Decisions Tools Manual

This decision tools manual outlines methods through which nations and organizations with limited resources can accurately prioritize humanitarian mine action projects and clearance efforts. This methods include a cost-benefit analysis of the socio-economic effect of mine clearance with field examples from Thailand and Ethiopia

The Role of Civil Affairs in Mine Action

The landmine threat to innocent civilians around the world is personally tragic, but it also represents a massive challenge to the development and infrastructure of nations at risk. Landmines have recently been used to target civilian populations and refugees, creating crisis situations regarding agriculture, indirect health consequences, and developmental choices. Mine action is a series of activities which, taken together, attempt to ameliorate the effects of landmines. Mine action components include landmine clearance, mine awareness, and victim assistance and support activities. These diverse, and sometimes unrelated, operations are undertaken by numerous organizations, which are not typically under the control of any one organization. Coordination of effort, therefore is extremely difficult. The US government humanitarian demining program is predicated on providing limited support to countries which request aid, and designing the US response to produce a sustainable, host nation-run demining program as soon as possible. The Interagency Working Group has devised a series of procedures so that when appropriate, a requesting country can be supported by the Department of Defense and the Department of State in an effective and efficient manner. The regional Commanders-in-Chief include humanitarian demining country plans in their umbrella peacetime strategy of Theater Engagement. Humanitarian demining is one of the family of humanitarian assistance missions covered by the Overseas Humanitarian Disaster and Civic Assistance (OHDACA) authority. Special Operations Forces, including Special Forces, Psychological Operations and Civil Affairs (CA) units possess unique cultural as well as specialized skills which allow them to perform civil military operations (CMOs), to include humanitarian demining operations. Reserve CA forces, in particular, possess functional specialties, which mirror civilian professional skills relevant to infrastructure support and restoration. CA capabilities: planning, coordination, training, and advising can be applied to various aspects of a mine action campaign. CA soldiers can coordinate with non-governmental organizations, other US agencies, for-profit companies, the UN, and other demining players. They can also help the host nation determine appropriate measures of effectiveness, demining plans and priorities, transition points, and support the creation of a National Demining Office. The use of CA reservists, however, is constrained because of the relative importance of demining as a mission, the perceptions of the CA reserve force, the accessibility of reserve CA personnel, the configuration and size of CA units, and the funding of reserve forces in support of the demining program. Nevertheless, these constraints can be overcome and CA can support humanitarian demining operations effectively, if elements are activated in small teams and for short periods of time. This is especially true if CA units are expanded (as planned) and if DOD demining funds can be applied to support of CA reservists performing those missions

Adaptive Technology Catalog

By design, the purpose of this Adaptive Technology Catalog is to provide a resource for governments, survivor-assistance and other agencies to help victims of landmines and other explosive remnants of war (ERW) and other disabled workers get back to self-sufficiency and paid work. Landmine and ERW injuries have a devastating impact on the economic security of individuals, families and communities. Most often, these circumstances exist in countries that lack the basic social welfare infrastructure that might otherwise keep this at-risk population from poverty. Designing, developing and identifying simple and inexpensive tools and programs that assist with survivor work reintegration is a challenge with broad implications for the economic recovery of communities and nations as they emerge from conflict. The Adaptive Technology Catalog was created to offer information pertaining to both products that are readily available for use and those that may require some modification depending on intended usage. We expect this Catalog to be a resource for governments and organizations planning rehabilitation projects and those working in the field of survivors’ assistance. Although this is not an all-inclusive publication, we hope that you find the tools in it useful. It is not a comprehensive catalog by any means. There are certainly many more companies around the world that produce similar products or tools that are even more innovative and practical for the mine-affected population. We invite you to let us know about manufacturers and innovative tools you have created or found to help your survivors recover and reintegrate into society

Managing Landmine Casualty Data: Designing and Developing the Data Structures and Models Necessary to Track and Manage Landmine Casualty Data

