Public Policy Commons^™

Doing No Harm? Mine Action And Land Issues In Cambodia, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

Land conflict, tenure insecurity and an inequitable distribution of land are among the most pressing challenges facing Cambodia today. In a country in which most people depend on agriculture, livestock rearing, fishing and forest products for their livelihoods, secure access to safe and productive land is crucial. Yet, over the past decade land conflict has increased dramatically, with one NGO reporting having recorded disputes involving 700,000 people between 2000 and 2012. Land distribution is highly unequal: In 2010 it was estimated that just one percent of the population owned 30 percent of Cambodia’s land.

In addition to land-related disputes, landlessness …

Cen Workshop Agreement, Test And Evaluation Of Digger D-250, Swedish Eod And Demining Centre

Global CWD Repository

During the last week of May 2014, the Digger D-250 was tested at one of SWEDEC facilities – the Norra Kulla Test Site - near Eksjö, Sweden. This test was planned and facilitated by SWEDEC. The methodology specified in CEN Workshop Agreement”CEN Workshop Agreement 15044; Test and Evaluation of Demining Machines” was used. It started with a performance test and ended up with an extended survivability test. The machine was tested with a tiller tool. These tests make the content of this report. The tracked, remotely controlled Digger D-250, weight approximately 12 tonnes, fits into what is normally regarded as …

Safety, Security, And Socio-Economic Wellbeing In Somaliland, Laura Hammond

Global CWD Repository

This report provides the findings of an extensive research exercise carried out in 12 communities in Somaliland in March 2013. The research aimed to determine:

1. Whether there had been an improvement or deterioration in people’s perceived levels of safety and security in their communities since DDG had first engaged with them, and if so, what was the evidence of improvement/deterioration.

2. Whether there had been an improvement or deterioration in people’s socio-economic wellbeing since DDG had first engaged with them, and if so, the evidence for either, and the reasons people associated with it.

3. Whether the trends identified …

Guide To Mine Action 2014, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

Mine action is developing at a rapid pace and the sector has evolved in recent years with a continuous improvement of methodologies, the adoption of new approaches and a broadened scope.

The fifth edition of the Guide to Mine Action, published by the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), addresses these developments. The publication aims to provide readers with an understanding of mine action (what it is, how it is regulated and how it has evolved over the years) as well as to describe how its components are managed in practice by the different actors in the sector. Given …

A Guide On Transitioning Mine Action Programmes To National Ownership, Unmas

Global CWD Repository

This guide focuses on transitioning mine action programmes1 to national ownership. The GICHD and United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) commissioned case studies of transition in nine mine/ERW-affected countries to provide the evidence base for this guide. The case studies document programme implementation in very different environments – from least developed to developing countries and from low to very high levels of landmine/ERW contamination. Regardless of context, mine action programmes in all nine countries have achieved significant progress in clearance, stockpile destruction, Mine Risk Education (MRE) and even victim assistance. Many lives have been saved, the survivors helped and the …

Handover Of Released Land | Common Procedures And Good Practices, Gichd, Gender In Mine Action

Global CWD Repository

This report is based on the findings of eight country case studies. The research was carried out by GMAP and the GICHD.

It includes handover procedures and policies and standards. It also consolidates good practice and lessons learnt, assesses whether gender considerations are taken into account, and presents general recommendations.

Clearance Of M16 Anti-Personnel Mines In Chile, Erik Tollefsen

Global CWD Repository

This report responds to a request for advice on safe and efficient procedures for clearance of M16 bounding fragmentation type anti-personnel mines in a minefield in the Picton Islands.

Following an invitation from Colonel Mendoza from CNAD, the GICHD Director, Ambassador Stephan Husy, visited Chile from the 20 to 29 January 2012. The GICHD Director had visited Chile previously when he focused on the minefields in the north of the country. Accompanying the GICHD Director was Ms Aurora Martinez, the GICHD focal point for Spanish speaking countries and specialist on information management. Mr Erik Tollefsen, the GICHD advisor on EOD, …

Transitioning Mine Action Programmes To National Ownership | Afghanistan, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

In response to the limited guidance on the topic of transition to national ownership, the GICHD commissioned nine country case studies in 2011 to highlight different contexts, processes, challenges, good practices and lessons learnt from the process of transition to national ownership.

Based on lessons learnt and the good practices highlighted in the case studies, the GICHD, in collaboration with UNMAS, produced a Guide on Transitioning Mine Action Programmes to National Ownership.

Mine Action Support For Armed Violence Reduction: Mission Creep Or Responding To Wider Security Needs? Policy Brief, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

he policy brief summarises the findings of GICHD study into the role of mine action organisations in reducing armed violence.

The 12 case studies profile the AVR-related programmes of different organisations.

