systems. This Guide contributes to that process by providing recent examples, data and methodologies from the field. Methodologies and approaches used as examples in this guide …

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.

Ddasaccident584, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The deminer was working within the Site Preparation Stage to identify the centre of the mine line and an IOE was already identified and recovered the expected mines about 15m to our side from the mine centre line which already quality up to the assigned depth (15cm) and all the mines recovered from the site were a surface mines and when the deminer trying to bring out some stones he stepped on un expected mine in the site with the heel.

Ddasaccident621, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

It is the BOI and AMAC investigation team conclusion that the victim section leader, had found an unknown object during rest time and was tampering with it that suddenly the unknown object which probably was a UXO fuse exploded and caused left hand amputation, cut of right hand some fingers, left eye injury and left leg injuries to him.

Ddasaccident614, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

It is the conclusion of the investigation team that the involved deminer did not properly mark the signal with the reading marker. Also he was carelessly excavating the reading point, and this caused the mine to be exploded.

Ddasaccident598, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

It is the conclusion of investigation team that the involved deminer was excavation a signal in an area where the ground surface was hard with dense vegetation, and considering the crater created as a result of the explosion it seems that the deminer was excavating the signal about 30 cm on right side of the working lane where he was not in a stable position for excavating the signal by scraper; the excavation of this lane required to be done in next clearance lane.

Humanitarian Impact Evaluation - Battlefield Area Clearance South Lebanon (2007), Hi

Global CWD Repository

The aim of the report is to provide narrative and statistical data to demonstrate the humanitarian impact of Handicap International's Battlefield Area Clearance efforts in South Lebanon during the first 12 months of operations (December 2006 to December 2007). Handicap International has been conducting BAC in South Lebanon, since starting its operations in December 2006. During the first year of clearance, HI cleared: Private homes and gardens; private agricultural land; public land used for grazing and natural resources; public resources, such as clinics, of cluster bomb units that presented a contamination from the 2006 conflict. The clearance had a wide …

Geneva International Centre For Humanitarian Demining 2007 Annual Report, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

Annual narrative report on the work of the GICHD during 2007.

Mine Action Strategy (2009-2019) - Bosnia And Herzegovina, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

On December 3rd 1997, Bosnia and Herzegovina signed the Convention banning the production, use, stockpiling and transport of AP mines. The Convention also contains obligation to clear all known mined areas by March 2009. Accordingly, the Council of Ministers on 28 November 2006 made a decision to start the evaluation process of the existing Mine Action Strategy for the period 2005-2009, as well as the preparation of new strategic document for the period 2009-2019. This second document would provide the basis for an extension of the Convention deadline for total removal of mines.

In accordance with the evaluation of current …

Ddasaccident698, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

While he was marking his designated clearance lane in term of work progress, a painted stone fall down from his hand and caused for blowing off the mine.

Ddasaccident717, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

Two police officers, [Victim No. 1] (33) and [Victim No.2] (34), and one member of the Novo Goražde Civil Protection, [Victim No. 3] (44), were killed in a landmine blast that happened in an unmarked minefield located 10 km away from Goražde towards Ustiprača.

Ddasaccident783, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

According to claim of team, while the acting section leader was checking a lane cleared by one of team party and wanted to fix the location of a marking stone suddenly the stone fell down to un-cleared area and hit top of a mine/UXO causing it to explode.

Ddasaccident618, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The primary cause of this accident is listed as a Field Control Inadequacy because the demining group left the area without appropriately marking those areas worked and those that were still hazardous. The secondary cause is listed as a Management Control Inadequacy because it is the demining group’s senior management’s responsibility to ensure that the field managers left the task area responsibly.

Ec-Funded Mine Action In Africa: Volume 2 - Country Reports, Ted Paterson, Vera Bohle, Léonie Barnes, Mohamed Ahmed, Pamela Rebelo

Global CWD Repository

The Evaluation of EC support for mine action in Africa is the first of six regional mine action evaluations that the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) will conduct or commission for the European Commission (EC). These regional evaluations follow from a Global Assessment of EC support for mine action completed in 2005. Given the broad scope of a regional evaluation, no attempt was made to assess the performance of individual
projects; rather, the focus was on EC mine action strategy and programming issues at the country and regional levels. In addition to a document review, the evaluation team …

Evaluation Of The Mine Action Programme In Sudan, Ted Paterson, Vera Bohle

Global CWD Repository

The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) has hired three independent consultants to conduct an evaluation of the UN Mine Action Programme in Sudan (“the Programme”). The aims of this evaluation are to assess the efficacy of the Programme and the United Nations Mine Action Office (UNMAO) with a focus on the period following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) to the present day; to identify strengths and weaknesses in the relationships, structures and processes that have been established; and to make recommendations for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the programme. The main four areas reviewed during …