The Mine Action Information Center (MAIC) at James Madison University, through a grant from the US Department of State via RONCO Consulting Corporation, implemented this project to develop a framework for the systematic collection and management of landmine casualty data. This report focuses on Phase II of the project, with Phase I already completed and Phase III to build on the results of Phase II. The project was premised on the lack of an adequate system for collecting and managing landmine casualty data on a global basis. Data on landmine and UXO casualties is being collected in a systematic manner in some countries, but worldwide, it is not being collected in a comprehensive or consistent manner that allows it to be compared cross-nationally and aggregated globally. The lack of an adequate system hampers the ability of mine action decision makers to effectively design and implement programs and allocate scarce resources. The Casualty Database Project has two principal goals: 1. To assess existing methods of landmine and UXO casualty data collection, analysis and dissemination 2. To formulate courses of action for the systematic and accurate collection and processing of casualty-related data. Related to these goals are some core questions that the project seeks to answer: 1. Who is collecting casualty data? 2. What information about landmine casualties do the different systems collect? 3. How effectively and reliably is it being collected? 4. For what purposes is it being collected? 5. How can we improve the collection of casualty data globally

Global Education and Training Initiatives Directory

The Global Education and Training Initiatives Directory represents a first effort to document the collective training and education opportunities that span a range of technical activities within mine action, explosive ordnance disposal and small arms/light weapons control and destruction. Efforts to counter the threats of landmines, unexploded ordnance and small arms/light weapons have traditionally been treated as separate entities; however, this directory is an effort to bring them together. The goal of the GETI Directory is to provide information on technical training and education within these different groups, and also to encourage synergy between mine action, explosive ordnance disposal and SA/LW control as information is available about training and education options among the oft-similar, but typically separated, efforts related to mines, UXO and SA/LW

Mozambique: A Listing of Organizations Conducting Humanitarian Demining/Mine Awareness Activities

The following list describes organizations that have been active in conducting humanitarian demining activities in Mozambique. The list includes NGO’s, IO’s, commercial firms, governmental and military organizations. Printouts for some organizations with websites are included in Appendix A and are coded with an asterisk in the list

Mozambique Mine Awareness Education Module

Mine Awareness Education Module - Mozambique is based on information acquired through a variety of expert sources. The document incorporates information gathered through • a review of ecological theories, • an extensive review of existing humanitarian demining mine awareness and prevention programs, • a review of effective strategies of community-change efforts, • and interviews with persons conducting mine awareness programs in Mozambique and other sub-Sahara countries. In addition, interviews and briefings were conducted with personnel from the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict, US. Army Special Operations Command, 4th Psychological Operations Group and Special Operations Command, Europe (SOCEUR), U.S. Embassy - Mozambique, National Demining Commission of Mozambique, and Handicap International. Using multiple data sources and adopting an ecological perspective of mine awareness programming will help ensure that the module will provide theoretically grounded, comprehensive, and relevant information for the reader

Landmine Casualty Data: Best Practices Guidebook

The inadequacy of data collection on landmine victims was recognized from the earliest years of the AP Mine Ban Convention2 implementation process. Significant sums of money were invested by the international mine action donor community in the development of an Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) and in the execution of Landmine Impact Surveys (LIS), with the goal of obtaining and processing needed information on landmine accidents and victims as well as other information about the presence of landmines. These tools have assisted countries to collect and manage information about landmine and other Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) contamination but have not solved the problem of insufficient data because that problem is multi-faceted and intertwined with other national economic and political development challenges. This Landmine Casualty Data: Best Practices Guidebook reports on advances being made in casualty data collection and management and offers lessons learned that countries can reflect upon as they undertake the challenging task of building mine/ ERW victim information systems that meet their needs for data to use in planning and implementing their comprehensive mine action programs, including mine clearance, mine risk education and victim assistance. While the Guidebook is premised on the advances being made in some countries, much more progress is needed before effective landmine/ERW victim information systems will be operating in all mine-affected countries. It is important to share the successes and benefit from the lessons learned

Humanitarian Demining Requirements Analysis Final Report

The Humanitarian Demining Information Center (HDIC) at James Madison University is developing a plan for identifying, analyzing, enhancing, and disseminating electronic and hard copy information relating to humanitarian demining. The first step toward realizing this objective was identifying the information needs, information availability and optimal methods for organizing and delivering information to the humanitarian demining community

Issue 17.2 Endnotes

Issue 17.2 Endnote