Download policy brief and case studies in English, with some versions in French and Spanish

Albania Mine and Munitions Coordination Office's and DanChurchAid's UXO hotspot clearance project in Albania

Action On Armed Violence's post-conflict rehabilitation and reintegration programme in Liberia

DanChurchAid’s SALW awareness raising project in Burundi

Danish Demining Group’s Community Safety Programmes in Somaliland and Uganda

HALO Trust’s reintegration of former combatants into demining in Afghanistan

Handicap International’s …

Land Rights And Mine Action In Afghanistan: Frequently Asked Questions, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

This document provides simple, practical guidance on land issues for mine action organisations in Afghanistan. It covers the following topics: why land matters for mine action; land rights and land release; what mine action organisations can do; and where to get additional information and support.

Land Rights And Mine Action In Afghanistan: Analysis And Programming Entry-Points For Mine Action Organisations - Final Report, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

In 2010, GICHD initiated a project on landmines and land rights in conflict affected contexts. The purpose of the project was to strengthen the capacity of mine action organisations to prevent and respond to land-related conflict before, during and after mine action operations. Since 2011, GICHD has been partnering with UN-HABITAT to undertake a series of land assessment and support missions in key countries toprovide mine action organisations with analyses of land related conflicts and practical guidance on how they can ensure their mine action operations “do no harm” and take land issues into consideration. This report summarizes the main …

Livelihoods Analysis Of Landmine/Erw Affected Communities In Herat Province Afghanistan, Gichd, Mine Action Coordination Centre For Afghanistan, Gender In Mine Action

Global CWD Repository

The Mine Action Coordination Centre for Afghanistan (MACCA) and the Department for Mine Clearance (DMC) are seeking to better understand the development outcomes of demining. They plan to undertake community-level surveys on a periodic basis to document these achievements and identify changes to policy and practice that could further enhance the contribution that the Mine Action Programme of Afghanistan (MAPA) makes towards Afghanistan’s development. The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), working within the framework of the MoU between the GICHD and the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), assisted with the design and implementation of a pilot project that …

Transitioning Mine Action Programmes To National Ownership I Albania, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

In response to the limited guidance on the topic of transition to national ownership, the GICHD commissioned nine country case studies in 2011 to highlight different contexts, processes, challenges, good practices and lessons learnt from the process of transition to national ownership.

Based on lessons learnt and the good practices highlighted in the case studies, the GICHD, in collaboration with UNMAS, produced a Guide on Transitioning Mine Action Programmes to National Ownership.

Geneva International Centre For Humanitarian Demining Annual Report 2011, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

Annual narrative report on the work of the GICHD during 2011.

Evaluation Of The Un Mine Action Programme In Nepal, Ted Paterson, Prabin Chitraker, Abigail Hartley

Global CWD Repository

This evaluation looks at the UN Mine Action Programme in Nepal, which comprised two distinct but complementary components: one managed by the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) and the other by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

The aims of the evaluation were to:

1. assess the efficacy of the UN Mine Action Programme in Nepal
2. identify strengths and weaknesses in the relationships, structures, capacity development and processes that have been established
3. make recommendations for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of similar programmes

Transitioning Mine Action Programmes To National Ownership | Sudan, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

In response to the limited guidance on the topic of transition to national ownership, the GICHD commissioned nine country case studies in 2011 to highlight different contexts, processes, challenges, good practices and lessons learnt from the process of transition to national ownership. This case study assesses mine action and national development in Sudan.

Based on lessons learnt and the good practices highlighted in the case studies, the GICHD, in collaboration with UNMAS, produced a Guide on Transitioning Mine Action Programmes to National Ownership.

Transitioning Mine Action Programmes To National Ownership, Pascal Simon

Global CWD Repository

Cambodia's mine and ERW problem is a result of the long period of civil and regional conflicts that affected the country from the late 60s until 1998. Due to these conflicts, Cambodia is now one of the most heavily contaminated countries in the world, with more than 63,000 mine/ERW victims recorded since 1979. The first efforts to address Cambodia’s massive mine/ERW contamination came from the UN Advance Mission for Cambodia (UNAMIC), which contracted the HALO Trust in 1991-1992 to survey 700 km² of land in Battambang province ahead of the probable repatriation of 360,000 Cambodian refugees based in Thailand. In …

Transitioning Mine Action Programmes To National Ownership - Lebanon, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

n response to the limited guidance on the topic of transition to national ownership, the GICHD commissioned nine country case studies in 2011 to highlight different contexts, processes, challenges, good practices and lessons learnt from the process of transition to national ownership.

Based on lessons learnt and the good practices highlighted in the case studies, the GICHD, in collaboration with UNMAS, produced a Guide on Transitioning Mine Action Programmes to National Ownership.

Transitioning Mine Action Programmes To National Ownership | Ethiopia, Pascal Simon

Global CWD Repository

In response to the limited guidance on the topic of transition to national ownership, the GICHD commissioned nine country case studies in 2011 to highlight different contexts, processes, challenges, good practices and lessons learnt from the process of transition to national ownership.

Based on lessons learnt and the good practices highlighted in the case studies, the GICHD, in collaboration with UNMAS, produced a Guide to Transitioning Mine Action Programmes to National Ownership.

Transitioning Mine Action Programmes To National Ownership I Azerbaijan, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

In response to the limited guidance on the topic of transition to national ownership, the GICHD commissioned nine country case studies in 2011 to highlight different contexts, processes, challenges, good practices and lessons learnt from the process of transition to national ownership.

Based on lessons learnt and the good practices highlighted in the case studies, the GICHD, in collaboration with UNMAS, produced a Guide on Transitioning Mine Action Programmes to National Ownership.

Transitioning Mine Action Programmes To National Ownership | Cambodia, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

In response to the limited guidance on the topic of transition to national ownership, the GICHD commissioned nine country case studies in 2011 to highlight different contexts, processes, challenges, good practices and lessons learnt from the process of transition to national ownership.

Based on lessons learnt and the good practices highlighted in the case studies, the GICHD, in collaboration with UNMAS, produced a Guide on Transitioning Mine Action Programmes to National Ownership.

Transitioning Mine Action Programmes To National Ownership | Nepal, Gichd, Ted Paterson

Global CWD Repository

In response to the limited guidance on the topic of transition to national ownership, the GICHD commissioned nine country case studies in 2011 to highlight different contexts, processes, challenges, good practices and lessons learnt from the process of transition to national ownership.

Based on lessons learnt and the good practices highlighted in the case studies, the GICHD, in collaboration with UNMAS, produced a Guide on Transitioning Mine Action Programmes to National Ownership.

Transitioning Mine Action Programmes To National Ownership | Mozambique, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

In response to the limited guidance on the topic of transition to national ownership, the GICHD commissioned nine country case studies in 2011 to highlight different contexts, processes, challenges, good practices and lessons learnt from the process of transition to national ownership.

Based on lessons learnt and the good practices highlighted in the case studies, the GICHD, in collaboration with UNMAS, produced a Guide on Transitioning Mine Action Programmes to National Ownership.

Geneva International Centre For Humanitarian Demining 2012 Annual Report, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

The protection of civilians against all types of explosive weapons is at the core of the GICHD mandate. I am pleased to see that the United Nations Secretary-General, in his latest report on the protection of civilians in armed conflict of 22 May 2012, has urged relevant actors to undertake and support further collection and analysis of data related to the humanitarian impact caused by explosive weapons. In this vein, the GICHD has started to work on a classification scheme for explosive weapons.

In March 2012, a munitions depot exploded in the city centre of Brazzaville, resulting in hundreds of …

Sourcebook On Socio-Economic Survey, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

The Sourcebook features many types of socio-economic surveys that have been used to inform mine clearance, victim assistance, risk education and development activities. These surveys form a rich body of practice that can inspire mine action practitioners to implement field surveys that improve their planning, priority-setting and reporting on results achieved.

Remote Explosive Scent Tracing Rest, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

Remote Explosive Scent Tracing (REST) is essentially a survey methodology based on using dogs and rats to remotely detect landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). Systems similar to REST have been used in technical survey and mine clearance operations for 20 years, and have been subject to a study conducted by the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) since 2000.

At that time, REST was considered one of the most promising avenues for speeding up demining operations and making them more cost-efficient, very much in the spirit of the land release concept. The GICHD got involved in the …

Understanding Mine Clearance In The Context Of The Ap Mine Ban Convention, Apmbc

Global CWD Repository

The Convention's parties, with the support of a wide range of organisations, have made great progress in the pursuit of their aim of clearing all mined areas. There is an ongoing need, however, to ensure that all actors involved in the implementation of the Convention are clear regarding what “Article 5” obliges States to do and what it does not, what the understandings of the States Parties are concerning the implementation of Article 5, and what the mechanisms put in place related to fulfilment of Article 5 are. To assist in meeting this need, the ISU, with project funding provided …

Assisting Landmine And Other Erw Survivors In The Context Of Disarmament, Disability And Development, Apmbc

Global CWD Repository

A decade of deliberations on the problems caused by conventional weapons has resulted in various international legal instruments. Based on the precedents established through more than a decade of efforts to implement the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, there is consistency amongst these instruments. Different legal instruments, but with a uniform approach as concerns assisting victims and survivors of landmines and other explosive remnants of war, present certain opportunities. These opportunities concern ensuring coherence, closer cooperation and efficiency, ultimately with a view to achieving the greatest impact on the ground in affected communities. Taking advantage of these opportunities means enhancing the …

Geneva International Centre For Humanitarian Demining 2010 Annual Report, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

2010 was an important year for everyone striving for a world free of landmines, cluster munitions and other explosive remnants of war. It was particularly important for the Antipersonnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) and for its implementation. The evaluation of the APMBC Implementation Support Unit (ISU) confirmed the appreciation of the States Parties and other stakeholders for the effective work of the ISU and for the role played by the GICHD in hosting it.

Moreover, the entry into force of the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) on 1 August 2010 represented a positive legal and political step in supporting the …

Landmine And Land Rights In Conflict Affected Contexts, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

This policy brief describes the important linkages between land rights and landmines in conflict-affected contexts. Its purpose is to deepen awareness within the broader mine action and development communities about these linkages, and provide guidance on how to effectively mainstream land rights issues into mine action operations.